Sir Paul Nurse
Press release issued:
16 November 2011
Nobel prize-winning geneticist Sir Paul Nurse, widely regarded as the most powerful scientist in Britain, will be giving an annual lecture at Bristol University on Monday [21 November], revealing his thoughts on the question ‘What is life?’.
In his role as the President of the
Royal Society, Sir Paul will examine three of the great ideas of biology - the gene theory; the theory of evolution by natural selection; and the proposal that the cell is the fundamental unit of all life.
Sir Paul was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with Leland Hartwell and Tim Hunt for their work on the genetics of the cell cycle – a discovery crucial to the understanding of cancer.
Using genetic and biochemical methods, they identified the molecules CDK and cyclin that control the cell cycle in eukaryotic organisms. These fundamental discoveries have a profound impact on many aspects of biology and medicine.
It is almost a year since Sir Paul became President of the Royal Society, a post whose previous holders include Sir Christopher Wren, Samuel Pepys and Sir Isaac Newton.
Sir Paul’s lecture is a joint initiative by the University's Institute for Advanced Studies, the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and the Sir Anthony Epstein Lectures. It is free and begins at 6pm in the Great Hall in Wills Memorial Building.
The annual Sir Anthony Epstein Lecture recognises the achievements of outstanding scientists in the fields of cancer biology, infection and immunology. Sir Anthony Epstein was Professor of Pathology at the University of Bristol from 1968 to 1982 and one of the founding fathers of human tumour virus research.
He discovered Epstein-Barr virus in 1964, the first human tumour virus, and subsequently made major contributions to the understanding of tumour virus biology and ultimately to the development of vaccines that might control these virus-associated cancers.
- The lecture is free and open to anyone but booking is required online.
Further information
‘The Great Idea of Biology’ lecture is organised by Public and Ceremonial Events on behalf of the IAS and the Anthony Epstein Lectures.
IAS
The purpose of the Institute for Advanced Studies is to enhance research and intellectual life at the University of Bristol. It encompasses all disciplines within the University, promotes creative interdisciplinarity and seeks to extend the public reach of the University through dissemination activities and external collaborations.
Sir Anthony Epstein
Sir Anthony Epstein was Professor of Pathology in the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University from 1968 to 1982 and one of the founding fathers of human tumour virus research. He discovered Epstein-Barr virus in 1964, the first human tumour virus, and subsequently made major contributions to the understanding of tumour virus biology and ultimately to the development of vaccines that might control these virus-associated cancers.
Sir Anthony was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1979 and was Vice-President of the Royal Society from 1986 to 1991, receiving the Society’s Royal Medal in 1992. He was made a CBE in 1985 and knighted in 1991. He is also an Honorary Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford.
