JBS Haldane Lecture

Prize: Awards, Distinctions, Medals, and Prizes

Description

The genetics Society is delighted to announce that Jonathan Pettitt is the winner of the 2020 JBS Haldane Lecture.

Jonathan Pettitt is a Reader in Genetics at the University of Aberdeen. He has a long-standing interest in applying the manifold advantages of C. elegans to study the genetics of basic animal biology. His current research investigates the molecular basis of post-transcriptional RNA processing, including nematode-specific mechanisms; the understanding of which may facilitate the development of new drugs to treat parasitic nematode infections.

Jonathan is strongly committed to public engagement with genetics. He believes that the explosion in the availability and application of human genome sequence information, coupled with the development of genome engineering technology, means that there has never been a more urgent need to ensure genetic literacy beyond the traditional areas of research and healthcare.

As a passionate and enthusiastic communicator of genetics, Jonathan has written and presented a broad range of events, including The ‘Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas’ at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Royal Greenwich Observatory, the Royal Institution, and science festivals in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Sofia, Bulgaria. He was the genetics consultant for Helen Keen’s book, ‘The Science of Game of Thrones’.

Jonathan will present his lecture at the Royal Institution in the autumn of 2020. Details to follow.
Degree of recognitionInternational
Granting OrganisationsThe Genetics Society

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