Chris Dobson
Encyclopedia
Christopher Martin "Chris" Dobson, FRS, (born 8 October 1949) is a British
chemist
, John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Chemical and Structural Biology at the University of Cambridge
, and Master of St John's College, Cambridge
. Dobson's research is largely concerned with protein folding and misfolding
.
Having completed a B.A.
and D.Phil at the University of Oxford
(Keble College
and Merton College
), Dobson held research fellowships at Merton and then Linacre College
before working at Harvard University
. He returned to Oxford in 1980 as a Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
and as a university lecturer in chemistry, later receiving promotions to reader
, then professor, in chemistry. Dobson has been at Cambridge since 2001 and has been Master of St John's College, Cambridge since 2007.
In 2009 he was awarded the Royal Medal
by the Royal Society "for his outstanding contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms of protein folding and mis-folding, and the implications for disease."
Corday Morgan Medal and Prize, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 1983
Howard Hughes International Research Scholar, 1992
Brunauer Award, American Ceramic Society, 1996
Fellow of The Royal Society, 1996
Dewey and Kelly Award, University of Nebraska, 1997
National Lecturer, American Biophysical Society, 1998
Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation, 1999
Interdisciplinary Award, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 1999
Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Leuven, Belgium, 2001
Presidential Visiting Scholar, University of California San Francisco, 2001
Bijvoet Medal, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, 2002
Silver Medal, Italian Society of Biochemistry, 2002
Royal Society Bakerian Lecturer, 2003
Stein and Moore Award, The Protein Society, 2003
Honorary Member, National Magnetic Resonance Society of India, 2004
Fellow of The Academy of Medical Sciences, 2005
Honorary Doctor of Medicine, Umea University, Sweden, 2005
Davy Medal, The Royal Society, 2005
Hans Neurath Award, The Protein Society, 2006
Honorary Doctor of Medicine, University of Florence, Italy, 2006
Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Liège, Belgium, 2007
Sammet Guest Professor, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, 2007
Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2007
Fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance, 2008
Honorary Fellow, Linacre College, University of Oxford, 2008
Honorary Fellow, Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, 2008
Honorary Fellow, Merton College, University of Oxford, 2009
Honorary Fellow, Keble College, University of Oxford, 2009
Royal Medal, The Royal Society, 2009
Honorary Fellow of the Chemical Council of India, 2010
Khorana Award, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2010
. According to his Short CV, Professor Dobson has published more than 550 papers and review articles, including more than 30 in Nature and Science. Of these, 150 were published within the last five years. His current h-score (based on citations) is 100.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chemist
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Chemical and Structural Biology at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and Master of St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
. Dobson's research is largely concerned with protein folding and misfolding
Protein folding
Protein folding is the process by which a protein structure assumes its functional shape or conformation. It is the physical process by which a polypeptide folds into its characteristic and functional three-dimensional structure from random coil....
.
Having completed a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and D.Phil at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
(Keble College
Keble College, Oxford
Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
and Merton College
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
), Dobson held research fellowships at Merton and then Linacre College
Linacre College, Oxford
Linacre College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the UK, currently offering graduate entry only. It is located on St Cross Road at the corner of St Cross Road and South Parks Road, next to the University Parks and opposite the Tinbergen Building, which is shared by...
before working at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He returned to Oxford in 1980 as a Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Lady Margaret Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located at the end of Norham Gardens in north Oxford. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £34m....
and as a university lecturer in chemistry, later receiving promotions to reader
Reader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
, then professor, in chemistry. Dobson has been at Cambridge since 2001 and has been Master of St John's College, Cambridge since 2007.
In 2009 he was awarded the Royal Medal
Royal Medal
The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal, is a silver-gilt medal awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge" and one for "distinguished contributions in the applied sciences" made within the Commonwealth of...
by the Royal Society "for his outstanding contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms of protein folding and mis-folding, and the implications for disease."
Awards
Professor Dobson's accolades include:Corday Morgan Medal and Prize, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 1983
Howard Hughes International Research Scholar, 1992
Brunauer Award, American Ceramic Society, 1996
Fellow of The Royal Society, 1996
Dewey and Kelly Award, University of Nebraska, 1997
National Lecturer, American Biophysical Society, 1998
Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation, 1999
Interdisciplinary Award, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 1999
Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Leuven, Belgium, 2001
Presidential Visiting Scholar, University of California San Francisco, 2001
Bijvoet Medal, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, 2002
Silver Medal, Italian Society of Biochemistry, 2002
Royal Society Bakerian Lecturer, 2003
Stein and Moore Award, The Protein Society, 2003
Honorary Member, National Magnetic Resonance Society of India, 2004
Fellow of The Academy of Medical Sciences, 2005
Honorary Doctor of Medicine, Umea University, Sweden, 2005
Davy Medal, The Royal Society, 2005
Hans Neurath Award, The Protein Society, 2006
Honorary Doctor of Medicine, University of Florence, Italy, 2006
Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Liège, Belgium, 2007
Sammet Guest Professor, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, 2007
Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2007
Fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance, 2008
Honorary Fellow, Linacre College, University of Oxford, 2008
Honorary Fellow, Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, 2008
Honorary Fellow, Merton College, University of Oxford, 2009
Honorary Fellow, Keble College, University of Oxford, 2009
Royal Medal, The Royal Society, 2009
Honorary Fellow of the Chemical Council of India, 2010
Khorana Award, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2010
Publications
Dobson has written or contributed to some 478 publications as listed via PubMedPubMed
PubMed is a free database accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health maintains the database as part of the Entrez information retrieval system...
. According to his Short CV, Professor Dobson has published more than 550 papers and review articles, including more than 30 in Nature and Science. Of these, 150 were published within the last five years. His current h-score (based on citations) is 100.