David Fulker
Encyclopedia
David W. Fulker was a behavioural geneticist
. Among positions of esteem, he was elected president of the Behavior Genetics Association
(1982), and was executive editor of the society's journal Behavior Genetics
. In honour of this role, the society maintains an annual Fulker Award, for the best paper in the journal each year, and for which the award is "$1000 and a good bottle of wine".
genetic approach should be applied to human behaviour. Seemingly a commonplace idea today, this was a landmark paper, and became a citation classic.
At the Institute of Psychiatry
, Fulker's research established that many behaviours, not only in rodents but also in humans and in such "higher" mental traits as personality
and also psychiatric diseases show genetic influences. Producing these results entailed the development of novel analytical approaches, on which Fulker collaborated with John DeFries.
Fulker worked on combining quantitative and molecular genetic approaches, adapting the DeFries-Fulker regression approach to this purpose.
With a former PhD student Lon Cardon (who went on to discover linkage for dyslexia on chromosome 6 and to work in the human International HapMap Project
) and Stacey Cherny, Fulker worked on methods for linkage
and association analysis of quantitative traits.
in psychology
at Birkbeck College
, London University
, graduating with first class honours, and deciding to work in genetics
.
Fulker pursued this interest, obtaining both a Masters and a PhD
at Birmingham University
supervised by John Jinks. Exceptionally for a post-graduate student, his first publication (on fruit fly mating) was published in Science
in 1966.
Fulker joined the staff at Birmingham as a lecturer
where he remained until moving in 1975 to a senior lectureship at the Institute of Psychiatry
in London, where he also directed its animal laboratories at the Bethlem Royal Hospital
. In 1985 Fulker moved to a professorship at the University of Colorado
's Institute for Behavioral Genetics at Boulder
.
In 1996, he was recruited back to the Institute of Psychiatry
to the new Medical Research Council
funded Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre.
Fulker was married to Angela Elliot Fulker with whom he had one child, Rosanna, born in 1986 and a stepdaughter, Katherine.
Behavioural genetics
Quantitative human behavioural genetics is a specialisation in the biological field of behaviour genetics that studies the role of genetics in human behaviour employing quantitative-genetic methods. The field is an overlap of quantitative genetics and psychology...
. Among positions of esteem, he was elected president of the Behavior Genetics Association
Behavior Genetics Association
The Behavior Genetics Association is a learned society that was established in 1970 and promotes research into the connection between heredity and behavior.- Aims :...
(1982), and was executive editor of the society's journal Behavior Genetics
Behavior Genetics (journal)
Behavior Genetics is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published monthly by Springer Science+Business Media that is devoted to "research in the inheritance of behavior". It is the official journal of the Behavior Genetics Association. The journal was founded in 1971 with Steven G. Vandenberg as...
. In honour of this role, the society maintains an annual Fulker Award, for the best paper in the journal each year, and for which the award is "$1000 and a good bottle of wine".
Contributions to behaviour genetics
In 1970, Fulker and John L. Jinks published a proposal that the biometricBiometrics
Biometrics As Jain & Ross point out, "the term biometric authentication is perhaps more appropriate than biometrics since the latter has been historically used in the field of statistics to refer to the analysis of biological data [36]" . consists of methods...
genetic approach should be applied to human behaviour. Seemingly a commonplace idea today, this was a landmark paper, and became a citation classic.
At the Institute of Psychiatry
Institute of Psychiatry
The Institute of Psychiatry is a research institution dedicated to discovering what causes mental illness and diseases of the brain. In addition, its aim is to help identify new treatments for them and ways to prevent them in the first place...
, Fulker's research established that many behaviours, not only in rodents but also in humans and in such "higher" mental traits as personality
Personality type
Personality type refers to the psychological classification of different types of individuals. Personality types are sometimes distinguished from personality traits, with the latter embodying a smaller grouping of behavioral tendencies. Types are sometimes said to involve qualitative differences...
and also psychiatric diseases show genetic influences. Producing these results entailed the development of novel analytical approaches, on which Fulker collaborated with John DeFries.
Fulker worked on combining quantitative and molecular genetic approaches, adapting the DeFries-Fulker regression approach to this purpose.
With a former PhD student Lon Cardon (who went on to discover linkage for dyslexia on chromosome 6 and to work in the human International HapMap Project
International HapMap Project
The International HapMap Project is an organization that aims to develop a haplotype map of the human genome, which will describe the common patterns of human genetic variation. HapMap is a key resource for researchers to find genetic variants affecting health, disease and responses to drugs and...
) and Stacey Cherny, Fulker worked on methods for linkage
Genetic linkage
Genetic linkage is the tendency of certain loci or alleles to be inherited together. Genetic loci that are physically close to one another on the same chromosome tend to stay together during meiosis, and are thus genetically linked.-Background:...
and association analysis of quantitative traits.
Career
Fulker's father had been a miner in Wales, but moved the family to London, where Fulker grew up. He was initially trained as a teacher, and working in this profession (teaching chemistry) and as a photographer. Fulker subsequently obtained a BScBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at Birkbeck College
Birkbeck, University of London
Birkbeck, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It offers many Master's and Bachelor's degree programmes that can be studied either part-time or full-time, though nearly all teaching is...
, London University
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, graduating with first class honours, and deciding to work in genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
.
Fulker pursued this interest, obtaining both a Masters and a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
at Birmingham University
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
supervised by John Jinks. Exceptionally for a post-graduate student, his first publication (on fruit fly mating) was published in Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
in 1966.
Fulker joined the staff at Birmingham as a lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
where he remained until moving in 1975 to a senior lectureship at the Institute of Psychiatry
Institute of Psychiatry
The Institute of Psychiatry is a research institution dedicated to discovering what causes mental illness and diseases of the brain. In addition, its aim is to help identify new treatments for them and ways to prevent them in the first place...
in London, where he also directed its animal laboratories at the Bethlem Royal Hospital
Bethlem Royal Hospital
The Bethlem Royal Hospital is a psychiatric hospital located in London, United Kingdom and part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Although no longer based at its original location, it is recognised as the world's first and oldest institution to specialise in mental illnesses....
. In 1985 Fulker moved to a professorship at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
's Institute for Behavioral Genetics at Boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
.
In 1996, he was recruited back to the Institute of Psychiatry
Institute of Psychiatry
The Institute of Psychiatry is a research institution dedicated to discovering what causes mental illness and diseases of the brain. In addition, its aim is to help identify new treatments for them and ways to prevent them in the first place...
to the new Medical Research Council
Medical Research Council (UK)
The Medical Research Council is a publicly-funded agency responsible for co-ordinating and funding medical research in the United Kingdom. It is one of seven Research Councils in the UK and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
funded Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre.
Fulker was married to Angela Elliot Fulker with whom he had one child, Rosanna, born in 1986 and a stepdaughter, Katherine.