Janet Thornton
Encyclopedia
Professor Janet Maureen Thornton, CBE, FRS (b. May 23, 1949) is Director of the European Bioinformatics Institute
on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus
at Hinxton
, near Cambridge
, UK. She is one of the world’s leading researchers in structural bioinformatics
, using computational methods to understand protein structure and function. Her work is highly interdisciplinary, interfacing with structural biology, bioinformatics, biological chemistry and chemoinformatics, amongst others. Together with Professor Christine Orengo, she introduced the CATH
classification of protein structure.
After graduating in physics from the University of Nottingham
, Thornton completed a master's degree in biophysics at King's College London
, and a PhD in Biophysics at the National Institute for Medical Research
, Mill Hill, London in 1973. She then worked in molecular biophysics with David Phillips
at the University of Oxford
. In 1978, she returned to the National Institute for Medical Research, and following that took up to a Fellowship at Birkbeck College
, part of the University of London
. In 1990 she was appointed Professor and Director of the Biomolecular Structure and Modeling Unit in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at University College London
and later also was appointed to the Bernal Chair in the Crystallography Department at Birkbeck College
. Since 2001 she has been Director of the European Bioinformatics Institute
(EBI), on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus at Hinxton
near Cambridge
. She was an organiser of the Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology
(ISMB) and European Conference on Computational Biology (ECCB) joint Conference in Glasgow
in 2004.
Janet Thornton was elected to the prestigious position of Fellow of the Royal Society in 1999. She was awarded the CBE
in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, 2000. She became a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) in 2000, and a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences in 2003. Professor Thornton is a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge
.
European Bioinformatics Institute
The European Bioinformatics Institute is a centre for research and services in bioinformatics, and is part of European Molecular Biology Laboratory...
on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus
Wellcome Trust Genome Campus
The Wellcome Trust Genome Campus is a scientific research campus built in the grounds of Hinxton Hall, located in the village of Hinxton, Cambridgeshire....
at Hinxton
Hinxton
Hinxton is a village in South Cambridgeshire, England. It is the home to the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, which includes the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the European Bioinformatics Institute. The 2001 population was 315....
, near Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, UK. She is one of the world’s leading researchers in structural bioinformatics
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. Bioinformatics deals with algorithms, databases and information systems, web technologies, artificial intelligence and soft computing, information and computation theory, software...
, using computational methods to understand protein structure and function. Her work is highly interdisciplinary, interfacing with structural biology, bioinformatics, biological chemistry and chemoinformatics, amongst others. Together with Professor Christine Orengo, she introduced the CATH
CATH
The CATH Protein Structure Classification is a semi-automatic, hierarchical classification of protein domains published in 1997 by Christine Orengo, Janet Thornton and their colleagues....
classification of protein structure.
After graduating in physics from the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
, Thornton completed a master's degree in biophysics at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, and a PhD in Biophysics at the National Institute for Medical Research
National Institute for Medical Research
The National Institute for Medical Research, commonly abbreviated to NIMR, is a medical research facility situated in Mill Hill, on the outskirts of London, England. It is mainly funded by the Medical Research Council, or MRC, and is its largest establishment and the only one designated as an...
, Mill Hill, London in 1973. She then worked in molecular biophysics with David Phillips
David Chilton Phillips
David Chilton Phillips, Baron Phillips of Ellesmere, KBE, FRS is considered to be a founding father of the now expanding field of structural biology and was an influential figure in science and government...
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...
. In 1978, she returned to the National Institute for Medical Research, and following that took up to a Fellowship 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...
, part of the University of London
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...
. In 1990 she was appointed Professor and Director of the Biomolecular Structure and Modeling Unit in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
and later also was appointed to the Bernal Chair in the Crystallography Department 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...
. Since 2001 she has been Director of the European Bioinformatics Institute
European Bioinformatics Institute
The European Bioinformatics Institute is a centre for research and services in bioinformatics, and is part of European Molecular Biology Laboratory...
(EBI), on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus at Hinxton
Hinxton
Hinxton is a village in South Cambridgeshire, England. It is the home to the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, which includes the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the European Bioinformatics Institute. The 2001 population was 315....
near Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. She was an organiser of the Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology
Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology
Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology is a scientific meeting on the subjects of bioinformatics and computational biology organized by the International Society for Computational Biology . Its principal focus is on the development and application of advanced computational methods for...
(ISMB) and European Conference on Computational Biology (ECCB) joint Conference in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in 2004.
Janet Thornton was elected to the prestigious position of Fellow of the Royal Society in 1999. She was awarded the CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, 2000. She became a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) in 2000, and a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences in 2003. Professor Thornton is a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge
Churchill College, Cambridge
Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.In 1958, a Trust was established with Sir Winston Churchill as its Chairman of Trustees, to build and endow a college for 60 fellows and 540 Students as a national and Commonwealth memorial to Winston Churchill; its...
.