Jean Thomas (academic)
Encyclopedia
Dame
Jean Olwen Thomas, DBE
, FMedSci, FLSW, FRS
(born 1 October 1942) is Master of St Catharine's College, Cambridge
.
She was born in Treboeth, Swansea to John Robert and Lorna (née Harris) Thomas, attended Llwyn-y-Bryn High School for Girls and then studied chemistry at the University of Wales
, gaining a first class B.Sc in 1964 and a PhD in 1967.
She has been at Cambridge since 1967, where she was initially at Darwin College, Cambridge
from 1967 to 1969. She was then made a Fellow of New Hall, Cambridge
and Professor of Macromolecular Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge
, where she led a team studying the structure and dynamics of chromatin
(the complex of proteins and DNA that constitutes chromosomes) and its role in the repression and activation of genes.
Thomas is the first female Master of St Catharine's College, which was founded in 1473 by Robert Woodlark and is the ninth oldest Cambridge College. The Master is elected by the President and Fellows of the College.
She was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society in 1986 and became a Governor of the Wellcome Trust Ltd.
in October 2000. She is currently the Biological Secretary and Vice-President of The Royal Society. She is also a Founding Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales
.
She is also an elected Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and of the Academia Europaea
. She has served as a Member of the Council and Scientific Advisory Committee of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Scientific Advisory Committee of The Lister Institute for Preventative Medicine
, and as a Trustee of the British Museum
.
On 31 December 2004, Thomas was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(DBE) for services to biochemistry.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
Jean Olwen Thomas, DBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FMedSci, FLSW, FRS
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(born 1 October 1942) is Master of St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St. Catharine’s College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473, the college is often referred to informally by the nickname "Catz".-History:...
.
She was born in Treboeth, Swansea to John Robert and Lorna (née Harris) Thomas, attended Llwyn-y-Bryn High School for Girls and then studied chemistry at the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
, gaining a first class B.Sc in 1964 and a PhD in 1967.
She has been at Cambridge since 1967, where she was initially at Darwin College, Cambridge
Darwin College, Cambridge
Darwin College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.Founded in 1964, Darwin was Cambridge University's first graduate-only college, and also the first to admit both men and women. The college is named after the family of one of the university's most famous graduates, Charles Darwin...
from 1967 to 1969. She was then made a Fellow of New Hall, Cambridge
New Hall, Cambridge
Murray Edwards College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It was founded as "New Hall" in 1954, at a time when Cambridge had the lowest proportion of women undergraduates of any university in the United Kingdom, and when only two other colleges admitted women...
and Professor of Macromolecular Biochemistry 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...
, where she led a team studying the structure and dynamics of chromatin
Chromatin
Chromatin is the combination of DNA and proteins that make up the contents of the nucleus of a cell. The primary functions of chromatin are; to package DNA into a smaller volume to fit in the cell, to strengthen the DNA to allow mitosis and meiosis and prevent DNA damage, and to control gene...
(the complex of proteins and DNA that constitutes chromosomes) and its role in the repression and activation of genes.
Thomas is the first female Master of St Catharine's College, which was founded in 1473 by Robert Woodlark and is the ninth oldest Cambridge College. The Master is elected by the President and Fellows of the College.
She was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society in 1986 and became a Governor of the Wellcome Trust Ltd.
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
in October 2000. She is currently the Biological Secretary and Vice-President of The Royal Society. She is also a Founding Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales
Learned Society of Wales
The Learned Society of Wales is a society that exists to “celebrate, recognise, preserve, protect and encourage excellence in all of the scholarly disciplines”.The society was launched on 25 May 2010 at the National Museum of Wales...
.
She is also an elected Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and of the Academia Europaea
Academia Europaea
Academia Europæa is a European non-governmental scientific academy founded in 1988. Its members are scientists and scholars who collectively aim to promote learning, education and research. It publishes European Review through Cambridge Journals....
. She has served as a Member of the Council and Scientific Advisory Committee of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Scientific Advisory Committee of The Lister Institute for Preventative Medicine
The Lister Institute for Preventative Medicine
The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine, informally known as the Lister Institute was established as a research institute in 1891, with bacteriologist Marc Armand Ruffer as its first director, using a grant from the Guinness family. It had premises in Sudbury, Chelsea and Elstree, England. It...
, and as a Trustee of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
On 31 December 2004, Thomas was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(DBE) for services to biochemistry.