Tim Mitchison
Encyclopedia
Professor Timothy John "Tim" Mitchison, PhD, FRS is a British
systems biologist
. He is Hasib Sabbagh
Professor of Systems Biology at Harvard University
in the United States
.
, his uncles are Denis Mitchison
and Murdoch Mitchison
, his great uncle was J.B.S. Haldane and his great-grandfather John Scott Haldane. His grandparents were the politician Dick Mitchison
and his wife, the writer Naomi (née Haldane)
. His younger sister Hannah is also a biologist.
Mitchison was educated at the Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
and completed his undergraduate degree at Merton College, Oxford
. Afterward he moved to the University of California, San Francisco
in the United States
in 1979, where he worked for the Ph.D. under the supervision of Marc Kirschner
. At this time he discovered the Dynamic Instability of Microtubules. Later he worked at the National Institute for Medical Research
in London
. In the late 1980s he returned to San Francisco to become an assistant professor at UCSF. In the late 1990s he moved to Harvard to become co-director of the Institute for Chemistry and Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School
. Recently he became deputy chair of the newly formed Department of Systems Biology. He was elected Fellow
of the Royal Society
in 1997.
Tim is married to scientist Christine Field. They have two adopted children, one each from China and Cambodia.
Tim is the current (2010) president of the American Society for Cell Biology.
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...
systems biologist
Systems biology
Systems biology is a term used to describe a number of trends in bioscience research, and a movement which draws on those trends. Proponents describe systems biology as a biology-based inter-disciplinary study field that focuses on complex interactions in biological systems, claiming that it uses...
. He is Hasib Sabbagh
Hasib Sabbagh
Hasib Sabbagh, also spelled Hassib , came from a Palestinian Christian family in Safed in Palestine, although he was born in Tiberias...
Professor of Systems Biology 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
Mitchison comes from a family of distinguished biologists; he is the son of Avrion MitchisonAvrion Mitchison
The Honourable Avrion "Av" Mitchison FRS is a British zoologist and immunologist.- Biography :Mitchison was born in 1928, the son of the Labour politician Dick Mitchison and his wife, the writer Naomi . His uncle was the biologist J.B.S...
, his uncles are Denis Mitchison
Denis Mitchison
Denis Anthony "Denny" Mitchison CMG is a British bacteriologist.- Biography :Mitchison was born in 1919, the son of the Labour politician Dick Mitchison and his wife, the writer Naomi . His uncle was the biologist J.B.S. Haldane and his grandfather the physiologist John Scott Haldane...
and Murdoch Mitchison
Murdoch Mitchison
John Murdoch Mitchison FRS, FRSE was a British zoologist, the son of the Labour politician Dick Mitchison and his wife, the writer Naomi . The biologist J.B.S. Haldane was his uncle, and the physiologist John Scott Haldane was his maternal grandfather...
, his great uncle was J.B.S. Haldane and his great-grandfather John Scott Haldane. His grandparents were the politician Dick Mitchison
Dick Mitchison
Gilbert Richard Mitchison, Baron Mitchison CBE QC, otherwise known as Dick Mitchison , was a British Labour politician....
and his wife, the writer Naomi (née Haldane)
Naomi Mitchison
Naomi May Margaret Mitchison, CBE was a Scottish novelist and poet. She was appointed CBE in 1981; she was also entitled to call herself Lady Mitchison, CBE since 5 October 1964 .- Childhood and family background :Naomi Margaret Haldane was...
. His younger sister Hannah is also a biologist.
Mitchison was educated at the Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School is a British independent school for boys aged 4–19. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and of the Haileybury Group....
and completed his undergraduate degree at Merton College, Oxford
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...
. Afterward he moved to the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1979, where he worked for the Ph.D. under the supervision of Marc Kirschner
Marc Kirschner
Professor Marc W. Kirschner is an American cell biologist.- Biography :Kirschner graduated from Northwestern University in 1966 and in 1971 received his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. He held post-doc positions at Berkeley and at the University of Oxford in England. He...
. At this time he discovered the Dynamic Instability of Microtubules. Later he worked 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...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In the late 1980s he returned to San Francisco to become an assistant professor at UCSF. In the late 1990s he moved to Harvard to become co-director of the Institute for Chemistry and Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
. Recently he became deputy chair of the newly formed Department of Systems Biology. He was elected Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Royal Society
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"...
in 1997.
Tim is married to scientist Christine Field. They have two adopted children, one each from China and Cambodia.
Tim is the current (2010) president of the American Society for Cell Biology.