Steve Brown - geneticist
Born: 1955 in Dumfries, Scotland, grew up and schooled in Belfast
Education: MA and PhD from Cambridge University
Awards: Elected member of EMBO (European Molecular Biology
Organisation) 2005; Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) 2001
Current job title: Director Time in current position 11 years
Field of research: Mouse genetics and mouse models of human disease, particularly the genetics of deafness
“I was always interested in science at school – discovering something new about how the world works that no one else knew before is always a thrill. Scientists really do affect people’s lives – providing a huge public service that will have an enormous impact in the future. It’s the combination of these factors that makes medical research such an attractive option.
A highlight of my career was in 1995 when, with my collaborator Karen Steel, I discovered the first gene for one of the most common forms of deafness – caused when cells on the surface of the inner ear go wrong. It was a major breakthrough and a big source of satisfaction for me because at that stage very little was known in this area. A second high came 11 years ago when I was given the opportunity to run the research facilities here at Harwell – it is one of the major mouse genetic centres in the world and we really are at the forefront of using the mouse as a genetic model of disease.
Day-to-day I do a lot of different things. As director, I might be involved in troubleshooting, meetings with staff, spending time thinking about how to improve the unit and how to get more money in. I’m always looking for ways to improve opportunities for my staff. I like to go round talking to people in the lab, taking the temperature of the science but also of the staff to find out how they’re getting on. I have an open door policy – I think it’s absolutely critical for a director to be approachable. I travel a lot, sometimes every week. It’s good to get away from where I am and gives me time to reflect.
It’s also very important to meet other scientists and find out about what they’re doing – it helps to generate new ideas for my own unit. Engaging with the public is another important part of my role. I’ve always been a great believer in talking about what we do and what the effects of animal research are to the community, politicians and other scientists. I was on the working party of the independent Nuffield Council on Bioethics looking at research using animals. I see this as an important part of my role as director of this unit. Harwell has always been in the vanguard of telling people about what is going on.”