New Director for the National Institute for Medical Research
6 October 2008
A new director has been appointed to head the world renowned MRC National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). Professor Jim Smith, a developmental biologist, was appointed following an international search for an exceptional scientist and leader. Professor Smith will take up this post on 1 January 2009.
After graduating from Cambridge University, Professor Smith studied for his PhD under Lewis Wolpert at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School. Following two post-doctoral fellowships, one at Harvard Medical School and one at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Professor Smith joined NIMR where he stayed for 16 years. During that time he was Head of the Laboratory of Development Biology for nine years and Head of the Genes and Cellular Controls Group for four years. In 2000, Professor Smith moved to Cambridge University and in 2001 became Director of the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute in Cambridge, and the John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Developmental Biology. His current research investigates how cells of the very early vertebrate embryo become different from each other, such that they go on to form specialised tissues such as muscle, skin, blood and bone.
Professor Smith has received many awards and prizes, including the Scientific Medal of the Zoological Society, the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Medal and the Feldberg Foundation Award. He was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1993, was a Founder Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1998 and has served on the Councils of both societies. He is also a member of the Academia Europaea.
The Chief Executive of the MRC, Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, said: “I am delighted that Professor Smith has agreed to lead the NIMR, the MRC’s flagship institute. Professor Smith is an exceptional scientist having made significant contributions to the field of developmental biology. As an outstanding leader he will build on NIMR’s world-class reputation and excellent track record, taking the institute to the next stage in its development.”
Of his appointment, Professor Smith said: “I am pleased and proud to take on the directorship of NIMR, an institute I was part of for many years earlier in my career. This is a very important job in UK science and I am looking forward to taking up the post, ensuring that the institute maintains its reputation for the highest quality of research and building on its magnificent track record of success. We are approaching an exciting time in the institute’s history, building up to the development of the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI), of which NIMR will be an integral part.”
