Three Crick scientists elected to Royal Society

Simon Boulton, Carola Vinuesa, Alex Gould.

Simon Boulton, Carola Vinuesa, Alex Gould (left to right).

Crick group leaders Simon Boulton, Alex Gould and Carola Vinuesa have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society in recognition of their outstanding contributions to science.

The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of scientists, engineers and experts in technology from the UK and the Commonwealth. Each year, up to 52 Fellows and 10 Foreign Members are elected to join the society.

Paul Nurse, director of the Crick, says: “Congratulations to Carola, Alex and Simon for being elected to the Royal Society, one of the most prestigious scientific communities in the world. It is well deserved recognition for their many career successes and research excellence.”

Simon Boulton is a leading researcher in the field of DNA repair. Over the years, Simon's lab has discovered novel DNA repair genes and provided molecular insights into human diseases including cancer. His team is particularly interested in double-strand break repair, which happens when the DNA molecule has been completely snapped in two. As a result of his ground-breaking work, in 2016, Simon helped to establish Artios Pharma Ltd, a company focused on developing innovative DNA Damage Response cancer therapies. 

Alex Gould is a developmental biologist and pioneer in the field of developmental metabolism. Alex’s research has combined innovative chemical imaging with genetics to show how animals respond to environmental stresses during early life. Using the fruit fly Drosophila and other model systems, his laboratory has identified key metabolic genes that protect neural stem cells in the developing brain from environmental stresses. Alex’s team at the Crick are currently investigating how these metabolic genes become redeployed in adult brain cancers.

Carola Vinuesa moved from the Australian National University, where she was Co-Director of the Centre for Personalised Immunology, in 2021 to set up her laboratory at the Crick. Her research focuses on understanding immune responses. Over the last two decades her team has discovered immune cell populations, genes, and molecules that are required for the production of high quality, long lasting antibody responses while preventing responses against self or innocuous antigens. Her work has provided a framework for thinking about new approaches to the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Royal Society Fellows and Foreign Members are elected for life through a peer review process.

Carola, Simon and Alex join a number of other Royal Society Fellows currently at the Crick, taking the total number to 27.

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