Tim Hunt

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Richard Timothy (Tim) Hunt

Sir Richard Timothy Hunt (born February 19, 1943 in Neston , Cheshire West and Chester in England ) is a British biochemist and molecular biologist. In 2001, together with Paul Nurse and Leland H. Hartwell, he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for their discoveries relating to the control of the cell cycle ”. Until June 2015 he worked at the London Research Institute of Cancer Research UK .

Life

Hunt was born to Richard William Hunt, a lecturer for paleography , and Kit Hunt on 19 February 1943 in Neston at Liverpool born. His childhood was shaped by the experiences of the post-war period. Food rationing, large coal stocks and aid packages from America left lasting impressions and an early pro-American attitude. Tim Hunt took Latin lessons at home from an early age, then was sent to Oxford High School for Girls before moving to Dragon School at the age of 8. His interest in biology was awakened by the young German teacher Gerd Sommerhoff. He described himself as a good student in English, but his grades in mathematics, history, Latin and Greek were less good.

At the age of 14, he then moved to Magdalen College in Oxford , where the natural science subjects were significantly more weighted. His main interest was first in chemistry and then again in biology. During these years, the lectures at Oxford University and the Christmas lectures in the Oxford Museum were important for Tim Hunt . Many excursions and experiments brought him closer to the practical side of science. In the fall of 1961, Tim Hunt moved to Clare College in Cambridge to study science with the aim of becoming a biochemist.

The scientific career began in 1964 at the Institute for Biochemistry in Cambridge. In Asher Korner's laboratory, Hunt was able to devote himself to work in the areas of DNA , RNA and protein synthesis . Over time he became more and more interested in the translation of mRNA and later, together with his former study colleague Tony Hunter , he researched the incorporation of heme into the globin to form the hemoglobin molecule . He spent the months of July to October 1966 in New York at the invitation of Irving M. London. After completing his Ph.D. in Cambridge in 1968 with Asher Korner he went back to New York to London to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. With the support of the staff there, the research on the heme biosynthesis made significant progress. After returning to Cambridge, he continued to work with former colleagues Richard Jackson and Tony Hunter on issues related to tRNA and its regulation.

He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Upper Austrian think tank Academia Superior .

Awards

In addition to the Nobel Prize in 2001, Tim Hunt also received other significant awards. In 1991 he was elected as a member ("Fellow") of the Royal Society , which in 2006 awarded him the Royal Medal . In the same year 2006 he was beaten to the Knight Bachelor . He has also been an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1997 and a full member of the Academia Europaea since 1998 . In 1999 he was elected a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences . He has been a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science since 2005 . 2008 awarded him the Keio University , the honorary doctorate .

Controversy

On June 9, 2015, Hunt gave a lecture at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Seoul , in which he made a remark about the joint work of men and women in laboratories, which he, as he later explained, wanted to be understood as joking. However, a present British university teacher, Connie St Louis, saw this comment as misogynistic and shared it with comments on Twitter . As a result of the ensuing public outrage, Hunt resigned on June 10 from his honorary professorship in the Faculty of Life Sciences at University College London (UCL). He also lost his positions at the European Research Council and the Royal Society. Hunt later stated that UCL had asked him to quit his job and otherwise threatened to quit. He complained that he was not given an opportunity to explain his comments and that he sincerely apologized for the comment.

Hunt was defended by his wife, a professor at UCL, as well as scientists Athene Donald , Ottoline Leyser , Nancy Rothwell . They rejected his controversial comment, but emphasized that he had always advocated young scientists regardless of gender. Journalist Jonathan Dimbleby resigned his honorary membership at UCL because he believed the university's reaction was excessive. Doubts about the credibility of the triggering tweet and its author were raised by the newspapers The Times and Daily Mail . Eight Nobel Prize winners and Richard Dawkins stood in front of their colleagues and attacked the "lynch mob" that had forced Hunt out of the university. The minutes of the conference should also prove that it was clear to all participants that Hunt was joking.

UCL President Michael Arthur said that Hunt's remarks, even if they were humorous, crossed a line that was in violation of UCL principles and that he could not reverse Hunt's resignation.

In a 2014 interview with the science magazine "Lab Times", when asked why he thinks women are still underrepresented in scientific leadership positions, Hunt replied that one should rather ask why the low percentage of women in these positions than Problem is perceived. It is not immediately obvious to him why this imbalance is bad for women, science, or society as a whole.

Web links

Commons : Tim Hunt  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ biographical data, publications and Academic pedigree of Tim Hunt at academictree.org, accessed on February 12 2018th
  2. ^ Academia Superior - Scientific Advisory Board . Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  3. ^ Membership directory: Tim Hunt. Academia Europaea, accessed December 30, 2017 .
  4. ^ Member Directory: Tim Hunt. National Academy of Sciences, accessed December 30, 2017 .
  5. ^ Connie St Louis, the woman who brought down Sir Tim Hunt, faces questions over her CV. Where's the media coverage? in: The Spectator , June 28, 2015, accessed July 4, 2015
  6. ↑ Sir Tim Hunt FRS and UCL University College London website, June 10, 2015, accessed June 11, 2015
  7. ↑ Nobel laureate Tim Hunt resigns after 'trouble with girls' comments in: The Guardian , June 11, 2015, accessed June 11, 2015
  8. ↑ Researchers protest with photo tweets on Spiegel online , June 12, 2015, accessed on June 13, 2015
  9. ↑ a b Shamed Nobel laureate Tim Hunt 'ruined by rush to judgment after stupid remarks' in: The Guardian, June 13, 2015, accessed June 14, 2015
  10. ↑ Dimbleby resigns from UCL in protest at 'disgraceful' treatment of Sir Tim Hunt in: The Guardian, June 30, 2015, accessed July 1, 2015
  11. ↑ Dimbleby resigns from UCL fellowship over Hunt row on BBC News , June 30, 2015, accessed July 1, 2015
  12. ↑ Guy Adams, A very flawed accuser: Investigation into the academic who hounded a Nobel Prize winning scientist out of his job reveals troubling questions about her testimony in: Daily Mail , June 26, 2015, accessed June 29, 2015
  13. ↑ Eight Nobel prize winners attack 'lynch mob' who forced sexism row professor Sir Tim Hunt out of his job in: Daily Mail June 20, 2015, accessed July 4, 2015
  14. ^ Allegations of sexism: Minutes should relieve Nobel Prize winner Hunt in: Der Spiegel , June 25, 2015, accessed on July 4, 2015
  15. ↑ Michael Arthur Provost's View: Women in Science on UCL News, June 26, 2015, accessed July 1, 2015
  16. ↑ UCL says Tim Hunt will not be back after 'sexist' comments on: BBC News June 26, 2015, accessed July 1, 2015
  17. ↑ Interview: Isabel Torres: Nobel Prize winner Tim Hunt about the future of research and public perception of science. In: Lab Times 04 - 2014. LJ-Verlag Herfort and Sailer; Kai Herfort, Ralf Neumann, July 4, 2014, pp. 6-8 , accessed on June 19, 2017 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Hunt, Tim
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hunt, Richard Timothy (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British biochemist
DATE OF BIRTH February 19, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Neston