Annette Dolphin
British scientist (1951–2026)
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Annette Catherine Dolphin (1951 – 26 January 2026) was a British scientist who was professor of pharmacology in the Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology at University College London (UCL).[1][3][4][5][6][7]
1951
- University of Oxford (BA)
- King's College London (PhD)
Annette Dolphin | |
|---|---|
Dolphin in 2015 | |
| Born | Annette Catherine Dolphin 1951 Maidenhead, Berkshire, England |
| Died | 26 January 2026 (aged 74–75) |
| Alma mater |
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| Awards | Physiological Society Annual Review Prize Lecture (2015) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Behavioural and Biochemical Consequences of Cerebral Noradrenaline Receptor Stimulation (1977) |
| Website | ucl |
Early life and education
Dolphin was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England in 1951.[2] She was educated at the University of Oxford, where she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in biochemistry in 1973, and the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London where she was awarded a PhD in 1977[8] for research on noradrenaline receptors.
Career and research
Dolphin was a leader in the field of neuronal voltage-gated calcium channels.[9][10] She was distinguished for her work on the regulation of calcium channel trafficking and function, and the modulation of that function by activation of G-protein coupled receptors. Her work on the control of calcium channel trafficking by auxiliary calcium channel subunits was particularly influential. She elucidated the topology and processing of this family of proteins.[9][10]
Before working at UCL, Dolphin held appointments at the Collège de France, Yale University, the National Institute for Medical Research, St George's, University of London and the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine.[2]
Death
Dolphin died on 26 January 2026.[11]
Awards and honours
Dolphin received a number awards for her research, including the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) Sandoz Prize and the Pfizer Prize in Biology. She was also awarded prize lectures such as the G. L. Brown Prize Lecture of The Physiological Society, the Julius Axelrod Distinguished Lecture in Neuroscience of the University of Toronto, the BPS Gary Price Memorial Lecture and, most recently, the Mary Pickford Lecture of the University of Edinburgh and the Physiological Society Annual Review Prize Lecture in 2015.[9]
She was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) in 1999[12] and a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2015.[9]
She held the Presidency[13] of the British Neuroscience Association from 2019 to 2021, leading the Association through the challenging years of the COVID-19 pandemic and facilitating its ongoing growth. In 2022 she was elected to become the 2024–2026 President[14] of The Physiological Society. She was also elected to the Council of the Royal Society (2023–25).
