Jonathan Hodgkin
British biochemist
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Jonathan Alan Hodgkin (born 1949)[1] FRS is a British biochemist. He is the Professor of Genetics at the University of Oxford[4] and an emeritus fellow of Keble College, Oxford.[5]
1949 (age 76–77)[1]
University of Cambridge (PhD)
Jonathan Hodgkin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jonathan Alan Hodgkin 1949 (age 76–77)[1] |
| Education | University of Oxford (BA) University of Cambridge (PhD) |
| Awards | Edward Novitski Prize (2017)[2] |
| Scientific career | |
| Workplaces | Laboratory of Molecular Biology[3] |
| Thesis | Genetic and Anatomical Aspects of the Caenorhabditis elegans Male (1974) |
Notable students | Magdalena Skipper[3] |
| Website | www |
Education
Hodgkin was educated at the University of Oxford where he graduated in 1971.[citation needed] He was awarded a PhD from the University of Cambridge in 1974 for research on the genetics of the worm Caenorhabditis elegans.[6]
Career and research
Hodgkin was a scientist at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge.[7][1] Hodgkin was one of the earliest researchers to explore the genetics of development in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans.[8] He first unraveled the genetic and maturational events in worm sex determination before extending his interest to other developmental pathways, behaviour and immunity.[8]
Most Caenorhabditis elegans worms are self-fertilizing hermaphrodites, with two X chromosomes, but X0 males can also arise spontaneously, permitting genetic crosses.[8] Hodgkin used genetic mutations in this tiny, fast-breeding species to define the regulatory cascade of genes that controls the development of male or hermaphrodite characteristics providing a model for approaching development in other species.[8]
Since 2000, Hodgkin has focused on the nematode's response to attack by bacteria, exploring highly conserved pathways of innate immunity that are also relevant to development.[8] Through microarray analysis, he has identified antibacterial factors produced by the worm that could be candidates for new antibiotics.[8] He has also discovered novel pathogenic bacteria that attack nematodes, which may have potential as biological pest control agents against parasitic nematodes.[8]
Awards and honours
Hodgkin was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1990.[8] In 2011, he received The Genetics Society Medal.[8] Hodgkin was a member of the Faculty of 1000.[9] He was awarded the Edward Novitski Prize by the Genetics Society of America in 2017.[2][10]
Personal life
Hodgkin is the son of Nobel laureate Alan Lloyd Hodgkin and the editor Marni Hodgkin.[1]
