Elected: 2015
Discipline: Cell and Molecular Biology
Professor Clare Blackburn
Professor of Tissue Stem Cell Biology, University Of Edinburgh
After gaining her PhD in Biochemistry from Imperial College London in 1991, Professor Clare Blackburn took up Advanced Training Fellow positions in Melbourne and Oxford. She joined the University of Edinburgh in 1997 and became Professor of Tissue Stem Cell Biology in 2011. Clare is a stem cell scientist whose research investigates the development, maintenance and age-related degeneration of the thymus, an essential organ of the immune system. Beyond her scientific research, she has pioneered development of a high impact public engagement programme around stem cell research and regenerative medicine, including the multilingual public information website, www.eurostemcell.org. Claire has a strong interest in the use of film as a tool for schools and public engagement in science, and has co-produced 7 science documentaries.