Alan Fersht facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Alan Fersht
FRS FMedSci
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| Born |
Alan Roy Fersht
21 April 1943 London, England
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| Education | Sir George Monoux Grammar School, University of Cambridge |
| Known for | Protein folding, double-sieve model of error correction, aminoacyl tRNA synthetases |
| Spouse(s) |
Marilyn Persell
(m. 1966) |
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| Thesis | Intramolecular Catalysis of Ester Hydrolysis (1968) |
| Doctoral students | Sophie E. Jackson, Andreas Matouschek |
Sir Alan Roy Fersht is a famous British chemist. He was born on 21 April 1943. He works at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. He is also a professor at the University of Cambridge. From 2012 to 2018, he was the head of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. Sir Alan is known for his important work on protein folding. He is even called a founder of "protein engineering."
Contents
Early Life and School
Alan Fersht was born in Hackney, London in 1943. His father was a tailor and his mother was a dressmaker. His grandparents came from different countries in Europe.
He went to Sir George Monoux Grammar School. This was an all-boys school in London. Alan was very good at chess. He even won a junior championship in 1961.
He earned a special scholarship to study science at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He did very well in his studies. He got his PhD degree in 1968. He was also the president of the University of Cambridge Chess Club.
His Work and Discoveries
After his PhD, Alan Fersht worked in the United States for a year. Then he came back to Cambridge in 1969. He led a research group at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology.
He also worked as a professor at Imperial College London. Later, he became a professor at Cambridge University. From 1990 to 2010, he directed the Cambridge Centre for Protein Engineering.
Sir Alan Fersht is a pioneer in protein engineering. This is a way to change proteins to study how they work. He found new ways to understand how proteins fold. Proteins are tiny machines in our bodies. They need to fold into the right shape to work. If they fold wrong, it can cause diseases.
He also studies how proteins misfold. This research helps us understand diseases and even cancer.
What is Protein Folding?
Imagine a long string of beads. This is like a protein chain. For the protein to do its job, this string must fold into a very specific 3D shape. If it folds incorrectly, it won't work right. Sir Alan Fersht's work helps us understand this amazing process.
Important Books He Wrote
- Structure and Mechanism in Protein Science: A Guide to Enzyme Catalysis and Protein Folding
- The Selected Papers of Sir Alan Fersht: Development of Protein Engineering
Awards and Special Honors
Sir Alan Fersht has received many awards for his work. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1983. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
The Royal Society gave him several medals:
- The Gabor Medal in 1991 for his work in molecular biology.
- The Davy Medal in 1998 for his chemistry research.
- The Royal Medal in 2008.
He is also a member of important science groups in other countries. These include the US National Academy of Sciences.
Many universities have given him honorary doctorates. This means they recognize his great achievements. He is also an Honorary Fellow at some Cambridge colleges.
In 2003, he was made a knight by the Queen. This is why he is called "Sir" Alan Fersht. It was for his amazing work in protein science.
In 2020, he received the Copley Medal. This is the oldest science award in the world. He got it for figuring out how proteins fold at a very tiny level.
Personal Life
Alan Fersht married Marilyn Persell in 1966. They have a son and a daughter. In his free time, he enjoys chess, collecting old clocks (horology), and wildlife photography.
