Anne Ridley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anne Ridley
FRS FRSB FMedSci FRMS
|
|
|---|---|
Ridley in 2017
|
|
| Born |
Anne Jacqueline Ridley
1963 (age 61–62) |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge University of London |
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields |
|
| Institutions |
|
| Thesis | Mechanisms of oncogene action and interaction in Schwann cells (1989) |
| Doctoral advisor | Hartmut Land |
Anne Jacqueline Ridley (born 1963) is a British scientist. She is a professor of Cell Biology at the University of Bristol. She leads the School for Cellular and Molecular Medicine there. Before this, she was a professor at King's College London.
Becoming a Scientist
Anne Ridley went to Clare College, Cambridge for her university studies. In 1985, she earned a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge. She focused on biochemistry, which is the study of the chemistry of living things.
A famous scientist named Tim Hunt encouraged her to become a researcher. She then moved to the University of London. In 1989, she earned her PhD degree. Her research looked at how certain genes, called oncogenes, work in special cells called Schwann cells. These genes can sometimes cause cancer.
What She Does
After getting her PhD, Anne Ridley worked as a researcher in different places. She worked at the Whitehead Institute in the USA from 1989 to 1990. Then she worked at the Institute of Cancer Research in London until 1993.
From 1993 to 2007, she led a research group at University College London (UCL). She became a professor of Cell Biology at UCL in 2003. Since 2007, she has been a professor at King's College London.
Her research helps us understand cancer and how it spreads. She also studies inflammation, which is how our body reacts to injury or infection. She focuses on how cells move around in the body, which is called cell migration. She also studies special proteins called Rho GTPases. These proteins are important for many cell activities.
Her work has helped many areas of medical science. This includes understanding how cancer spreads (called metastasis). It also helps with cardiovascular disease (heart and blood vessel problems) and how our bodies fight infections. Her research has received funding from important groups like Cancer Research UK.
Awards and Recognitions
Anne Ridley has received many awards for her important work. In 2017, she was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
She also received the Robert Hooke Medal in 2000. In 2002, she became a member of EMBO Membership, a group for top life scientists in Europe. She won the Liliane Bettencourt Prize for the Life Sciences in 2004.
She was also named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) in 2009. In 2012, she became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci). In 2014, she was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society (FRMS).
