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Helen Saibil

FRS FMedSci
Born (1950-08-12) August 12, 1950 (age 74)
Education McGill University
Alma mater King's College London
Scientific career
Institutions Birkbeck, University of London
Thesis Diffraction studies of retinal rod outer segment membranes (1977)

Helen Ruth Saibil, born on August 12, 1950, is a brilliant scientist from Canada and Britain. She is a molecular biologist, which means she studies the tiny parts inside living things. She is also a Professor of Structural Biology at Birkbeck, University of London. Her main work is about understanding how proteins work and what happens when they don't fold correctly.

About Helen Saibil

Helen Saibil is known for her important work in understanding proteins. Proteins are like tiny machines inside our bodies that do many jobs. She studies their shapes and how they move. This field is called structural biology.

Her research helps us learn about molecular chaperones. These are special proteins that help other proteins fold into the correct shape. If proteins don't fold right, they can cause diseases. This is called protein misfolding.

Her Scientific Journey

Helen Saibil started her science journey at McGill University in 1971. She then earned her PhD degree at King's College London in 1977. A PhD is a very high university degree. Her research for this degree looked at parts of the eye.

After her PhD, she worked at different research places. These included CEA Grenoble in France and the University of Oxford in the UK. She joined Birkbeck, University of London, in 1989.

Awards and Recognition

Helen Saibil's amazing work has been recognized by top science groups. She was chosen to be a member of the Royal Society in 2006. This is a very old and respected science academy. In 2009, she also became a member of the Academy of Medical Sciences. These honors show how important her discoveries are in the world of science.

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