Nick Barton facts for kids

Nicholas Hamilton Barton FRS FRSE (born 30 August 1955) is a British evolutionary biologist. He is a scientist who studies how living things change and develop over many generations.

Learning About Life: Nicholas Barton's Education

Nicholas Barton went to Peterhouse, Cambridge University. He studied Biological Sciences (Cambridge) there and earned a top degree in 1976. Later, in 1979, he completed his PhD at the University of East Anglia. His PhD research was guided by Godfrey Hewitt.

Nicholas Barton's Scientific Career

After finishing his studies, Professor Barton started his career. He briefly worked at the University of Cambridge. In 1982, he became a lecturer at University College London.

Studying Hybrid Zones

Professor Barton is well known for his research on hybrid zones. These are areas where two different groups of animals or plants meet and breed. Their offspring are a mix of both groups. He often studied the Bombina bombina toad to understand these zones.

He also worked on complex math models for genetics. This helped scientists understand how many different genes work together. He explored big questions like:

• How do genes affect each other? (This is called epistasis)
• How do new species form? (This is called speciation)
• How fast can living things change to fit their environment? (This is called adaptation)

Moving to New Research Places

In 1990, Barton moved to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He helped bring other important scientists, Brian and Deborah Charlesworth, to the university. This made Edinburgh a very strong place for studying genetics worldwide. He became a full professor there in 1994.

Later, in 2008, Professor Barton moved to Austria. He became the first professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria.

Writing a Textbook on Evolution

In 2007, Professor Barton worked with other scientists to write a textbook called Evolution. This book helps university students learn about how living things change over time. It combines ideas from molecular biology (how living things work at a tiny level), genomics (studying all the genes of an organism), and human genetics with older ideas about evolution.

Awards and Special Honours

Nicholas Barton has received many important awards for his scientific work. These awards show how much his research has helped us understand evolution.

• 2024: Elected International Member of the National Academy of Sciences
• 2013: Erwin Schrödinger Prize
• 2013: Mendel Medal from the Leopoldina
• 2009: Darwin–Wallace Medal
• 2006: Darwin Medal
• 1998: President's Award (with Mark Kirkpatrick) from the American Society of Naturalists
• 1995: Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
• 1994: Fellow of the Royal Society
• 1994: David Starr Jordan Prize (with S. Pacala)
• 1992: Scientific Medal from the Zoological Society
• 1985: Bicentenary Medal of the Linnean Society