Richard A. Flavell facts for kids

Richard Anthony Flavell, born on August 23, 1945, in Chelmsford, England, is a famous English molecular biologist. He is a special professor at Yale School of Medicine. There, he studies how our bodies fight off sickness.

Professor Flavell uses special mice to understand the body's defense system. He looks at how our immune cells, called T cells, learn to protect us. He also studies what happens when these cells make mistakes and attack our own bodies. His work helps us learn more about diseases like autoimmune conditions. He is also a researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Early Life and Education

Richard Flavell earned his Ph.D. from the University of Hull in 1970. After that, he continued his studies in other countries. He learned at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Zurich. In Zurich, he worked with another important scientist, Charles Weissmann.

His Scientific Career

Professor Flavell taught at the University of Amsterdam from 1974 to 1979. Then, he led a laboratory in London, England. This lab, at the National Institute for Medical Research, studied how genes are built and how they work. He worked there from 1979 to 1982.

In 1982, he joined a company called Biogen. He became the President and Chief Scientific Officer there. He stayed at Biogen until 1988. After that, he moved to Yale School of Medicine, where he continues his important research today.

Awards and Recognition

Professor Flavell has received many awards for his scientific work. In 2013, he was given the Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science. This award honors immigrants who have made great contributions to science in the United States. In July 2016, the University of Hull gave him an honorary doctorate degree. He is also an honorary member of the British Society for Immunology.