Richard Hynes facts for kids

Richard Olding Hynes (born November 29, 1944 – died January 2026) was a very important British biologist. He worked as a researcher for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He was also a professor for Cancer Research at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Dr. Hynes's main work was about how cells stick together. He also studied how cells interact with their surroundings, called the extracellular matrix. He was especially interested in understanding how cancer cells spread in the body. Dr. Hynes is famous for helping discover fibronectin molecules. This discovery was so important that it was considered for a Nobel Prize.

Richard Hynes' Early Life and Studies

Learning About Life: University Years

Richard Hynes studied biochemistry at the University of Cambridge in England. He earned his first degree in 1966. He then received a master's degree in 1970.

He later moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. There, he earned his Ph.D. in biology in 1971. After his Ph.D., he continued his research as a postdoctoral fellow. He worked at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund until 1974. This means he kept learning and doing science after his main studies.

Richard Hynes' Career at MIT

Becoming a Professor and Leader

Dr. Hynes joined the biology department at MIT in 1973. He became a full professor in 1983. In 1988, he became an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This is a special role for top scientists.

He led the biology department from 1989 to 1991. He also directed the MIT Center for Cancer Research from 1991 to 2001. In 1999, he became a special professor for cancer research. He also joined the Broad Institute in 2004.

Helping Science and Society

Dr. Hynes was the president of the American Society for Cell Biology in 2000. He also served on the Board of Governors for the Wellcome Trust starting in 2007. He helped decide who won the Infosys Prize for Life Sciences in 2012.

He also wrote about how science can help public policy. He helped create rules for important stem cell research.

Awards and Recognitions for Richard Hynes

Richard Hynes received many important awards for his scientific work. These awards show how much his contributions were valued.

• Guggenheim Fellowship (1982)
• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1987)
• Fellow of the Royal Society (1989)
• Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1994)
• Member of the National Academy of Medicine (1995)
• Member of the National Academy of Sciences (1996)
• Canada Gairdner International Award (1997)
• E.B. Wilson Medal (2007)
• Robert J. and Claire Pasarow Foundation Medical Research Award (2007)
• Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy (2014)
• Fellow of the American Society for Cell Biology (2016)
• David Rall Medal (2017)
• Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (2022)