Richard M. Durbin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Durbin
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Durbin in 2008
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Richard Michael Durbin
30 December 1960 |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Highgate School |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge (BA, PhD) |
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| Thesis | Studies on the development and organisation of the nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans (1987) |
| Doctoral advisor | John G. White |
| Doctoral students | Ewan Birney |
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Richard Michael Durbin, born in 1960, is a British scientist. He is a computational biologist and a professor of Genetics at the University of Cambridge. He also works as a scientist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
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Richard Durbin's Education
Richard Durbin went to school in London at The Hall School, Hampstead and Highgate School. He was very good at math. He even competed in the International Mathematical Olympiad in 1978 and 1979.
After school, he studied at the University of Cambridge. He earned his first degree in 1982. Later, he continued his studies at St John's College, Cambridge. He worked on his PhD at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge. His research was about how the nervous system of a tiny worm called Caenorhabditis elegans develops.
What Does a Computational Biologist Do?
A computational biologist like Richard Durbin uses computers to understand biology. They create special software and tools to study things like DNA and proteins. This helps scientists learn more about living things.
Early Work and Discoveries
Richard Durbin's early work involved creating software for scientific tools. He helped develop software for X-ray machines and special microscopes. These tools help scientists see very small things, like parts of cells.
He also played a big role in understanding the Caenorhabditis elegans worm's entire genetic code, called its genome. He helped create a special database called AceDB. This database later became WormBase, which is used by scientists all over the world.
After that, he helped collect and understand data for the Human Genome Project. This huge project mapped out all the genes in humans.
Developing New Tools for Science
Richard Durbin has created many computer methods for analyzing DNA and protein sequences. These methods help scientists find genes and understand how proteins work.
- He worked with Ewan Birney to create tools like GeneWise.
- He also developed tools like HMMER with Sean Eddy. These tools use a method called Hidden Markov Models to match and align genetic sequences.
He even co-wrote a well-known textbook called Biological Sequence Analysis. This book explains some of his important work.
Using these methods, Durbin helped build important databases for genetic information:
- Pfam: A database that helps identify parts of proteins.
- Ensembl: A database for understanding different genomes.
- TreeFam: A database that shows how gene families are related.
Studying Human Genetic Variation
More recently, Durbin has focused on studying differences in human DNA. He helped lead the 1000 Genomes Project. This project aims to find common genetic variations in people around the world. Understanding these variations helps scientists learn about human health and diseases.
Awards and Honors
Richard Durbin has received many important awards for his work:
- In 1994, he won the Mullard Award from the Royal Society. This was for his work on the confocal microscope.
- In 2004, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
- In 2009, he became a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).
- In 2017, the Royal Society gave him the Gabor Medal for his contributions to computational biology.
- In 2023, he received the International Prize for Biology. This award recognized his work on the biology of genomes.
His election certificate for the Royal Society said he made a "powerful contribution to computational biology." It also noted his leadership in the new field of bioinformatics. This field helps manage huge amounts of biological data, which is key for understanding genomes.
Richard Durbin's Family Life
Richard Durbin is the son of James Durbin. He is married to Julie Ahringer, who is also a scientist. They have two children.
