Sheena Radford facts for kids

Sheena Elizabeth Radford is a top British scientist who studies Biophysics. She is a special professor at the University of Leeds. Her work focuses on how tiny parts of living things, like proteins, are built and how they work. She also helps edit the Journal of Molecular Biology, a science magazine.

Sheena Radford's Education Journey

Sheena Radford went to two major universities to become a scientist.

• In 1984, she earned her first degree in Biochemistry from the University of Birmingham. Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes happening in living things.
• Then, in 1987, she completed her PhD (a very advanced degree) in Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge.
• After her PhD, she continued her research at the University of Oxford. This extra research time is called a "post-doctoral fellowship."

What Does Sheena Radford Research?

Professor Radford is famous for her work on protein folding. Imagine a long string of beads that needs to fold into a very specific shape to do its job. Proteins are like those beads, and they must fold correctly. If they don't, it can cause serious health problems.

Understanding Protein Misfolding

One of her main research areas is looking at what happens when proteins fold incorrectly. This "misfolding" can lead to diseases like:

• Alzheimer's disease: This affects memory and thinking.
• Parkinson's disease: This impacts movement.
• Type II diabetes: This affects how the body uses sugar.
• Dialysis-related amyloidosis: This is a problem that can happen to people on kidney dialysis.

Her team uses special tools, like mass spectrometry and NMR, to study these tiny protein changes. This helps them understand how these diseases start.

Studying Outer Membrane Proteins

Another important part of her research is about proteins found on the outside of certain bacteria. These are called "outer membrane proteins." By learning how these proteins fold, scientists hope to find new ways to create medicines that can fight off harmful bacteria. This could lead to new types of antibiotics.

Improving Medicines

Professor Radford also explores how to make pharmaceutical drugs last longer. This means finding ways to keep medicines stable so they don't spoil quickly. This research helps ensure that important drugs are effective for longer periods.

Awards and Special Honours

Professor Sheena Radford has received many important awards for her amazing scientific work. Here are some of them:

• 1996: Biochemical Society Colworth Medal
• 2003: Became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
• 2005: Won the Astra-Zeneca prize in Proteins and Peptides from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
• 2007: Chosen as a member of EMBO, a group of top life scientists.
• 2009: Received the Ron Hites Award from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry.
• 2010: Became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
• 2013: Won the Carl Brändén Award from the Protein Society.
• 2014: Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), which is a very high honour for scientists in the UK.
• 2014: Became an honorary member of the British Biophysical Society.
• 2015: Received the Rita and John Cornforth Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
• 2018: Became a Fellow of the Biophysical Society.
• 2020: Joined Academia Europaea, a European academy of sciences.
• 2020: Appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen, for her contributions to molecular biology research.
• 2021: Awarded a special Royal Society Professorship.
• 2021: Became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.
• 2022: Received an honorary doctorate from the University of Liège.
• 2024: Became an International Member of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.
• 2025: Will receive the Biochemistry Society Centenary Award.