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Wendy Bickmore

CBE FRS FMedSci FRSE
Wendy Bickmore Royal Society (cropped).jpg
Bickmore in 2017
Born (1961-07-28) 28 July 1961 (age 63)
Education Chichester High School for Girls
Alma mater
Awards
  • EMBO Member (2001)
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Thesis Molecular analysis of DNA sequences from the human Y chromosome
Doctoral advisor Howard Cooke

Wendy Anne Bickmore (born July 28, 1961) is a British scientist who studies how our DNA is organized inside our cells. She is a genome biologist, which means she focuses on the entire set of genetic instructions, called the genome. Her work helps us understand how our bodies work at a very tiny level.

Wendy Bickmore's Early Life and Education

Wendy Bickmore was born in Shoreham-by-Sea, England, on July 28, 1961. Her parents, Beryl and Keith Bickmore, loved gardening, and this helped spark her interest in science.

She went to Chichester High School for Girls. There, her biology teacher also encouraged her love for science. She became very interested in biochemistry (the chemistry of living things) after reading a book called 'The Chemistry of Life'.

Wendy then studied biochemistry at St Hugh's College, Oxford, and earned her first degree. After that, she went to the University of Edinburgh for her PhD. For her PhD, she studied DNA sequences from the Y chromosome, which is one of the chromosomes that determines if someone is male.

From 1991 to 1996, she worked as an independent researcher at the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine.

Research and Career in Genetics

Wendy Bickmore's main research focuses on how DNA, chromosomes, and specific genes are arranged and packed inside the cell nucleus. Think of it like how you organize your books on a shelf – it matters how they are stored!

She studies how this organization is controlled as a living thing develops. This control is important for genes to work correctly. She also looks at how problems with this organization can lead to diseases.

In 2020, her research helped us understand why some people might get very sick from COVID-19.

Wendy Bickmore was the president of The Genetics Society from 2015 to 2018. This is a group for scientists who study genetics.

As of 2021, she is the director of the MRC Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh. This unit is a big research center for human genetics. She also helps edit Genes & Development, which is an important science journal.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Wendy Bickmore has received many awards for her important work.

  • In 2001, she became a member of EMBO, a group for top life scientists in Europe.
  • In 2005, she was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE).
  • Also in 2005, she became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci).
  • In 2017, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is one of the highest honors for scientists in the UK.
  • In 2021, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). She received this honor for her great contributions to science and for supporting women in science.

Personal Life

Wendy Bickmore cares about nature. She is a member of an organization called Trees for Life. This group works to help restore forests in the Highlands of Scotland.

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