Sir Paul Nurse
Doctor of Science (HonDSc)
Year conferred: 2008
Sir Paul Nurse, who shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, became president of The Rockefeller University in September 2003. He had previously served as chief executive of Cancer Research UK, the largest cancer research organisation in the world outside the United States. He is noted for his discoveries about the molecular machinery that regulates the cell cycle, the process by which it copies its genetic material and then divides to form two cells, which have already led to new treatments and medicines for cancer.
Sir Paul plays an active role in science and society issues and makes regular television appearances which include co-hosting a science series on America’s Public Broadcasting Service.
Later this year (2010) he becomes President of the Royal Society and Director-designate the United Kingdom Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI).