John Innes Centre

Chris Lamb

 

The Lamb Lecture

Chris Lamb was one of the world’s leading and most influential plant biologists. He made seminal contributions to scientific knowledge and combined this with exceptionally highly respected leadership of renowned plant science research centres – initially as founder of the plant biology department at the Salk Institute, California and as Director of the John Innes Centre, an Institute of BBSRC.

Through his own science Chris pioneered research in the molecular mechanisms that underlie how plants defend against attack by pathogens. His research has not only contributed to our understanding of how economically important crops can be protected from disease but has also established new conceptual frameworks that have been adopted by scientists in other fields. He remains one of the world’s most highly cited researchers in plant science.

Chris became Director of the John Innes Centre in 1999 and remained so until his sudden death in 2009. He firmly established JIC as a world centre for plant and microbial science and helped to attract some of science’s most talented researchers to the Institute. He took a leading role working with adjacent research organisations to implement a science vision for the Norwich Research Park.

Chris’s achievements were recognised in 2008 with his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society and he was made a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2009.

History of Lamb Lectures