Professor Caroline Dean awarded the Darwin Medal by the Royal Society

Professor Dame Caroline Dean, OBE FRS of the John Innes Centre has been awarded the prestigious Darwin Medal by the Royal Society.

The Royal Society has announced the winners of the Society’s annual prizes which recognise exceptional scientists engaged in the most challenging research to open up new possibilities and new applications.

Professor Dean has been awarded the Darwin Medal for her work addressing fundamental questions in the perception of temperature cues and how modifications in epigenetic mechanisms play an important role in adaptation.

Professor Dean said: “I am incredibly honoured to be awarded the Darwin Medal and delighted that our work on seasonal timing in plants is recognised as having made important contributions to organismal and evolutionary biology.”

First created in 1890 in memory of Charles Darwin, the Darwin Medal is awarded by the Royal Society every other year for work of acknowledged distinction in the broad area of biology in which Charles Darwin worked, notably in evolution, population biology, organismal biology and biological diversity.

Notable former winners of the Darwin Medal include the first Director of John Innes Institute William Bateson, John Innes Centre researchers Graham Moore, Mike Gale, Enrico Coen and Rosemary Carpenter, and the celebrated naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace.

Professor Dean was awarded her damehood in this year’s Queen’s birthday honours.

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