Strathclyde awards honorary degree to world-leading cancer researcher

Sir Paul Nurse at the graduation ceremony

A Nobel Prize winner, whose research has produced major breakthroughs in cancer research, has been awarded an honorary degree by the University of Strathclyde.

Sir Paul Nurse at the graduation ceremony

Sir Paul Nurse, who is the current President of the Royal Society, received a Doctor of Science degree at a graduation ceremony at the University’s Barony Hall on Wednesday, 14 November.

Sir Paul specialises in the study of cell growth and division and his work identified key molecules which control the cycle of cells, potentially paving the way for new forms of cancer treatment.

This discovery led to him being named joint winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2001. He was knighted in 1999 for services to cell biology and cancer research and since 2010 has been President of the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science.

Before receiving his honorary degree, Sir Paul was given a tour of the £36 million Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences building, which opened last year. The building brings multi-disciplinary researchers together, helping them take drugs and treatments to the market more quickly and develop urgently-needed solutions to global diseases.

Professor Iain Hunter, Dean of the University of Strathclyde’s Faculty of Science, gave the oration at the ceremony. He said: “At today’s ceremony, we celebrate the success of the first Masters students to graduate from studies in this new, invigorating environment. It is very fitting to recognise Paul’s achievements at this ceremony – he is an excellent role model for today’s graduates.

“If I remind you of our mission– to discover new drugs – it will be clear that Paul’s work has given us the insight to develop new molecules to treat disease, which is why it is particularly appropriate to present Paul for this award at Strathclyde – the Place of Useful Learning.”

Sir Paul was previously Professor of Microbiology at the University of Oxford, CEO of Cancer Research UK and President of Rockefeller University, New York.

Sir Paul is one of five distinguished figures being honoured by the University this Autumn. The others are:

• Oscar Pistorius, Olympian and Paralympian (Doctor of the University)
• Professor Neil Gershenfeld, Director of the Centre for Bits and Atoms at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Doctor of the University)
• Professor Anne Glover, EU Chief Scientific Advisor (Doctor of Science)
• Fran Healy, lead singer of Scottish pop band Travis (Doctor of the University).