Brasenose is celebrating two Royal Society awards for members of its community. Prof Sir Mike Stratton (Honorary Fellow and student of Physiological Sciences 1976-1979) has been awarded the Royal Society Medal (Biological) and Prof Philip Maini (Tutorial Fellow in Maths 1990 – 2005) has been awarded the Sylvester Medal.
The Principal, John Bowers KC, said “We congratulate Mike and Philip on these extremely prestigious awards and the recognition for their leading contributions to science”.
Royal Society Medal (Biological) for Prof Sir Mike Stratton
Honorary Fellow Professor Sir Mike Stratton, FMedSci FRS, has received the Royal Medal (Biological) for his foundational work in cancer genomics. He is among 25 Medal and Award winners recognised this year by the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences.
Mike is a senior group leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, where he was Director from 2010-2023. He has been awarded the Royal Medal for his transformative work in cancer genomics, including the discovery of cancer-causing genes and the identification of mutational signatures that have revolutionised understanding of cancer.
Mike established the Cancer Genome Project in 2000, which systematically sequenced cancer genomes to identify driver mutations, leading to the development of targeted therapies, and mutational signatures which reveal the causes of cancer. His research also includes the discovery of the breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA2 and the sequencing of the first complete cancer genome.
Mike studied Physiological Sciences at Brasenose from 1976-1979 and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the College in 2021.
Professor Sir Mike Stratton, FMedSci FRS, said: “I am extremely honoured and humbled to be considered amongst the amazing scientists who have previously been awarded the Royal Medal by the Royal Society”.
Sylvester Medal for Prof Philip Maini
Professor Philip Maini, from the Mathematical Institute at Oxford University, has been awarded the Sylvester Medal for his contributions to mathematical biology, especially the interdisciplinary modelling of biomedical phenomena and systems. He was Tutorial Fellow in Maths at Brasenose College from 1990 until 2005, when he moved to St Johns to take up his Chair as Professor in Mathematical Biology.
More information
Find the full list of 2024 winners here: https://royalsociety.org/medals-and-prizes/