Annual Report 2009 - Department of Zoology - University of ...

Awards and Prizes
Michael Akam Linnean Medal for Zoology,
awarded by the Linnean Society
of London
Pat Bateson Honorary Fellow of the Royal
Society of New Zealand
Jenny Clack Fellowship of the Royal Society
Foreign Honorary Member of the
American Academy of Arts and
Sciences
Rhys Green Godman-Salvin Medal by the
British Ornithologists’ Union
John Gurdon 2009 Albert Lasker award for
pioneering work with stem cells
2009 Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award
for distinguished work in basic
medical sciences
Steve Jackson BBSRC Innovator of the Year
Award 2009
Ron Laskey Royal Society’s Royal Medal
Rosie Trevelyan Zoological Society of London
Silver Medal for contributions
to wildlife conservation and
education
At the Graduate School of the Life Sciences’ annual
poster competition held in March, Zoology graduate
students scooped three prizes. James Bullock was the
overall winner, Karin Moll won the prize for the best 1st
year PhD/MPhil poster and Thomas Endlein received
the prize for the best image. James Bullock also won the
runner-up prize for Biological and Biomedical Sciences
in the SET for BRITAIN competition 2009 in the House of
Commons.
24
People
During the year, the Department made seven assistant
staff and 22 research staff appointments, the latter
including three prestigious independent Fellowships:
Toby Gardner (NERC), Colin Russell (RS URF) and
Martin Stevens (BBSRC). The Department welcomed
more than 50 academic visitors from around the world.
Michael Akam was elected to succeed Malcolm Burrows
as Head of Department with effect from October 2010.
Rebecca Kilner and Richard Preece became Readers
and Andrea Manica gained a promotion to Senior
Lecturer.
Mike Bate retired from the Department. He joined the
Department of Zoology in 1980 and became a University
Professor in 1998. He was elected Fellow of the Royal
Society in 1997 and was awarded a prestigious Royal
Society Professorship in 2001.
Ray Symonds retired from the Department of Zoology
in March 2009 after 45 years’ service. In effect, Ray
had two careers in Zoology. He began in 1964 as an
electronics technician and over the years created many
superb pieces of electronic equipment of huge value to
researchers in the Department. He then in 1985 moved
into the Museum of Zoology team, becoming collections
manager in 1999 and finishing his career as a specialist
registrar. He built an unrivalled knowledge of the Museum
collections and left a wonderful legacy for researchers
worldwide in the shape of the digitization of the Museum’s
catalogues.
Martin Stevens was elected to a Fellowship at Churchill
College from 1 October 2009. Ben Phalan won a
Research Fellowship at Churchill College from 1 October
2009. PhD student Jennifer Harcourt (Evolutionary
Ecology Group) was elected Graduate Student Union
sabbatical President for 2009/10.
Martin Wells (1928 – 2009)
The Department
was saddened by
the loss of Martin
Wells, who was a
long time member
of Zoology. He
was a Frank
Smart Prize winner in 1951, then undertook research
with Wigglesworth before working at the Marine Station
in Naples. He was appointed a Demonstrator in 1959,