Nobel Laureate, Sir Professor Richard J Roberts delivers Distinguished Lecture at UoH
The University of Hyderabad (UoH) organised a Distinguished Lecture titled, “The Path to the Nobel Prize” by Nobel Laureate, Sir Professor Richard J Roberts, New England Biolabs, Ipswich, Massachusetts on Friday, February 16, 2024 in the School of Life Sciences Auditorium. This lecture is part of the BioAnveshana 2024 – International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Biology, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics hosted by the Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics. The lecture was presided by Prof. B J Rao, Vice Chancellor, University of Hyderabad who said it was an honour and exciting to listen to the story of success from Prof. Roberts and hoped that the young students and researchers would take inspiration from his journey.
Prof. Roberts delivered the lecture to a packed enthusiastic audience of faculty, young researchers, students and guests from the city. He gave interesting anecdotes of his journey from being a mathematician to a chemist. Prof. Roberts said, “Wherever we go Science brings us together. My interest in Chemistry plus a fascination with games and puzzles led me to pursue a career in research”. “It was a chance to be a detective and solve chemical puzzles in the world of science”, he added.
Prof. Roberts urged the young students and researchers to use problem-solving to make learning fun, rather than take it as a chore. He shared with the audience his research over the years in collaboration with other fellow scientists and how it helped him to be awarded the Nobel Prize.
His lecture can be heard at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVBA-AKis9k
Richard J. Roberts is the Chief Scientific Officer at New England Biolabs, Ipswich, Massachusetts. He received the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology / Medicine. He received a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1968 from Sheffield University and then moved as a postdoctoral fellow to Harvard. From 1972 to 1992, he worked at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, eventually becoming Assistant Director for Research under Dr. J.D. Watson. He began work on the newly discovered Type II restriction enzymes in 1972 and these enzymes have been a major research theme.
Prof. Roberts biographical can be read at: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1993/roberts/biographical/