Abstract

Robin Allshire, Professor of Chromosome Biology, University of Edinburgh. 1981-1985: PhD MRC Mammalian Genome Unit, Edinburgh with Ed Southern. 1985-89: Postdoc with Nick Hastie, MRC Human Genetics Unit, Edinburgh. 1989-1990: Independent Researcher, CSHL , NY. 1990-2002: tenured scientist MRC Human Genetics Unit, Edinburgh. 2002-present: Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh. Elected EMBO member 1998; Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellowship 2002-present; Elected fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 2005, the Royal Society, London 2011, the Academy of Medical Sciences 2020; awarded Genetics Society Medal 2013. Has served on CRUK , EMBO and Wellcome Trust funding committees and was Chair of the Wellcome Trust/Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellowship Committee 2014-17. He is a trustee of the Darwin Trust of Edinburgh 2013-present.

Research: He first demonstrated that fission yeast centromeres contain heterochromatin and went on to demonstrate that this heterochromatin plays a pivotal role in ensuring sister-centromere cohesion, promoting CENP -A chromatin and thus, kinetochore assembly. His team found that histone H3 lysine 9 methylation can act as a bona fide epigenetic mark allowing the transmission of information though cell division. Recently they discovered that this epigenetic mechanism allows fungi to develop resistance to antifungal drugs without alterations to their DNA . This finding is important for understanding how pathogenic fungi become resistant to the limited number of available antifungal agents in both clinical and agricultural arenas.

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/95055078842