26 November 2008
CITATION
Award of a Doctor of Science honoris causa
Professor Frank Gannon
Chancellor,
Professor Frank Gannon is a member of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience Board and has been an active supporter of the IMB since its establishment in 2000.
A renowned expert in the field of molecular bioscience, he is currently the Director-General of Science Foundation Ireland.
Following his initial degree in the University College Galway, Ireland, Professor Gannon obtained his PhD at the University of Leicester, England, and had postdoctoral research periods at the University of Madison, Wisconsin, USA and in Strasbourg, France. In 1981, he returned to Ireland where he was the Director of the National Diagnostic Centre and Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at University College, Galway, Ireland, with particular responsibility for the development of a biotechnology programme.
From 1994 until 2007, Professor Gannon was the Executive Director of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), served as Secretary General of the European Molecular Biology Council (EMBC) and was a Senior Scientist for that period at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) based in Heidelberg, Germany.
His major research interests concern the expression of the functional regulation of estrogen receptor which plays a major role in breast cancer and osteoporosis. This has resulted in more than 200 research articles, and seven patent applications. Arising from these he has been involved in the establishment of two start-up companies.
He was co-founder of the European Life Sciences Forum (ELSF) and the Initiative for Science Europe (ISE) that played significant roles in the establishment of the European Research Council (ERC) that has an annual budget from the EU of more than €1 billion per annum.
Chancellor, in recognition of his contribution to The University of Queensland and to molecular bioscience, I present to you Professor Frank Gannon, Bachelor of Science from the National University of Ireland and a PhD from the University of Leicester, for the award of a Doctor of Science honoris causa, bestowed by the Senate of The University of Queensland.