Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian, courtesy @Chemistry
Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian and Professor Jane Clarke have been elected as International Members of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.
Head of Department Dr James Keeler said: "This is a very particular distinction for them both, and the highest international recognition of their standing as scientists."
Balasubramanian is perhaps best known for inventing Solexa Next Generation DNA Sequencing with Professor Sir David Klenerman, which enabled fast, accurate, low-cost and large-scale genome sequencing. He runs a large, multi-disciplinary research group focused on research into the very basis of what makes up life – DNA.
Professor Jane Clarke FRS FRSC FMedSci, courtesy Nathan Pitt, University of Cambridge
Clarke is a Professor of Molecular Biophysics, and was Deputy Head and a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in this Department. She is recognised internationally for her multidisciplinary studies that have advanced the understanding of protein folding and misfolding. Since 2017 she has served as President of Wolfson College, Cambridge.
Keeler said: "For one department in Cambridge to have two colleagues elected to the NAS is indicative of the quality of our researchers and a very special thing."
Above: Professor Jane Clarke FRS FRSC FMedSci, courtesy Nathan Pitt@Cambridge