New Year knighthood for David Stuart

11 January 2021

Hertford’s Senior Research Fellow in Medicine, Professor Sir David Stuart FRS FMedSci, has received a knighthood in the New Year Honours list for services to medical research and to the scientific community.

 

Sir David is Professor of Structural Biology at Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine and Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics. He is also founding director of the Division of Structural Biology and Oxford Particle Imaging Centre. Outside the University, he is Life Sciences Director at Diamond Light Source – the UK’s national synchrotron science facility – and Lead Scientist at Instruct-ERIC.

Fittingly for a 2021 honour, Sir David’s research examines viruses which affect both animal and human health. He has made numerous contributions to the understanding of the structure of viruses, structural vaccinology and anti-viral drug discovery. His most recent work has been a large collaborative effort studying the protein structures of SARS-Cov-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19. Working with colleagues around the globe, this research can provide an atomic level of detail in understanding how anti-viral drugs can work against SARSCoV-2, helping to realise the potential to identify existing drugs that could be repurposed in the fight against Covid-19.

Sir David says: “I am deeply honoured by this recognition. I have worked to understand the structure and function of pathogenic viruses for many years. This past year has been challenging for many all over the world, and I am amongst the large number of scientists who are trying to apply their knowledge and expertise to help fight this pandemic. I am grateful to all those around me, especially at the University of Oxford and Diamond Light Source, who have worked together tirelessly to understand, in particular, our antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2.”