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Six Oxford University academics, including three from the Medical Sciences Division, have been elected to the prestigious Fellowship of the Royal Society.

None © OUI/Greg Smolonski

The Royal Society, the UK’s distinguished academy of science, has announced the election of 62 new Fellows and Foreign Members, which include six academics from the University of Oxford. The three newly elected Fellows from the Medical Sciences Division are:

Professor Timothy Behrens FRS 

Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN)

Timothy Behrens’ work has uncovered the mechanisms used by the human brain to represent our world, make decisions, and control our behaviour. An understanding of how our neurons function in networks to control behaviour is fundamental to our understanding of the brain, and has implications for neural network computing, artificial intelligence, and the treatment of mental and cognitive disorders.

Read more about Timothy's Royal Society election (NDCN website)

Professor Benjamin Berks FRS

Department of Biochemistry

Ben Berks studies how bacteria secrete proteins across their cell membrane. Ben is a co-discoverer of the bacterial Tat (twin-arginine translocation) system which is now known to be the second most widely distributed protein transport system in biology. More recently he has identified and characterised the protein transporter of the Type IX secretion system which is required for protein secretion by dental pathogens. 

Read more about Ben's Royal Society election (Department of Biochemistry website)

Professor Xin Lu FMedSci FRS

Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Medicine

Xin Lu is a cancer biologist distinguished by her contributions to understanding cellular pathways that control cell fate in development and disease, particularly cancer. She has a long-standing interest in how to selectively kill cancer cells, and her major research advances have provided insights into how p53, the most mutated or inactivated tumour suppressor in human cancers, can make life or death decisions for a cell.

Read more about Xin’s Royal Society election (Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research website)

 

For more information about the Royal Society and this year’s elected Fellows and Foreign Members, please see the Royal Society website.