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6 January 2009

Professors line up for Discovery Day 2009

Eight newly-appointed professors will share the stage with some of the UK’s most eminent scientists at the University of Dundee's Discovery Day 2009 this Friday, January 9th.

Professor Sir Philip Cohen, Professor Sir David Lane and Professor Roger Fletcher will take part in the annual showcase of new academic talent to mark their golden year in 2008.

Joining them are eight of the University’s newest professors, from fields as diverse as computing, social work, engineering, medicine and genetics.

University Principal Sir Alan Langlands who will officially open this year’s lectures said, 'The Discovery Days are an opportunity to share the fascinating research being pursued at the University, to inspire colleagues, students, families and friends, and to celebrate the appointments of our new professors.'

'We are delighted this year to be able to use the Discovery Days to honour our three Royal Medal winners Philip Cohen, Roger Fletcher and David Lane - ideal role models for the new generation of professors.'

Sir Philip Cohen won the highly prestigious Royal Society’s Gold Medal in 2008 while Roger Fletcher and Sir David Lane were both honoured with Gold Medals from the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

The award winning trio will take part in a `Discovering Gold’ series of short lectures highlighting the work that has brought them such success. Sir David will talk about his groundbreaking discovery of p53, the 'guardian of the genome', while Professor Fletcher will share his considerable knowledge of maths and software development in a lecture on breakthroughs in nonlinear optimization. Sir Philip will conclude with the story of protein phosphorylation in cell regulation.

The eight new professors will have the chance to share their enthusiasm and knowledge of their particular area of expertise in two sessions of 15 minute lectures ranging over a wide spectrum of subject matter.

The short, showcase Discovery Day lectures - now in their sixth year at Dundee - have a reputation for providing an entertaining and accessible glimpse into a range of challenging and often complex subjects. Their format has become a model for the sector, imitated by a number of other universities in the UK.

This year topics will include the role of carers, marine engineering, brain imaging and psychiatry, computer vision, personalised medicine, accessible technology, numerical analysis and the use of databases in predicting hospital admissions and monitoring drug safety.

The 2009 Discovery Day lectures will take place in the Dalhousie Building at Old Hawkhill on Friday 9 January. The day starts with a welcome coffee at 10.30 am with the first lecture beginning at 11am.

Admission is free and all are welcome to attend. A full programme is available at: www.dundee.ac.uk/principalsoffice/dd09.htm.

FULL PROGRAMME

Session 1 - 11am to 12.30pm
Chair - Anne Anderson, Vice Principal & Head of College of Art, Science & Engineering

Presentations include:

  • Learning to See by Stephen McKenna - Personal Chair of Computer Vision
  • Who Care About Carers by Timothy Kelly - Chair of Social Work
  • Castles in the sea? by Dong Sheng Jeng, NRP Chair of Civil Engineering
  • Brain Imaging techniques and psychiatry by Douglas Steele, Chair of Imaging

Session 2 - 1.45pm - 3.15pm
Chair - Peter Downes, Vice Principal and Head of College of Life Sciences

Presentations include:

  • Inclusion and accessible technology by Vicki Hanson, Chair of Computing
  • The wisdom of databases by Professor Peter Donnan, Personal Chair of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
  • Getting the breaks right: a multiscale model to understand fractures by Ping Lin, Chair of Numerical Analysis
  • The right medicine for the right patient by Colin Palmer, Personal Chair of Pharmacogenomics

Session 3 - 3.45pm to 5pm
Chair - Sir Alan Langlands, Principal and Vice Chancellor

Discovering Gold presentations include:

  • The story of p53 the 'guardian of the genome', by Sir David Lane, Royal Medal Winner 2008, Royal Society of Edinburgh
  • The story of breakthroughs in nonlinear optimization by Roger Fletcher, Royal Medal Winner 2008, Royal Society of Edinburgh
  • The story of protein phosphorylation by Sir Philip Cohen, Royal Medal Winner 2008, Royal Society (London)

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk