詹姆斯·D·沃森简介

 沈  律

詹姆斯·D·沃森博士被广泛认为是DNA科学之父。他于1928年出生在伊利诺伊州芝加哥市，在芝加哥大学接受教育。1953年，在剑桥大学时，他和弗朗西斯·克里克成功提出了DNA的双螺旋结构，彼得·梅达沃爵士将这一见解描述为20世纪科学最伟大的成就。由于这项工作，沃森、克里克以及莫里斯·威尔金斯于1962年共同获得诺贝尔生理学或医学奖。在哈佛大学担任教授期间，沃森开启了写作生涯，创作了具有开创性的著作《基因的分子生物学》、畅销自传《双螺旋》，以及最近的《别和无趣的人在一起》。

1968年至1994年，沃森担任冷泉港实验室（CSHL）主任，他是该实验室癌症遗传学和神经科学项目创立背后的推动力量，并在组织人类基因组计划中发挥了关键作用。由于后一项工作，他于1993年被英国皇家学会授予科普利奖章。由于他在推广个性化基因组概念方面的领导作用，沃森博士今晚荣获双螺旋奖章。作为基因组科学这一方面及其他方面的先驱，他是迄今为止仅有的两位完成个人全基因组测序的人之一。重要的是，他随后在冷泉港实验室网站（www.cshl.edu）上公布了该序列，这有助于公众对基因组学及其在疾病研究中的前景的理解。

沃森博士于1962年入选美国国家科学院，并于1977年获得福特总统颁发的自由勋章。他获得了许多大学的荣誉学位，包括芝加哥大学（1961年）、哈佛大学（1978年）、剑桥大学（1993年）、牛津大学（1995年）、三一学院（2001年）和乌普萨拉大学（2007年）。1981年，他当选为英国皇家学会会员。沃森博士于1997年获得美国国家科学奖章，2004年获得费城自由奖章，2001年获得美国哲学学会颁发的本杰明·富兰克林奖章。2002年，伊丽莎白女王封他为大英帝国荣誉骑士。除了担任冷泉港实验室主任外，沃森博士还曾担任该实验室的主席（1994 - 2003年）和名誉校长（2003 - 2007年），现在是名誉校长 。

James D. Watson

Dr. James D. Watson is widely regarded as the father of DNA science. He was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1928 and educated at the University of Chicago. In 1953, while at Cambridge University, he and Francis Crick successfully proposed the double-helical structure for DNA, an insight described by Sir Peter Medawar as the greatest achievement of science in the twentieth century. For this work, Watson and Crick together with Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. While a professor at Harvard, Watson commenced a writing career that generated the seminal text Molecular Biology of the Gene, the best best-selling autobiographical volume The Double Helix, and most recently, Avoid Boring People.

As Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) from 1968 to 1994, he was a driving force behind creation of the Laboratory’s cancer genetics and neuroscience programs and played a seminal role in organizing the Human Genome Project. For the latter work he was awarded the Copley Medal in 1993 by the Royal Society. For his leadership in promoting the concept of the personalized genome, Dr. Watson is honored this evening with a Double Helix Medal. A pioneer in this and other aspects of genome science, he is one of only two individuals to date to have had his own genome sequenced in full. Importantly, he subsequently published the sequence on the CSHL website (www.cshl.edu), a boon to public understanding of genomics and its promise in disease research.

Dr. Watson was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1962 and in 1977 received the Medal of Freedom from President Ford. He has received honorary degrees from many universities including The University of Chicago (1961), Harvard University (1978), Cambridge University (1993), University of Oxford (1995), Trinity College (2001), and Uppsala University (2007). He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1981. Dr. Watson received the National Medal of Science in 1997, the City of Philadelphia Liberty Medal in 2004, and the Benjamin Franklin Medal awarded by the American Philosophical Society in 2001. Queen Elizabeth proclaimed him an honorary Knight of the British Empire in 2002. In addition to his service as its Director, Dr. Watson has served CSHL as President (1994-2003) and Chancellor (2003-2007) and is now Chancellor Emeritus.

 转自《美国冷泉港实验室》网站，特此说明。