Science Foundation Ireland director general receives honorary doctorate

Life

Prof. Frank Gannon, directorg eneral of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Queen’s University Belfast.

At a special conferring ceremony in the University, Prof. Gannon received an Honorary Doctorate of Medical Science, in recognition of his work in medical science.

Prof. Gannon’s major research interest is the expression and functional regulation of Estrogen Receptor which plays a major role in breast cancer and osteoporosis. These studies have provided leads to novel treatments or therapeutic approaches to these and other cancers.

Appointed Director General of SFI in July 2007, Prof. Gannon was previously Executive Director of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and Senior Scientist at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), based in Heidelberg, Germany, where he had worked since 1994. Prior to his appointment at EMBO, Prof Gannon was Director of the National Diagnostic Centre and Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at University College Galway, with particular responsibility for the development of a biotechnology programme.

Speaking of his award, Prof. Gannon said “I have been lucky in my career to date, to have worked in and made a contribution to a number of key areas within the medical science arena, both here and abroad. My role as Director General of SFI has represented an exciting new chapter – we are now at a critically important stage in positioning Ireland as a centre of excellence for scientific research and innovation.”

Prof. Gannon has authored over 200 research articles published in international journals. In addition, he contributes a monthly editorial to EMBO reports, of which he is founding Senior Editor, and also writes extensively on diverse topics related to science policy. He was a member of the interim Board of SFI from 2002 to 2004 and was elected as a Member of the Royal Irish Academy in May 2008.

He has served on a range of high-level scientific advisory boards at institutes throughout the world and was co-founder of the European Life Sciences Forum (ELSF)
and the Initiative for Science Europe (ISE) that played significant roles in the establishment of the European Research Council (ERC).

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