| Citation | Distinguished for his research and leadership in plant molecular genetics. He was among the first to investigate plant genomes at the level of DNA sequence and to show that variations in genome size were larely due to amplification and movement of repetitive sequences. He has made a particular study of nucleolus organizers and the controls of transcription of ribosomal RNA genes. Among many other contributions, he helped clarify the mitochondrial basis of cytoplasmic male sterility in maize, and initiated definitive work on wheat seed storage proteins and the genes encoding them. As leader of the Molecular Genetics group at the former Plant Breeding Institute and more recently as Director of the John Innes Institute and then of the John Innes Centre he has fostered research over a broad range of plant molecular biology and biotechnology. He now leads a very large and powerful group of plant scientists. |