Person Murray [née Parker]; Lady; Noreen Elizabeth (1935 - 2011); geneticist Murray [née Parker] Noreen Elizabeth Lady geneticist 1935 - 2011 British Female Latrigg, Whalley Road, Read, near Burnley, Lancashire, England 26 February 1935 19350226 Fairmile Marie Curie Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland 12 May 2011 20110512 Marriage: Bolton-le-Sands, Lancaster, Lancashire, England

geneticist Genetics Molecular genetics Education: Bolton-le-Sands (1940-45); Lancaster Girls' Grammar School (1945-53); King's College, London; University of Birmingham PhD (1959) Career: Postdoctoral position at Stanford University, California, investigating Neurospora in David Perkins's laboratory (1959); studied genetics of bacteriophage; returned to the UK (1964); began working with Harold Whitehouse, Botany School, Cambridge (1964); moved to the University of Edinburgh, where Noreen took up a position in Bill Hayes's Medical Research Council Unit of Molecular Genetics (1968); produced produced a series of increasingly sophisticated lambda cloning vectors and bacterial strains in which to grow them (1970-1980); promoted to professor of Molecular Genetics, Edinburgh University (1988); becoming Emeritus professor upon retirement (2001); diagnosed with motor neurone disease (2010) but continued working whilst at the Marei Curie Hospice, Edinburgh, despite being unable to speak (2011). Memberships: European Molecular Biology Organisation 1981 Royal Society of Edinburgh 1989 Awards/Medals: AstraZeneca award of the Biochemical Society Nexxus award (jointly with her husband) Royal Medal of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Honours: CBE 2002 Parents: John Parker, headmaster, and Lilian Grace, née Sutcliffe. Spouse: (m. 6 September 1958) Kenneth Murray FRS 1979 Distinguished for her analyses of recombination between allelic genes in Neurospora crassa, which revealed a discontinuous and polarised distribution of recombination events and were important in the development of current theories of genetic recombination. This stimulated her interest in site-specific endonucleases and led to an outstanding genetic analysis of those sites on the Escherichia coli phage lambda chromosome which are attacked by "restriction" endonucleases to yield DNA fragments with "cohesive" ends, capable of bonding to DNA fragments from any source cut by the same enzyme. By further complex genetic manipulations she developed (with the biochemical collaboration of K.Murray) phage lambda chromosomes highly suited to the in vitro incorporation of heterologous DNA fragments, to form hybrid chromosomes which, on introduction into their bacterial host, are easily recognised and permit detailed genetic analysis and amplification of the products of alien genes. She has used these hybrid phages to isolate interesting genes from E.coli, phage T4 and other organisms. Her work is widely recognised as an outstanding contribution to the field of genetic engineering. Declined to use the title Lady Murray following her husband being Knighted in 1993. Royal Society roles: Council: 1992-1993 Medals and prizes: Gabor Medal 1989 Fellow 18/03/1982 47 Biographical Memoirs Vol. 60, December 2014, pp 349 - 374 Murray N E, GA SGRS 8354.jpg International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbm.2014.0009 RCN R76330 RCN R76460 RCN R76488 RCN R76470 RCN R76459 RCN R76462 RCN R76474 RCN R76449 RCN R76455 RCN R76450 RCN R76312 RCN R76468 RCN R76439 RCN R76458 RCN R76481 RCN R76489 RCN R76431 RCN R76475 RCN R76447 RCN R76328 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH6131 26 Feb 1935 - 12 May 2011 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 27/02/2025 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA4187 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 17/03/2026 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes 52426084-64d7-40c2-b01a-2c27ed1a35f8