Person Ellis; Reginald John (1935-2025); biochemist Ellis Reginald John biochemist 1935-2025 British Male Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom 12 February 1935 19350212 England, United Kingdom 19 November 2025 20251119

Biochemist and university professor Molecular Biology Biochemistry Education: Highbury Grammar School, London; King'sCollege London BSc (1956), PhD (1960) Career: Scientific officer in the Agriculture Research Council (ARC) Unit of Plant Physiology, Imperial College, University of London (1959–61); ARC Research Fellow at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford (1961–64); lecturer in the Department of Botany, University of Aberdeen (1964); moved to the Department of Biochemistry, University of Aberdeen (1968); Senior Lecturer and Head of the Chloroplast Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick (1970); remained at Warwick University as reader (1973); holder of a personal chair (1976); and Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences (1996); visiting professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford (1996-2000); died following a short illness. Awards/Medals: Tate & Lyle Award for contributions to plant biochemistry 1980 Elected Member of EMBO, the European Molecular Biology Organisation 1986 Senior Research Fellowship at St John's College, University of Oxford 1992 Gairdner Foundation International Award for "fundamental discoveries in chaperone-assisted protein folding in the cell and its relevance to neurodegeneration" 2004 Cell Stress Society International Medal for "pioneering research on the chaperonins" 2007 Croonian Prize Lecture of the Royal Society for "pioneering contributions to biochemistry, molecular biology, and also plant sciences" 2011 The 2019 Centenary Award of the Biochemical Society 2018 Spouse: Diana Ellis (m. 1963) Children: Juliet Ellis His early work concerned sulfur metabolism in bacteria and plants where he established the control of sulphate reduction by feedback inhibition. From 1970, he contributed to our understanding of the interaction of nuclear and chloroplast genomes to produce the chloroplast enzyme ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO), a key enzyme of photosynthesis and probably the most abundant protein in the world. The enzyme consists of large subunits encoded and synthesised within the chloroplast, and small subunits encoded in the nucleus and synthesised by cytosolic ribosomes. He originated using light as an energy source for intact isolated chloroplasts as a means of identifying the function of chloroplast ribosomes and of chloroplast DNA. John's work led to a great increase in research by other laboratories using in vitro methods to investigate the chloroplast genetic system. Lectures: Croonian Lecture 2011 for pioneering contributions to biochemistry, molecular cell biology and plant sciences; Bakerian Lecture 2015 Fellow 17/03/1983 48 The Royal Society Fellows Directory, Professor R. John Ellis FRS, [URL: https://royalsociety.org/people/john-ellis-11394/; last accessed: 17/12/2025] The Air Ambulance Service, In Memory of Reginald John Ellis, [URL: https://theairambulanceservice.org.uk/ways-to-give/give-in-memory/tribute/reginald-john-ellis/; last accessed: 17/12/2025] R. John Ellis, Wikipedia, [URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._John_Ellis; last accessed: 17/12/2025] 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 RCN 38150 RCN 38150 RCN R74974 RCN 38154 RCN 38152 RCN 38151 RCN R82781 RCN R70957 RCN 57545 RCN 38155 12 Feb 1935 - 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 17/12/2025 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA4441 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 17/12/2025 RS_NET\VidaM Yes 3b404689-c056-4b89-b688-352afc7c7f14