| Authorised form of name | Jessell; Thomas Michael (1951 - 2019) |
| Dates | 1951 - 2019 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | London, UK |
| Date of birth | 02/08/1951 |
| Date of death | 29/04/2019 |
| Occupation | Neuroscientist |
| Research field | Molecular biophysics |
| Neuroscience |
| Neurobiology |
| Activity | Education:
Haberdashers Askes School, Elstree, Hertforshire (1958-1969); Chelsea College, University of London, Pharmacology, BPharm (1973); THe London Hospital, MPS (1974); Cambridge University, Medical Research Council Neurochemical Pharmacology Unit, PhD (1977)
Career:
Royal Society Research Fellow, Department of Pharmacology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (1977-1978); Harkness Fellow, Department of Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School (1878-1979) ; Locke Research Fellow of the Royal Society, Department of Pharmacology, St George's ospital Medical School (1980-1981); Assistant Professor, Departmnet of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School (1981-1985); Associate Proessor (1985-1989), Professor (1989); Claire Tow Professor of Motor Neuron Disorders, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Center for Neurobiology and Behavious, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University (1985-2018); Director, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University; dismissed from all administrative posts for violating Columbia University codes of behaviour (2018)
Memberships:
Society for Neuroscience (1979); International Association for the Study of Pain (1979); British Pharmacological Society (1979); Society for Developmental Bioloy (1988); American Society for Cell Biology (1991) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 14/03/1996 |
| Age at election | 44 |
| RSActivity | Grants and fellowships:
Royal Society Research Fellow, Department of Pharmacology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (1977-1978); Locke Research Fellow of the Royal Society, Department of Pharmacology, St George's ospital Medical School (1980-1981) |
| Relationships | Grandson of Fritz Arndt Professor of Organic Chemistry |
| OtherInfo | Thomas Jessell was a biochemist and molecular biophysicist who was renowned for his studies of the mechanisms that control the assembly and function of neural circuits in the spinal cord. Thomas worked to understand how nerve cells in the developing spinal cord assemble into functional circuits that control sensory perception and motor actions, with a focus on locomotion and skilled reaching.
He used insight into the molecular origins of neuronal subtypes to devise genetic methods to monitor and manipulate the activity of selected interneuron classes, permitting a clearer view of the design of systems and circuits involved in the planning and execution of movement. Ultimately, his research may provide a more thorough understanding of how the central nervous system is constructed and suggest new ways to repair diseased or damaged neurons in the human brain and spinal cord.
Thomas was an Editor of the influential textbook, Principles of Neural Science and he received the Kavli Prize for Neuroscience, as well as the Canada Gairdner International and Gruber prizes.
Professor Thomas Jessell FMedSci FRS died on 29 April 2019. |
| Source | Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jessell
Authorities:
Carey, Benedict,'Columbia Removes Thomas Jessell, Renowned Neuroscientist, from his Posts', The New York Times, 07/03/2018. Accessed 08/03/2018.
Wadman, Meredith, 'Prominent neuroscientist worked for months after university found he violated sexual relationship policies', Science 11/04/2019 (https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/04/report-prominent-neuroscientist-worked-months-after-university-found-he-violated-sexual accessed 07/06/2019) |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/17332627 |
| Code | NA4251 |