Robert Williamson (physician)

Williamson was educated at the Bronx High School of Science in New York and then Wandsworth School in South London, before studying at University College London.[1] From 1963 he was lecturer, then senior lecturer, in developmental biology at Glasgow University. From 1976 he was Professor of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at St. Mary's Hospital, University of London.[2]

He moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1995 to be Director of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (then the Murdoch Institute) and Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of Melbourne. He edited several books on genetic engineering and on the ethics of the new genetic sciences.

Since his retirement in 2004 he has been the Secretary for Science Policy at the Australian Academy of Science and an Honorary Senior Principal Fellow (Professor).

Williamson worked on haemoglobin synthesis in reticulocytes (immature red blood cells) and thalassaemias (inherited blood disorders). His team cloned the human alpha, beta and gamma globin genes from cDNAs, and used them to deduce the genomic structures. They also developed the use of anonymous gene markers to position, and attempt to identify, mutated genes responsible for cystic fibrosis, myotonic dystrophy, ataxias, coronary artery disease, craniofacial abnormalities, and dementia. He has published over 400 scientific papers.[3]

In 1994 he was awarded the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine, together with W. French Anderson, for medical applications of molecular genetics.[4]

He was elected to the Royal Society in 1999.[3] He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Pathologists and the Australian Academy of Science (2001).

In 2004 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).