Richard Durbin awarded the International Steven Hoogendijk Award
Sanger Institute Faculty member Richard Durbin was honoured for a lifetime of pioneering research and innovation in the field of bioinformatics with the prestigious International Steven Hoogendijk Award at a ceremony on 23 September 2016.
The award is given by the Batavian Society for Experimental Philosophy, one of the oldest scientific societies in the Netherlands, for outstanding contributions to the development of new medical technologies. This year, the committee focused on bioinformatics.
“Dr Richard Durbin was chosen because of the range and depth of his contribution to the field of bioinformatics. His contributions have driven forward the exploration and analysis of the human genome and its variation, allowing researchers to discover the roots of inherited human disease and plot the migration of humankind as it populated the globe.”
Prof.dr.ir. Marcel Reinders Chairman of the Award Committee for the Batavian Society for Experimental Philosophy
At the award ceremony in City Hall, Rotterdam, Dr Durbin received a silver medal and a grant of EUR 10,000.
“I am honoured to be awarded the seventh International Steven Hoogendijk Award. I accept it not only for myself, but also for my colleagues and collaborators who have helped to develop the algorithms and techniques that we use to interrogate genome sequences. There is still much more to be done, and I look forward to working with others to advance the field further in coming years, so that we can embed genomic medicine into standard clinical practice.”
Richard Durbin Member of Faculty at the Sanger Institute Faculty
More information
Selected websites
Bataafsch Genootschap der Proefondervindelijke Wijsbegeerte (Batavian Society for Experimental Philosophy)
The Bataafsch Genootschap der Proefondervindelijke Wijsbegeerte is a Dutch philosophical society, founded in 1769 by Steven Hoogendijk, a clockmaker in Rotterdam. Its field of interest is medicine and technology, in particular the combination of both.
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is one of the world’s leading genome centres. Through its ability to conduct research at scale, it is able to engage in bold and long-term exploratory projects that are designed to influence and empower medical science globally. Institute research findings, generated through its own research programmes and through its leading role in international consortia, are being used to develop new diagnostics and treatments for human disease.
Wellcome
Wellcome exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive. We’re a global charitable foundation, both politically and financially independent. We support scientists and researchers, take on big problems, fuel imaginations and spark debate.
