Norwich, United Kingdom
July 21, 2015

Professor Enrico Coen FRS of the John Innes Centre has been awarded the Royal Society’s prestigious Croonian Medal for his curiosity-led work to understand how the shapes of biological structures, like flowers and leaves, arise through development and evolution. His work has resulted in a new theoretical and experimental foundation for scientific investigation in this field.

As part of his award Professor Coen will deliver a lecture to the Royal Society in the spring of 2016. Only one Croonian Medal is awarded a year.

Previous medal holders include William Bateson who founded the discipline of genetics and directed the John Innes Horticultural Institute between 1910 and 1926, and Francis Crick who discovered the genetic code.

Professor Coen said:

“I have had a lifelong obsession with understanding how biological structures like flowers and leaves build themselves and evolve.  It is an obsession I have had the pleasure of sharing with many wonderful colleagues and it is enormously gratifying to have our work recognised through such a prestigious award.”

Website: http://www.jic.ac.uk/

Published: July 21, 2015