Page 48 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2023

 

 

 

 

 

Page 48 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2023
P. 48

MOVERS AND SHAKERS






        Professor John Hutchinson elected


        Fellow of the Royal Society



              ohn Hutchinson, Professor of
              Evolutionary Biomechanics,
              has been elected a Fellow
        Jof the Royal Society (FRS),
        in recognition of his outstanding
        contribution to science. John joins
        a select group of scientists to be
        awarded an FRS and is one of only
        a few  members of staff to be
        granted this honour.
        The Royal Society is a self-governing
        fellowship made up of eminent
        scientists, engineers and technologists,
        who are elected for life through a
        peer review process based on a
        substantial contribution to science and
        the improvement of knowledge of the
        natural world.
        Professor Hutchinson’s research
        straddles the fields of evolutionary
        biology and biomechanics, with an
        emphasis on how very large animals
        stand and move, as well as how
        locomotion evolved in different groups of   spent two years as a National Science   Professor Oliver Pybus FRS, Vice
        land vertebrates, especially across major   Foundation Bioinformatics Postdoctoral   Principal for Research & Innovation at the
        evolutionary transitions.           Fellow at Stanford University.      , said: “Election to the fellowship of
                                                                                the Royal Society is a great achievement
        He has studied an extensive range of   He joined the  as a Lecturer in   and honour for any scientist. Professor
        extant and extinct animals, from birds and   Evolutionary Biomechanics in 2003,   Hutchinson’s election recognises his
        crocodiles to elephants and dinosaurs,   becoming a professor in 2011.  world-class research, which is notable
        using a combination of theoretical and   In addition to his role at the , John   not only for its excellence but also its
        experimental techniques, such as motion   holds the position of President-Elect of   interdisciplinary scope and public impact.”
        analysis, 2D static mechanics or complex   the International Society of Vertebrate
        3D fully dynamic computer simulations.  Morphology. He performs roles as an
        John’s research has been featured in   Editor for Proceedings of the Royal Society
        more than 500 online/print news stories   B and Associate Editor at the open access
        since 2002, and his team’s work has   journal PeerJ. He is also a Fellow of the
        appeared in 20 major TV documentaries,   Linnean Society of London, the Zoological
        including the BAFTA award-winning   Society of London, the Anatomical Society
        Inside Nature’s Giants, 2016’s      (UK), the Higher Education Academy (UK)
        Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur,   and the Royal Society of Biology.
        Attenborough and the Giant Elephant;   Upon receiving the honour, Professor
        and Apple TV’s 2022 Prehistoric Planet.  Hutchinson said: “This is a great
        Professor Hutchinson gained his     honour and privilege. My career has
        bachelor’s degree in Zoology at the   benefitted from the robust support of my
        University of Wisconsin, in 1993. He   family, my research team and external
        received a PhD in Integrative Biology from   collaborators, the  and much more.
        the University of California in 2001 and   I am enormously grateful for this.”

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