Anne Carla Ferguson-Smith (born 23 July 1961) is a mammalian developmental geneticist. She is the

Arthur Balfour Professor of Genetics The Arthur Balfour Professorship of Genetics is the senior List of Professorships at the University of Cambridge, professorship in genetics at the University of Cambridge, founded in 1912. It is thought to be the oldest Chair of Genetics in the Engl ...

and Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and International Partnerships at the University of Cambridge. Formerly Head of the Department of Genetics at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

, she is a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of Darwin College, Cambridge and currently President of the Genetics Society. Ferguson-Smith is an authority on genomic imprinting and the epigenetic control of genome function in health and disease, and is recognised for her work on parental-origin effects and epigenetic mechanisms. Her work has uncovered epigenetically regulated processes in development and over the life course, and identified key ''in vivo'' mechanisms involved in the maintenance of epigenetic states. She also explores communication between the environment and the genome with implications for health, disease and inheritance.

Education

Ferguson-Smith was born on 23 July 1961 in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland, United States. She was educated at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

where she was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology. She moved to the Biology Department at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

to undertake a PhD identifying human

Hox gene Hox genes, a subset of homeobox genes, are a group of related genes that specify regions of the body plan of an embryo along the head-tail axis of animals. Hox proteins encode and specify the characteristics of 'position', ensuring that the cor ...

s and characterising mammalian Hox clusters, supervised by

Frank Ruddle Francis Hugh Ruddle (1929–2013) was an American cell and developmental biologist who was the Sterling Professor at Yale University. Ruddle was an early visionary of the Human Genome Project and created the first genetically modified mouse. He ...

Career and research

Ferguson-Smith conducted postdoctoral research with

Azim Surani Azim Surani (born 1945 in Kisumu, Kenya) is a Kenyan-British developmental biologist who has been Marshall–Walton Professor at the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge since 1992, and Director of ...

at the University of Cambridge from 1989 to 1994, where she initiated molecular studies on genomic imprinting - the process causing genes to be expressed according to their parental origin. The team identified one of the first endogenous imprinted genes, and showed that the process was epigenetically regulated by DNA methylation. Her subsequent research in the Department of Physiology Development and Neuroscience (formerly Anatomy) at the University of Cambridge identified functions for, and regulatory mechanisms of, genomic imprinting, and contributed to its establishment as a model for understanding the epigenetic control of mammalian genome function. This work resulted in the characterisation of pathways important in mammalian development and growth, in the regulation of metabolism, and in the control of adult neurogenesis. In 2013 she was appointed Professor and Head of the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge and became the seventh

in 2015. Her research continues to forge links between DNA sequence, epigenetic modifications and

gene regulation Regulation of gene expression, or gene regulation, includes a wide range of mechanisms that are used by cells to increase or decrease the production of specific gene products (protein or RNA). Sophisticated programs of gene expression are wi ...

, and their impact on phenotype; and the mechanisms and implications of epigenetic inheritance.

Awards and honours

Ferguson-Smith was elected a

Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) is an award for medical scientists who are judged by the UK Academy of Medical Sciences for the "excellence of their science, their contribution to medicine and society and the range of th ...

(FMedSci) in 2002, was awarded

EMBO Membership Membership of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is an award granted by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in recognition of "research excellence and the outstanding achievements made by a life scientist". , 88 EMB ...

in 2006 and elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

(FRS) in 2017 She won the

Suffrage Science award The Suffrage Science award is a prize for women in science, engineering and computing founded in 2011, on the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day by the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS). There are three categories of awar ...

in 2014 and was awarded the Buchanan Medal of the Royal Society in 2021.

Personal life

Ferguson-Smith is the daughter of the geneticist Malcolm Ferguson-Smith.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson-Smith, Anne Carla Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of Darwin College, Cambridge Female Fellows of the Royal Society Scottish women scientists Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization Living people Scottish geneticists 1961 births Alumni of the University of Glasgow Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Scottish women academics Arthur Balfour Professors of Genetics