The Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (or SLCU) is located in
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
The Cambridge University Botanic Garden is a botanical garden located in Cambridge, England, associated with the university Department of Plant Sciences (formerly Botany School). It lies between Trumpington Road to the west, Bateman Street to ...
. Its aim is to elucidate the regulatory systems underlying
plant growth Important structures in plant development are buds, shoots, roots, leaves, and flowers; plants produce these tissues and structures throughout their life from meristems located at the tips of organs, or between mature tissues. Thus, a living plant a ...
and
plant development Important structures in plant development are buds, shoots, roots, leaves, and flowers; plants produce these tissues and structures throughout their life from meristems located at the tips of organs, or between mature tissues. Thus, a living plant a ...
.
Senior research staff
As of 2022 Senior research staff include:
*
Professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
Henrik Jönsson, Director
*Dr James Locke, Associate Director and Royal Society University Research Fellow
*Professor
Ottoline Leyser
Dame Henrietta Miriam Ottoline Leyser (born 7 March 1965)
is a British plant biologist and Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge, Chief Executive Officer of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Sainsbury Laboratory, ...
FRS, Research Group Leader
*Professor Yrjö Helariutta, Research Group Leader
*Professor
Elliot Meyerowitz
Elliot Meyerowitz (born May 22, 1951) is an American biologist.
Career
Meyerowitz did his undergraduate work at Columbia University (A.B. in biology, 1973), where he worked part-time in the laboratory of Cyrus Levinthal on combined microscopic a ...
, Inaugural Director and Distinguished Associate
*Professor
Giles Oldroyd, Research Group Leader
*Dr Alexander Jones, Research Group Leader
*Dr Edwige Moyroud, Research Group Leader
*Dr François Nédélec, Research Group Leader
*Dr Sebastian Schornack, Research Group Leader and Royal Society University Research Fellow
*Dr Chris Whitewoods, Career Development Fellow
*Dr Sarah Robinson, Career Development Fellow
*Dr Renske Vroomans, Career Development Fellow
History
The Sainsbury Laboratory houses 120 plant scientists studying plant development and diversity in state-of-the-art laboratory facilities. The building was made possible by the award of an £82M grant from the
Gatsby Charitable Foundation
The Gatsby Charitable Foundation is an endowed grant-making trust, based in London, founded by David Sainsbury in 1967. The organisation is one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, set up to provide funding for charitable causes. Although the ...
. Construction of the 11,000-square metre building, led by
Kier Group
Kier Group plc is a British construction, services and property group active in building and civil engineering, support services, and the Private Finance Initiative.
Founded in 1928 in Stoke-on-Trent it initially specialised in concrete enginee ...
, began in the private working and research area of the Botanic Garden in February 2008 and was completed in December 2010. The building was opened on 27 April 2011 by
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
in the presence of
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...
.
The laboratory building also provides plant growth facilities and a home for the University
Herbarium
A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study.
The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...
, which contains over one million pressed and dried plant specimens from around the world, including the great majority of those collected by
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...
on the
Beagle Voyage, and scientific research material relating to newly discovered plants from the 18th and 19th
centuries.
Building
The Laboratory meets Cambridge City Council’s planning requirement for 10% renewable on-site energy generation through use of photovoltaic panels, and has been awarded a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.
The Gilmour Suite, in a wing of the Sainsbury Laboratory, provides a public café and terrace for Botanic Garden visitors and is open all year during Garden public opening hours.
The building was awarded the
Stirling Prize
The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The S ...
for architecture in 2012.
Artwork
The laboratory has several artworks including:
References
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Research institutes in Cambridge
Biological research institutes in the United Kingdom
Botanical research institutes
Sainsbury Laboratory
The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) is a research institute located at the Norwich Research Park (NRP) in Norwich, Norfolk, England, that carries out fundamental biological research and technology development on aspects of plant disease, plant dise ...