Cambridge University Reporter


REPORT

Report of the General Board on the establishment of a Herchel Smith Professorship of Biochemistry

The GENERAL BOARD beg leave to report to the University as follows:

1. During the 2003-04 academical year, the General Board put forward Reports recommending the establishment of three of the five Herchel Smith Professorships for each one of which Dr Smith had bequeathed a sum of £2.863m. Two of these Professorships were in fields specified by Dr Smith within the scope of the School of the Physical Sciences, namely Physics and Pure Mathematics. The third Professorship (of Molecular Genetics) was the first of the three which Dr Smith wished to be established within the School of the Biological Sciences, in this case to provide leadership for the University's new stem cell initiative.

2. The School of the Biological Sciences have now put forward the case for the establishment of their second Herchel Smith Professorship to be filled, in accordance with Dr Smith's wishes, in a field in Biochemistry. The School, on the advice of the Department of Biochemistry, recommend that preference on this occasion should be given to candidates working in microbial biochemistry. This has been an area of major research importance since the discovery of antimicrobials in the 20th century; this transformed lifestyles by bringing under control a number of bacterial infections and many associated diseases. However, human health remains threatened in many ways, not least by the evolution of resistant strains of most types of bacteria and the lack of significant progress in finding new antibiotics to combat them. Recent advances in understanding the microbial biology and biochemistry offer some hope of progress. There are now genome sequences of many bacteria, while progress in molecular genetics and enzymology has led to an understanding of the various modes of antibiotic biosynthesis in bacteria, in which huge complexes of enzymes catalyse systematically the construction of complicated molecules. Understanding these systems will present opportunities to engineer new antibiotics. Meanwhile, other advances have led to a better understanding of virulence, of global regulation, and of signalling between individual bacteria using pheromones. An understanding of these phenomena will have far-reaching impacts on microbiology in general and will facilitate, in particular, the discovery of new antimicrobials to treat those diseases where resistance still occurs.

3. For many years, microbial biochemistry has been an area of major research activity in the University. It is complemented by significant strengths in cell and molecular biology, in protein chemistry and structure, and in the chemical synthesis of complex molecules, all of which are integral to microbial biochemistry. Future developments in microbial biochemistry have assumed major significance in the Department of Biochemistry's five-year strategic academic plan. The University has also recognized the importance of supporting research in this field and, on the advice of the School of the Biological Sciences, has given its strong support to bids for funds for the establishment of new research laboratories and the refurbishment of others. Furthermore, the University is now investing further in transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics to exploit the new research opportunities that will emanate from the new information gained from genome sequences. As a result, the University is now in a very strong position to assume a leading position in furthering work in microbial biochemistry in a way that will lead to very significant advances world-wide in the basic science as well as in its application to combating microbial infections.

4. As with all the new Herchel Smith Professorships, the benefaction offers an outstanding opportunity to make a professorial appointment of someone of international standing who can provide the necessary inspiration and leadership to take forward these important developments in microbial biochemistry. As outlined above, suitable accommodation for the Professor will be available in the Department of Biochemistry, and the Herchel Smith endowment makes generous provision for support for the work of the Professor. Further support will be available through the provision in Dr Herchel Smith's Will for a programme of three-year postdoctoral Fellowships which are to be held at Cambridge. The General Board are assured that, with this level of dedicated support, the Professorship can be expected to attract an excellent field of candidates. The Board have agreed that election to the Professorship should be made by an ad hoc Board of Electors and that, on this first occasion, candidature should be limited to persons whose work falls within the field of microbial biochemistry.

5. The General Board recommend:

I. That a Herchel Smith Professorship of Biochemistry be established in the University from 1 October 2005, placed in Schedule B of the Statutes, and assigned to the Department of Biochemistry.

II. That regulations for the Herchel Smith Professorship of Biochemistry, as set out in the Schedule to the Report, be approved.

17 November 2004 ALISON RICHARD, Vice-ChancellorH. A. CHASED. W. B. MACDONALD
 JOHN BELLM. J. DAUNTONMELVEENA MCKENDRICK
 TOM BLUNDELLR. H. FRIENDROGER PARKER
 WILLIAM BROWNDREW LIVINGSTONS. J. YOUNG
 N. O. A. BULLOCK  

SCHEDULE

Herchel Smith Professor of Biochemistry.   2005.   Biochemistry

1. The sum received from the Trustees of the late Dr Herchel Smith for the establishment of a Professorship in some field or fields in Biochemistry shall form a fund called the Herchel Smith Biochemistry Fund.

2. The Fund shall be administered by three Managers appointed by the Council of the School of the Biological Sciences, who shall include the Head of the Department of Biochemistry, who shall be the Chairman, the Herchel Smith Professor of Biochemistry, and the Chairman of the Council of the School of the Biological Sciences.

3. The first charge on the income of the Fund shall be the stipend, national insurance, pension contributions, and associated indirect costs of the Professor payable by the University.

4. After provision has been made in accordance with Regulation 3, the Fund shall be applied for the support of teaching or research in Biochemistry in such manner as shall be approved by the General Board on the recommendation of the Managers.

5. Any unexpended income in a financial year may in any subsequent year be expended in accordance with Regulation 4.