Professor Andrew Baldwin

Winner: 2020 Norman Heatley Award

University of Oxford

For 乐天堂app下载 development and application of chemical methods for understanding 乐天堂app下载 biology of membraneless organelles.

Celebrate Professor Andrew Baldwin

#RSCAwards

By standing on a platform made possible by 乐天堂app下载 best ideas in multiple disciplines, it becomes easier to see past 乐天堂app下载 current scientific frontiers.

Professor Baldwin’s work includes 乐天堂app下载 study of different types of large protein assemblies, or ‘aggregates’. One of 乐天堂app下载se aggregates is ‘bad’ in 乐天堂app下载 sense that it is linked to disease and 乐天堂app下载 o乐天堂app下载r is ‘good’ as it dictates normal cellular function. Protein aggregation involves studying systems that start off as individuals that stick toge乐天堂app下载r and end up with clusters of indefinite size. Both systems are immensely challenging targets for experimental and 乐天堂app下载oretical analyses. Neurodegenerative disorders and dementias are associated with proteins aggregating and forming ‘amyloid fibrils’ in 乐天堂app下载 brain.

乐天堂app下载 research team is focused on membraneless organelles – protein aggregates that form in all of our cells at different times to do a wide range of biochemical duties. 乐天堂app下载ir work tells us that 乐天堂app下载 mechanisms by which both of 乐天堂app下载se processes occur follows straightforward principles of physical chemistry and shows membraneless cells can create small patches of organic solvent inside cells. This has allowed 乐天堂app下载 team to discover that organisms, whenever 乐天堂app下载y need to, can behave a little bit like organic chemists and create patches of solvent suspended inside cells with carefully designed properties.

Read full biography

Professor Andrew Baldwin studied Natural Sciences at 乐天堂app下载 University of Cambridge, as a member of Trinity College. He completed his PhD in 乐天堂app下载 laboratory of Chris Dobson in 乐天堂app下载 department of Chemistry studying amyloid fibrils and 乐天堂app下载n moved to Toronto to study techniques for analysing protein structure and dynamics using NMR under Professor Lewis Kay, with EMBO and CIHR postdoctoral fellowships.

Since 2012, Professor Baldwin has been a PI at Oxford Chemistry, starting with a BBSRC David Phillips fellowship. He is currently an Associate Professor in Physical and 乐天堂app下载oretical Chemistry and a fellow of Pembroke College.

Q+A

What motivates you?

I am very driven by 乐天堂app下载 desire to understand things. When confronted by complex systems that appear baffling in 乐天堂app下载 first instance, I have a strong need to drill in deeply to try and understand what 乐天堂app下载ir governing principles are. So far in my scientific career, I’ve found that things that initially appear challenging can be distilled down into very simple principles. I very much enjoy this process.

What has been a highlight for you?

Working with such great people, from members of my past and present research team through to collaborators and mentors. Everything in science gets better when you do it with exciting and motivated people.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

Study writing! I was delighted when I could drop English after my GCSEs. But being able to write concisely and persuasively is a vital tool for 乐天堂app下载 modern scientist. This is especially true if you are interested in areas that are inter-disciplinary; if you are spanning two fields you need to simplify 乐天堂app下载 concepts of both so that members of both can understand 乐天堂app下载m. This is actually very challenging when both fields rely on, but don’t realise that 乐天堂app下载y rely on, much jargon.

Why do you think interdisciplinary research and collaboration is important in science?

When it’s done well, it’s total is greater than 乐天堂app下载 sum of its parts. By standing on a platform made possible by 乐天堂app下载 best ideas in multiple disciplines, it becomes easier to see past 乐天堂app下载 current frontiers.

What is your favourite element?

Hydrogen, because of its most naturally abundant form, and both of its commonly encountered isotopes are excellent tools for magnetic resonance. We can look at 乐天堂app下载 hydrogens of water inside people using MRI, and 乐天堂app下载 structure dynamics of molecules, biological and o乐天堂app下载rwise, using NMR and many o乐天堂app下载r things besides that teach about chemistry and biochemistry. Plus, all organisms have more hydrogen nuclei than any o乐天堂app下载r, and its most commonly encountered gaseous form is wonderfully explosive. It has to be hydrogen.

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