Nancy Rothwell

Nancy Rothwell
Born	1956
Institutions	University of Manchester
Alma mater	University of London
Notable awards	Fellow of the Royal Society

Dame Nancy J. Rothwell, DBE, FRS (born 1956) is a British physiologist and academic who became the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester in July 2010,^[1] having been Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor since January 2010.

Education and career

She was born at Tarleton, near Preston, Lancashire, and educated at Penwortham Girls’ Grammar School. She enrolled at the University of London and obtained a first class degree in Physiology (1976) and a Ph.D degree (1978) from Queen Elizabeth College London. She was awarded a D.Sc degree (1987) by King's College London. She was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Laws) from the University of Bath in 2009.

Her early research identified mechanisms of energy balance regulation, obesity and cachexia. In 1984 she was awarded a Royal Society Research Fellowship and relocated to Manchester in 1987. She was appointed to a Chair in physiology in 1994, then a prestigious Medical Research Council Research Chair in 1998. Her current research focuses on the role of inflammation in brain disease and has identified the role of the cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) in diverse forms of brain injury. Her recent studies have begun to elucidate the mechanisms regulating IL-1 release and its action, and her group has conducted the first early clinical trial of an IL-1 inhibitor in strokes. She served as president of the British Neuroscience Association and a council member of MRC.

From October 2004 she was vice-president for research of the University.^[2] Rothwell currently (2010) oversees a research group of about 20 scientists, with significant external funding and was announced to succeed Alan Gilbert as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester on 1 July 2010. She is a Trustee of Cancer Research UK, the Campaign for Medical Progress, a Council member of BBSRC, Chair of the Research Defence Society and the Wellcome Trust Public Engagement Strategy Committee, and a non-executive director of Astrazeneca. In 1998 she delivered the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, televised by the BBC.^{[citation needed]}

In 2003 she won the prestigious Pfizer Research Prize, and, in 2004 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).^[3] In 2005 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

In January 2010 she was appointed Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor since January: until Alan Gilbert retired she was acting President due to his sick leave. On 21 June 2010, she was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester. She assumed her post on 1 July 2010, succeeding Professor Alan Gilbert, who had retired after nearly six years. Dame Nancy became the first woman to lead The University of Manchester or either of its two predecessor institutions. Commenting on her appointment, Dame Nancy said: "I am honoured and delighted to be invited to lead the University at this exciting time. I am determined to maintain the strategic focus that we have developed over the past six years and to work closely with colleagues to identify new priorities and opportunities for the University in the very challenging external environment that we will face over the next few years."

Chairman of the Appointment Panel and Chairman-elect of the University's Board of Governors Mr Anil Ruia said: "Dame Nancy will bring her own distinctive strengths, perspective and style to the role of President and Vice-Chancellor which will enable the University to build upon the remarkable progress that we have made under Professor Alan Gilbert's leadership."

Society of Biology

In 2009 Nancy Rothwell become President of the newly formed Society of Biology

Selected publications

• 2002: Who Wants to Be a Scientist?: choosing science as a career. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press ISBN 0521520924
• Rothwell, N.; Stock, M. (1979). "A role for brown adipose tissue in diet-induced thermogenesis". Nature 281 (5726): 31–35. doi:10.1038/281031a0. PMID 551265.  edit
• Hopkins, S.; Rothwell, N. (1995). "Cytokines and the nervous system. I: Expression and recognition". Trends in neurosciences 18 (2): 83–88. doi:10.1016/0166-2236(95)93881-W. PMID 7537419.  edit
• Rothwell, N.; Hopkins, S. (1995). "Cytokines and the nervous system II: Actions and mechanisms of action". Trends in neurosciences 18 (3): 130–136. doi:10.1016/0166-2236(95)93890-A. PMID 7754524.  edit
• Peer-reviewed publications by Nancy Rothwell (in PubMed).

References

1. ^ New President and Vice-Chancellor for The University of Manchester
2. ^ Cripps, Elizabeth. "Manchester voices--Nancy Rothwell". The Guardian (London). http://education.guardian.co.uk/manchesteruniversityunited/story/0,,1332549,00.html. Retrieved 2011-04-05. 
3. ^ Guardian profile of Nancy Rothwell

External links

• Professor Nancy Rothwell (University of Manchester, Faculty of Life Sciences)
• People: Professor Nancy Rothwell (University of Manchester, Knowledge Horizons)
• Profile on Nancy Rothwell (British Council)
• Profile on Nancy Rothwell interviewed by Sophie Elmhirst at the New Statesman website, 15 October 2010.

Persondata
Name	Rothwell, Nancy
Alternative names
Short description	British physiologist, medical researcher and academic
Date of birth	1956
Place of birth	Tarleton, Lancashire, England, UK
Date of death
Place of death