Jon Beckwith

Jonathan Roger Beckwith (born 1935 in Cambridge)^[1] is an American microbiologist and geneticist. He is the American Cancer Society Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Beckwith led the research group that in 1969 isolated the first gene from a bacterial chromosome.^[2] The group of researchers worked under Beckwith at the Harvard Medical School and consisted of several now well-known scientists and doctors including James A. Shapiro and Lawrence Eron, MD. Following this discovery, he has made important contributions to the study of bacterial genetics.^[3] His studies include the mechanisms of protein secretion, disulfide bond formation, and cell division. In addition, he is a prominent speaker on the social implications of science and has been an activist in science. He spoke out against the testing of boys for XYY chromosomes and was a member of the ELSI (Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications) committee of the Human Genome Project initiated by James D. Watson. He has worked on issues of social responsibility in science and since 1983 has taught a course on the Social Issues in Biology at Harvard University, one of the first of its kind. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1986.^[1]

^[4] In 2005 he received the Abbott-ASM Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Microbiology for "sustained, remarkable contributions to the microbiological sciences". Beckwith was the 2009 recipient of the Selman A. Waksman Award in Microbiology from the National Academy of Sciences.^[5]

He trained with Sydney Brenner, Arthur Pardee and Francois Jacob at the Institut Pasteur in France before arriving at Harvard University.

Beckwith is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Selected publications

• Beckwith, Jon; Ard, Catherine; Asch, Adrienne; Alper, Joseph S., eds. (2004). The Double-Edged Helix: Social Implications of Genetics in a Diverse Society. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-7926-5. 
• Beckwith, Jonathan R. (2002). Making Genes, Making Waves: A Social Activist in Science. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-00928-8. 

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Beckwith, Jonathan R. (2002). Making Genes, Making Waves: A Social Activist in Science. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-00928-8. Retrieved 24 May 2013. 

External links

• "Beckwith Lab". 2011-03-04. 
• "Jonathan Beckwith, Ph.D.". Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology Faculty.