Nick Barton
Encyclopedia
Professor Nicholas Hamilton Barton FRS FRSE (born 30 August 1955) is a British
evolutionary biologist.
He was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge
where he graduated with a first-class degree in Natural Sciences in 1976 and gained his PhD under Godfrey Hewitt at the University of East Anglia
in 1979. After a brief spell as a lab demonstrator at the University of Cambridge
, he became a Lecturer at the Department of Genetics and Biometry, University College London
, in 1982. Professor Barton is best known for his work on hybrid zones, often using the toad Bombina bombina as a study organism, and for extending the mathematical machinery needed to investigate multilocus genetics, a field in which he worked in collaboration with Michael Turelli. Concrete research questions he has investigated include: the role of epistasis
, the evolution of sex
, speciation
, and the limits on the rate of adaptation
.
Barton moved to the University of Edinburgh
in 1990, where he is said to have been instrumental in attracting to the university Brian
and Deborah Charlesworth, with whom he had previously collaborated, thus complementing the university's strong tradition in quantitative genetics
with a population genetics
side and making the University of Edinburgh one of the foremost research institutions of genetics in the world. In 2008 Barton moved to Klosterneuburg (Austria) where he became the first professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria
.
Barton was made a professor in 1994. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in the same year and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1995. He was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Health) from the University of Bath
in 2008. He received a Wolfson Merit Award in 2005. In 2008 he was one of thirteen recipients of the Darwin-Wallace Medal
, which is given every 50 years by the Linnean Society of London
.
In 2007, Barton, along with Derek E.G. Briggs
, Jonathan A. Eisen
, David B. Goldstein, and Nipam H. Patel, collaborated to create Evolution, an undergraduate textbook which integrates molecular biology, genomics, and human genetics with traditional evolutionary studies.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
evolutionary biologist.
He was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...
where he graduated with a first-class degree in Natural Sciences in 1976 and gained his PhD under Godfrey Hewitt at the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
in 1979. After a brief spell as a lab demonstrator at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, he became a Lecturer at the Department of Genetics and Biometry, University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, in 1982. Professor Barton is best known for his work on hybrid zones, often using the toad Bombina bombina as a study organism, and for extending the mathematical machinery needed to investigate multilocus genetics, a field in which he worked in collaboration with Michael Turelli. Concrete research questions he has investigated include: the role of epistasis
Epistasis
In genetics, epistasis is the phenomenon where the effects of one gene are modified by one or several other genes, which are sometimes called modifier genes. The gene whose phenotype is expressed is called epistatic, while the phenotype altered or suppressed is called hypostatic...
, the evolution of sex
Evolution of sex
The evolution of sexual reproduction is currently described by several competing scientific hypotheses. All sexually reproducing organisms derive from a common ancestor which was a single celled eukaryotic species. Many protists reproduce sexually, as do the multicellular plants, animals, and fungi...
, speciation
Speciation
Speciation is the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. The biologist Orator F. Cook seems to have been the first to coin the term 'speciation' for the splitting of lineages or 'cladogenesis,' as opposed to 'anagenesis' or 'phyletic evolution' occurring within lineages...
, and the limits on the rate of adaptation
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
.
Barton moved to the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in 1990, where he is said to have been instrumental in attracting to the university Brian
Brian Charlesworth
Professor Brian Charlesworth FRS is a British evolutionary biologist at the University of Edinburgh, and editor of Biology Letters....
and Deborah Charlesworth, with whom he had previously collaborated, thus complementing the university's strong tradition in quantitative genetics
Quantitative genetics
Quantitative genetics is the study of continuous traits and their underlying mechanisms. It is effectively an extension of simple Mendelian inheritance in that the combined effects of one or more genes and the environments in which they are expressed give rise to continuous distributions of...
with a population genetics
Population genetics
Population genetics is the study of allele frequency distribution and change under the influence of the four main evolutionary processes: natural selection, genetic drift, mutation and gene flow. It also takes into account the factors of recombination, population subdivision and population...
side and making the University of Edinburgh one of the foremost research institutions of genetics in the world. In 2008 Barton moved to Klosterneuburg (Austria) where he became the first professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria
Institute of Science and Technology Austria
The Institute of Science and Technology Austria is an institute of basic research located in Klosterneuburg, close to Vienna . The draft concept was developed by the Austrian physicist Anton Zeilinger in 2002. Preparation work started in 2007...
.
Barton was made a professor in 1994. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in the same year and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1995. He was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Health) from the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
in 2008. He received a Wolfson Merit Award in 2005. In 2008 he was one of thirteen recipients of the Darwin-Wallace Medal
Darwin-Wallace Medal
The Darwin–Wallace Medal is a medal awarded by the Linnean Society of London for "major advances in evolutionary biology". Historically, the medals have been awarded every 50 years, beginning in 1908...
, which is given every 50 years by the Linnean Society of London
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
.
In 2007, Barton, along with Derek E.G. Briggs
Derek Briggs
Derek Ernest Gilmor Briggs is an Irish paleontologist and taphonomist based at Yale University. Briggs is one of three paleontologists who were key in the reinterpretation of the fossils of the Burgess Shale.-Professional achievements:...
, Jonathan A. Eisen
Jonathan Eisen
Jonathan A. Eisen is an American evolutionary biologist, currently working at University of California, Davis. His academic research is in the fields of evolutionary biology, genomics and microbiology and he is the academic editor-in-chief of the open-access journal PLoS Biology.In 2011 Eisen was...
, David B. Goldstein, and Nipam H. Patel, collaborated to create Evolution, an undergraduate textbook which integrates molecular biology, genomics, and human genetics with traditional evolutionary studies.