Russell G. Foster
Encyclopedia
Russell Grant Foster, FRS
(born circa 1959) is a British professor of circadian neuroscience, currently based at Brasenose College
at the University of Oxford
. He and his group are credited with the discovery of the non-rod, non-cone, photosensitive ganglion cell
s in the mammalian retina
which provide input to the circadian rhythm
system. Foster was elected a fellow of the Royal Society
in 2008 and a member of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
council in 2011.
Educated at the University of Bristol
with a PhD in Neuroscience from 1984, Foster was a member of the National Science Foundation
Center for Biological Rhythms at the University of Virginia
before returning to the UK. Internationally, he has received several awards for his discovery of ocular photoreceptors. He is the co-author with writer and broadcaster Leon Kreitzman of two popular science books on circadian rhythms, Rhythms of Life. The Biological Clocks that Control the Daily Lives of Every Living Thingand Seasons of Life. The Biological Rhythms That Enable Living Things to Thrive and Survive.
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(born circa 1959) is a British professor of circadian neuroscience, currently based at Brasenose College
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He and his group are credited with the discovery of the non-rod, non-cone, photosensitive ganglion cell
Photosensitive ganglion cell
Photosensitive ganglion cells, also called photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells , intrinsically photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells or melanopsin-containing ganglion cells, are a type of neuron in the retina of the mammalian eye.They were discovered in the early 1990sand are, unlike other...
s in the mammalian retina
Retina
The vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...
which provide input to the circadian rhythm
Circadian rhythm
A circadian rhythm, popularly referred to as body clock, is an endogenously driven , roughly 24-hour cycle in biochemical, physiological, or behavioural processes. Circadian rhythms have been widely observed in plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria...
system. Foster was elected a fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 2008 and a member of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council is a UK Research Council and NDPB and is the largest UK public funder of non-medical bioscience...
council in 2011.
Educated at the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
with a PhD in Neuroscience from 1984, Foster was a member of the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Center for Biological Rhythms at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
before returning to the UK. Internationally, he has received several awards for his discovery of ocular photoreceptors. He is the co-author with writer and broadcaster Leon Kreitzman of two popular science books on circadian rhythms, Rhythms of Life. The Biological Clocks that Control the Daily Lives of Every Living Thingand Seasons of Life. The Biological Rhythms That Enable Living Things to Thrive and Survive.