Sara Wells, Chief Biological Research Facility Officer at the Francis Crick Institute, Director of the Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell, and Director of the MRC Centre for Macaques at Porton Down, has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours with an MBE for services to Medical Research. Sara is a long-term friend and supporter of UAR and a dedicated advocate for humane animal research in her own right. She has been recognised for her huge contribution to preclinical medical studies in a career largely dedicated to improving the science of genetically modified mice.
A passionate scientist from a very young age, Sara obtained a first-class BSc in Genetics from the University of Sheffield and went on to complete a PhD at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research on the “Expression of Neuroendocrine Genes in Transgenic Rats”. Her interest in transgenics soon took her to the MRC Harwell Institute as Head of Transgenics and Mutagenesis where she helped shape the newly built Mary Lyon Centre (MLC), soon rising to the position of Director. Sara has worked across biomedical fields, supporting countless high-impact projects in preclinical genetics, leading to her Directorship of the MRC Centre for Macaques at Porton Down and, most recently, her appointment as the Crick’s Chief BRF Officer where she provides valuable support to the Crick’s leadership team on strategic and practical decisions regarding the BRF and animal research.
In all of her many roles, and in her work with scientific learned societies, Sara has promoted scientific research standards of integrity and reproducibility, making her a recognised reference point in the field of preclinical mouse genetics including in policy and legislation. Her commitment to the improvement of laboratory animal welfare has been a constant of her career, not least in her work with UAR, including becoming the face of the Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell virtual animal facility tour. Sara’s scientific excellence, personal integrity and unwavering enthusiasm have made her a model for the animal welfare and biomedical research sectors and UAR extends our congratulations for this well-deserved award.
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Last edited: 20 June 2024 12:24
