Nobel prizewinner and University of British Columbia Prof. Emeritus
Michael Smith died yesterday of cancer. He was 68 years old.
“We at UBC feel a real sense of personal loss,” says Barry McBride,
vice-president, Academic and Provost. “We’ve lost a colleague, a
creative and distinguished scientist and a friend — a warm and
humble man known for his humanity and generosity. He was a great
Canadian and I will miss his friendship, his unwavering commitment
to excellence and his personal support.”
Smith, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1993, was the
director of BC Cancer Agency’s Genome Sequence Centre in Vancouver.
The prize recognized his groundbreaking work in reprogramming segments
of DNA, the building blocks of life.
“Michael’s work launched a new era in genetics research–that’s
his legacy to science,” says Indira Samarasekera, UBC’s vice-president,
Research. “His discovery has paved the way to finding new treatments
for life-threatening illness.”
Born in Blackpool, England, he received his PhD in 1956 from the
University of Manchester and completed his post-doctoral fellowship
with the B.C. Research Council in 1960. He joined UBC in 1966.
In 1987, he founded UBC’s Biotechnology Laboratory which is expanding
to include a new building that will bear his name. He was named
a Peter Wall Distinguished Professor of Biotechnology at UBC and
many of his students have gained international scientific reputations.
A founding Scientific Leader of the Protein Engineering Network
of Centres of Excellence, Smith was named a Career Investigator
of the Medical Research Council of Canada in 1966. He was appointed
a director of the Canada Foundation for Innovation in 1997.
Well-known for his commitment to human welfare and science education,
Smith donated half of his Nobel Prize to the Schizophrenia Society
of Canada and the Canadian Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia.
The other half of his prize established an endowment fund whose
income supports the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology
and a program for elementary school teachers provided by Science
World BC.
The Royal Bank Award, which he received in 1999, included a companion
grant which he donated to the B.C. Cancer Foundation.
In addition, the Michael Smith Awards, sponsored by the Natural
Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, honour individuals
and organizations who make an outstanding contribution to the promotion
of science in Canada.
Smith has received numerous awards and distinctions including:
Companion of the Order of Canada; Order of British Columbia; University
Killam Professor, UBC; Fellow, Royal Society of Canada; Fellow,
Royal Society of London; Canadian Medical Association Medal of Honour
and Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
UBC will be holding a celebration of the life of Michael Smith.
Details will be announced as soon as possible.
A biography of Michael Smith follows. A photograph is available
electronically; please e-mail hilary.thomson@ubc.ca.
Biographical information
Michael Smith, PhD
Director, Genome Sequence Centre; BC Cancer Agency and Research
Centre
Michael Smith is an internationally ranked authority on molecular
biology and the use of chemically synthesized DNA fragments in genetic
studies. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1993 for
the development of the technology of “site directed mutagenesis”
which is used in understanding the function of genes and protein
in medical and biological research and in modifying genes and proteins
to produce new products in the biotechnology industry.
Smith is a member of numerous national and international committees
and advisory boards. His current positions include:
- Director, Genome Sequence Centre, BC Cancer Agency
- Peter Wall Distinguished Professor of Biotechnology, University
of British Columbia - Professor Emeritus, Biotechnology Laboratory and Professor
Emeritus, Dept. of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia - Career Investigator, Medical Research Council of Canada
- Board of Directors, Innovation Canada
- Advisory Council on Science and Technology
- Board of Directors, Genome Canada
- Board of Directors, Canadian Medical Discoveries Fund
- Board of Directors, Pasteur-Merieux-Connaught North America
- Board of Directors, ICN Pharmaceuticals
- Medical Advisory Board, The Gairdner Foundation
- Scientific Advisory Committee, The EJLB Foundation
- Scientific Advisory Committee, Kinetek, Inc.
Past appointments include:
- Visiting Professor, Rockefeller University, 1970
- Visiting Professor, The Medical Research Council Laboratory
for Molecular Biology,
Cambridge, 1975-76 - Visiting Professor, Yale University, 1982
- Visiting Professor, University of Washington, 1997
- Director, Biotechnology Laboratory, University of British Columbia,
1987-96 - Scientific Leader, Protein Engineering Network of Centres of
Excellence, 1990-94 - Acting Director, Biomedical Research Centre, University of British
Columbia, 1991-92
Michael Smith has received many awards and honours, including:
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1993
- Companion of the Order of Canada, 1995
- Order of British Columbia, 1994
- Gairdner Foundation International Award, 1986
- University Killam Professor, University of British Columbia
- Royal Bank Award, 1999
- Principal Award, Earnest C. Manning Awards Foundation, 1994
- Fellow, Royal Society of Canada, 1981
- Fellow, Royal Society of London, 1986
- Foreign Associate, The National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A.,
1996 - Gold Medal, Science Council of British Columbia, 1984
- G. Malcolm Brown Award, Canadian Federation of Biological Sciences,
1989 - The Henry Friesen Award of the Royal College of Physicians and
Surgeons of Canada,
1994 - Canadian Medical Association Medal of Honour, 1994
- Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, 1995
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