Alison Gail Smith Explained

Alison Smith
Birth Name:Alison Gail Smith
Fields:Biochemistry
Thesis Url:http://ulmss-newton.lib.cam.ac.uk/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=13899
Thesis Title:Chlorosis induction in haloblight disease of bean: a biochemical study
Thesis Year:1981
Children:2

Alison Gail Smith, Lady Hopper is Professor of Plant Biochemistry in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, UK. Her research investigates the metabolism of plants, algae and bacteria, in particular vitamin and cofactor biosynthesis.[1] [2] [3] [4]

Education

Smith was educated at the University of Bristol where she was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry in 1977.[5] She moved to the University of Cambridge, to do a Ph.D. investigating the role of a toxin produced by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae in causing the symptoms of halo blight of green beans, which she completed in 1981.[6]

Research and career

Smith's research[7] investigates the:

Research in Smith's group is also investigating the potential for exploitation of algae for carbon capture and storage, algae fuel and algaculture.[8] Her research has been funded by the European Union,[9] the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Economic and Social Research Council and the Natural Environment Research Council.[10]

She is a council member of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom of the United Kingdom and as a member of the board of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany.

Awards and honours

Smith was awarded a Leverhulme Trust Study Abroad Fellowship in 2001 and a best scientific paper award from the Rebeiz Foundation for Basic Research in 2009 for research on Tetrapyrrole profiling in seedlings of the Arabidopsis (rockcress).[11] In 2009, she was awarded an Erskine Fellowship from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, and she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) in 2012.[12]

Smith was interviewed by Jim Al-Khalili on The Life Scientific, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.[13]

Personal life

Smith is married to computer scientist Andy Hopper (Sir Andrew Hopper), with whom she has two children.[14]

Notes and References

  1. Scott. Stuart A. Davey. Matthew P. Dennis. John S. Horst. Irmtraud. Howe. Christopher J. Lea-Smith. David J. Smith. Alison G. Biodiesel from algae: challenges and prospects. Current Opinion in Biotechnology. 21. 3. 2010. 277–286. 20399634 . 10.1016/j.copbio.2010.03.005.
  2. Croft. Martin T.. Lawrence. Andrew D.. Raux-Deery. Evelyne. Warren. Martin J.. Smith. Alison G.. Algae acquire vitamin B12 through a symbiotic relationship with bacteria. Nature. 438. 7064. 2005. 90–93. 16267554 . 10.1038/nature04056. 2005Natur.438...90C. 4328049.
  3. Stephenson. Anna L.. Kazamia. Elena. Dennis. John S.. Howe. Christopher J.. Scott. Stuart A.. Smith. Alison G.. Life-Cycle Assessment of Potential Algal Biodiesel Production in the United Kingdom: A Comparison of Raceways and Air-Lift Tubular Bioreactors. Energy & Fuels. 24. 7. 2010. 4062–4077. 10.1021/ef1003123.
  4. Ciulli. Alessio. Williams. Glyn. Smith. Alison G.. Blundell. Tom L.. Tom Blundell. Abell. Chris. Chris Abell. Probing Hot Spots at Protein−Ligand Binding Sites: A Fragment-Based Approach Using Biophysical Methods. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 49. 16. 2006. 4992–5000. 16884311 . 10.1021/jm060490r.
  5. Alison Gail Smith's
  6. PhD . Alison Gail. Smith . Chlorosis induction in haloblight disease of bean: a biochemical study . ulmss-newton.lib.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge . 1981 .

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  8. Grant. Matthew AA. Kazamia. Elena. Cicuta. Pietro. Smith. Alison G. Direct exchange of vitamin B12 is demonstrated by modelling the growth dynamics of algal–bacterial cocultures. The ISME Journal. 8. 7. 2014. 1418–1427. 10.1038/ismej.2014.9. 4069406. 24522262.
    - Davey. M. P.. Horst. I.. Duong. G.-H.. Tomsett. E. V.. Litvinenko. A. C. P.. Howe. C. J.. Smith. A. G.. Triacylglyceride Production and Autophagous Responses in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Depend on Resource Allocation and Carbon Source. Eukaryotic Cell. 13. 3. 2014. 392–400. 10.1128/EC.00178-13. 24413660 . 3957581 .
    - Kazamia. Elena. Aldridge. David C.. Smith. Alison G.. Synthetic ecology – A way forward for sustainable algal biofuel production?. Journal of Biotechnology. 162. 1. 2012. 163–169. 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2012.03.022.
  9. Web site: UK scientists speak about Brexit pain . Pallab . Ghosh . Pallab Ghosh . 2016 . BBC . London . https://web.archive.org/web/20160721021101/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-36835566 . 21 July 2016 . dead .
  10. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20170126170004/http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/person/6CEDC5A0-6F19-401F-96E3-9A4F36515C3F . 26 January 2017 . UK government grants awarded to Alison Gail Smith . gtr.rcuk.ac.uk . . Swindon . Anon . 2016 . dead .
  11. Moulin. M.. McCormac. A. C.. Terry. M. J.. Smith. A. G.. Tetrapyrrole profiling in Arabidopsis seedlings reveals that retrograde plastid nuclear signaling is not due to Mg-protoporphyrin IX accumulation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105. 39. 2008. 15178–15183. 18818314 . 2567511. 10.1073/pnas.0803054105. 2008PNAS..10515178M. free.
  12. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20220626163420/http://data.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/PlantMet/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Alison-Smith-CV-for-website.pdf . Alison Smith CV . Alison . Smith . 2016 . 26 June 2022 . University of Cambridge . dead .
  13. Web site: Alison Smith on algae. BBC. London. Jim. Al-Khalili. Jim Al-Khalili. 2017.
  14. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20121009155247/http://sounds.bl.uk/related-content/TRANSCRIPTS/021T-C1379X0010XX-0000A0.pdf. 9 October 2012. Professor Andy Hopper Interview. sounds.bl.uk. British Library. London. Thomas. Lean. 2010.

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