Congratulations to Professor Marcel Jaspars who was one of 10 academics recognised for their outstanding achievements by the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) at a ceremony this week.
The RSE’s medals are nominated by RSE Fellows and awarded to individuals to recognise their exceptional contributions and achievements to their field. These medallists impact lives all over the world and highlights the talent that exists in Scotland’s research sector.
Honouring remarkable individual and group research achievements, Professor Anne Anderson, RSE Vice-President of Research, presented the medals, with Professor Dr Alison Hulme FRSE, reading the citations.
Professor Jaspars, Professor of Organic Chemistry, was awarded the RSE Adam Smith Medal for his world-leading and impactful expertise in marine biodiscovery. Academically, his work in biochemistry and possible applications for drug discovery had a huge impact. He has also influenced science policy debates at the UN level on marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdictions (BBNJ Treaty) and the ongoing international negotiations on digital sequence information (DSI), which is a crucial tool for equitable benefit sharing in the use of genetic resources.
Professor Marcel Jaspars said: “I am delighted to have been awarded the RSE’s Adam Smith Medal in recognition of my work translating the science of marine biodiscovery into policy. I am hopeful that a scientifically literate policy to protect the biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction will protect the Ocean and benefit marine scientific research. The deep ocean is a remarkable place, full of unexplored biology and chemistry which deserves our protection in its own right, as well as for its potential to enable the discovery of new medicines and other products.”