Professor Harry Flint receives Gowland Hopkins Award
Renowned gut microbiology expert Harry Flint has been honoured with a prestigious Nutrition Society prize.
The Rowett Institute veteran, who retired in 2017 but remains among the world’s most cited researchers, received the Gowland Hopkins Award at the society’s winter meeting.
Presented to senior scientists in cellular and molecular nutrition, it is named after Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins, who won the 1929 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of vitamins and was a founder of the Society.
Emeritus Professor Flint, who has two bacteria named in honour of his pioneering work, said it was "a surprise and a real honour” to have his work recognised.
“Irene and I enjoyed the quick trip down to London by train so that I could deliver my lecture at the winter meeting, held in the Royal Society,” he added.
“I had 40 minutes to run through the highlights of my group's research over the past 25 years, focussing on the microbial breakdown of fibre in the rumen and human colon and on anaerobic metabolism, touching on genomics, microbial ecology, human dietary studies, model systems (chemostats) and theoretical modelling.
“Key contributions from Sylvia Duncan, Petra Louis, Alan Walker, Marco Rincon, Alex Johnstone, Karen Scott, Grietje Holtrop, Helen Kettle, and others were acknowledged, in most cases with photos. The talk seems to have been well received."
He is pictured being presented with the trophy by Nutrition Society Honorary Officer, Professor Andy Salter.