MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London
Science for Health
Symposium to mark Iain Robinson’s retirement
13 October 2009
In 1977 Iain Robinson joined the Laboratory of Endocrine Physiology at NIMR as a post-doctoral scientist. He progressed to become a programme leader in 1986, heading the neuroendocrine group within the Division of Neurophysiology. In 2001 he became head of the new Division of Molecular Neuroendocrinology and in 2006 became overall head of the Neurosciences group of divisions.
Iain's principal scientific contribution has been in the field of endocrine factors and the control of growth. His achievements include the development of an automative continuous sampling technique, which he has used to study the release pattern of growth hormone in male and female rats and factors that influence it. He has been in the forefront of developmental work involved in establishing specific transgenic rat models with growth retardation, studying the importance of feedback regulation between pituitary and hypothalamus, the role of growth hormone-related peptide, and the regulation of the growth hormone gene. More recently he has been working to combine transgenics imaging and physiology, to see and manipulate specific pituitary cell populations in the living animal. During his 32 years at the Institute Iain has published more than 200 research papers.
Iain Robinson
Iain worked at NIMR for 32 years. During this time he contributed to every aspect of the Institute's life, including the scientific, the social and the strategic, and his work for NIMR in establishing UKCMRI has been beyond heroic. I want to take this opportunity to send Iain my personal thanks and best wishes for the future
Jim Smith, Director of NIMR
The symposium in Iain Robinson's honour featured many of his collaborators at NIMR, including Tom Carter, talking about imaging exocytosis in human endothelial cells; Robin Lovell-Badge talking about cell fate decisions in gonadal cells; Steve Gamblin talking about structural studies of AMPK; David Wilkinson talking about feedback regulation of neurogenesis; John Skehel talking about influenza; Alex Gould talking about oenocytes and gut physiology in Drosophila; Mehul Dattani talked about rtanslational research on the pituitary; Guy Dodson talked about insulin and neonatal diabetes; Tim Bliss talked about some memorable moments in neurophysiology.
Acting Heads of Divisions
Iain was Head of the Division of Molecular Neuroendocrinology and also Acting Head of Neurophysiology. Tom Carter has been appointed as Acting Head of the Division of Molecular Neuroendocrinology and Troy Margrie has been appointed as Acting Head of the Division of Neurophysiology.
Troy Margrie
Tom Carter
News categories
© MRC National Institute for Medical Research
The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA
Top of page