Paul Martin Sharp (born 1957) ^[9] FRS FRSE MRIA ^{[12] [13]} is Professor of Genetics at the University of Edinburgh, where he holds the Alan Robertson chair of genetics in the Institute of Evolutionary Biology. ^{[14] [15] [16] [17]}

Education

Sharp was educated at the University of Edinburgh where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in 1979 ^{[9] [18]} followed by a PhD in 1982 for research using quantitative genetics on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster supervised by Alan Robertson. ^{[14] [5]}

Career and research

Sharp has held academic posts at Trinity College, Dublin from 1982 to 1993, ^[4] the University of Nottingham from 1993 to 2007 ^[4] and was appointed Professor at the University of Edinburgh in 2007. ^[4]

Sharp's research investigates the evolutionary origin of bacteria and viruses. ^{[12] [19] [20]} He has carried out important work into the origin of HIV and its transmission from chimpanzees to humans. He also discovered that the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium, originated in gorillas. ^[12] He was one of the first researchers to use DNA sequence databases to gain insight into evolutionary processes. His work amplifying DNA from chimpanzee faecal samples showed that HIV type 1 was transmitted to humans from a specific chimp population in West Africa in the early 20th century. Paul went on to examine his collection of ape faecal samples for plasmodium parasites, finding a likely candidate for the form that causes malaria in humans. ^{[12] [21]}

In the eighties, Sharp collaborated with Desmond G. Higgins during the creation of CLUSTAL, ^{[10] [11]} a suite of multiple sequence alignment programs that have become widely used and highly influential. ^[22] His research has been funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). ^[23] His former doctoral students include Kenneth H. Wolfe.

Awards and honours

Sharp was elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 1992, ^[1] and was President of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution^{[ when?]}. He was elected member of the Royal Irish Academy in 1993, ^[18] a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) in 2010 ^[13] and a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2013. ^[12]

Personal life

Sharps's entry in Who's Who lists his recreations as hill walking, pteridology and, since 1967, supporting Nottingham Forest Football Club. ^[9]

References