Paul Nurse
English geneticist and Nobel laureate for cell cycle control.
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Sir Paul Maxime Nurse, born 25 January 1949, is an English geneticist who served as President of the Royal Society and was the first Director and Chief Executive of the Francis Crick Institute. He shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Leland Hartwell and Tim Hunt for uncovering the protein molecules that regulate cell division in the cell cycle. Nurse’s early life involved a hidden family secret: his teenage mother travelled to Norwich to conceal his illegitimacy, and his maternal grandmother raised him as his mother, while his biological mother posed as his sister. He discovered this truth only in his fifties, after a green card application for US residency was rejected because his short-form birth certificate lacked parental names; a full certificate revealed the deception. Professor Turi King later traced his father in 2023.
Educated at Lyon Park school and Harrow County Grammar School, Nurse earned a BSc in Biology from the University of Birmingham in 1970 and a PhD from the University of East Anglia in 1973, studying Candida utilis. His postdoctoral work took him to the University of Bern, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Sussex. Beginning in 1976, while at Edinburgh, he identified the gene cdc2 in fission yeast, which controls the cell cycle’s transitions from G1 to S phase and from G2 to mitosis. In 1987, with postdoctoral researcher Melanie Lee, he found the human counterpart, CDK1, which codes for a cyclin-dependent kinase. These genes regulate cell division by adding or removing phosphate groups.
Nurse joined the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in 1984, chaired microbiology at Oxford from 1988, returned to ICRF as Director of Research in 1993, and became Director General in 1996. He led Rockefeller University from 2003, then became the first head of the Francis Crick Institute in 2011. He served as President of the Royal Society from 2010 to 2015. He has stated that good scientists need passion, technical skill, and attitudes like intellectual honesty and scepticism. His honours include a knighthood in 1999, the Copley Medal in 2005, the Albert Einstein World Award of Science in 2013, and appointment to the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2022 and the Order of Merit later that year. He holds over sixty honorary degrees and fellowships.
- born
- 25 January 1949
- field
- Genetics
- nationality
- English
- known_for
- Discovery of cdc2 and CDK1 genes controlling the cell cycle
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Lore & Background
Sir Paul Maxime Nurse (born 25 January 1949) is an English geneticist, President of the Royal Society, and former Chief Executive and Director of the Francis Crick Institute. He was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine alongside Leland Hartwell and Tim Hunt for discovering protein molecules that control cell division. Nurse was raised in North West London by his maternal grandparents, whom he believed to be his parents; his biological mother, eighteen years his senior, posed as his sister. He did not learn the truth until his 50s, when a rejected US green card application—despite his status as a Nobel laureate, university president, and knight—led him to obtain a full birth certificate. In 2023, Professor Turi King traced his biological father. Nurse identified the gene cdc2 in fission yeast (*Schizosaccharomyces pombe*) in 1976, which governs the cell cycle’s transitions from G1 to S phase and from G2 to mitosis. In 1987, with postdoctoral worker Melanie Lee, he found the corresponding human gene, *CDK1*, which codes for a cyclin-dependent kinase. These genes regulate cell division by adding or removing phosphate groups. Nurse has held leadership roles at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, the University of Oxford, Rockefeller University, and the Francis Crick Institute. He has received numerous honours, including a knighthood, the Copley Medal, the Albert Lasker Award, the French Legion d’Honneur, the Order of the Companions of Honour, and the Order of Merit, along with over sixty honorary degrees.
Reader's Guide
Paul Nurse's discovery of the cdc2 gene in fission yeast and its human counterpart CDK1 fundamentally advanced understanding of the cell cycle, a process central to growth, development, and cancer. His work demonstrated that key cell cycle regulators are conserved across species, from yeast to humans, providing a molecular framework for studying uncontrolled cell division in tumors. This research earned him the 2001 Nobel Prize and has influenced cancer therapeutics targeting cyclin-dependent kinases. Beyond the laboratory, Nurse has been a prominent public advocate for science. He has criticized anti-science stances in US politics and emphasized the importance of teaching scientific reasoning in schools. His 2020 book 'What Is Life?' attempts to explain biology to a general audience. Nurse's personal history—discovering late in life that his 'sister' was actually his mother—adds a human dimension to his legacy. His career illustrates how fundamental biological research can yield profound practical insights, and his public engagement underscores the responsibility of scientists to speak out on evidence-based policy.
Did You Know?
- Nurse did not know his 'sister' was actually his mother until he was in his 50s, after a rejected US green card application led him to obtain a full birth certificate.
- He identified the gene cdc2 in fission yeast in 1976, which controls the cell cycle from G1 to S phase and G2 to mitosis.
- Nurse was a member of the Labour Party for nearly 40 years and sold Socialist Worker as an undergraduate.
- He was appointed to the Order of Merit in November 2022.
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