Frank Gannon
Frank (Bernard Francis Xavier) Gannon (born 1947, Ireland) was the seventh Director of QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane, Australia (2011 – 2020).[1] He is a molecular biologist and has held high-profile appointments in scientific management and research in Ireland, England, the United States, France, Germany and Australia.[2]
Career
Education
In 1970, Gannon completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours at the
Early career
In 1973, Gannon joined the laboratory of
In 1975, Gannon moved to the
In 1981 Gannon returned to University College Galway (UCG) in Ireland and took up a position in the Department of Microbiology.[4]
EMBO and EMBL
From 1994 to 2007, Gannon was the Executive Director (Secretary at the time) of the
During this time, Gannon became the founding editor of the journal EMBO Reports and contributed a monthly editorial on a range of topics, including the impact of research on society.[3] During his time at EMBO, Gannon also showed a commitment to female researchers by analysing fellowship application data to conduct an objective assessment of the potential causes for the lower success rate of female applicants for postdoctoral fellowships.[9]
During this period, Gannon also maintained an active research group that focussed on the manner in which the oestrogen receptor (ER) controlled gene expression. Outstanding from a series of high-impact studies was the demonstration of the cyclical nature of the binding of the ER to its DNA response element that resulted in the sequential recruitment of chromatin-modifying enzymes and ultimately the RNA polymerase, prior to that sequence of events being reversed.[10] Pursuing this research approach, Gannon's team subsequently showed that DNA methylation (previously thought to be an indelible mark) was also subject to dynamic and cyclical change.[11]
Scientific Foundation Ireland
In 2007, after 13 years at the helm of EMBO, Gannon accepted the position of Director General of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).[8] SFI had been established by the Irish government 10 years earlier to recruit and retain high-quality researchers based on their excellence, with the expectation that this would provide an extra offering and possibilities for multi-national and local companies that had activities particularly in the areas of pharmaceuticals, information technology and energy.[12]
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Soon after Gannon moved to Dublin for the SFI position, Ireland faced a major economic setback that ultimately required a bailout from the EU and the
At QIMR Berghofer, Gannon restructured the Institute so that it had four programs (Cancer, Infectious Diseases, Mental Health, and Chronic Disorders) and four departments (Genetics and Computational Biology, Immunology, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Population Health.[15] Gannon made a specific effort to extend translation of the institute's research, through industry, to the clinic.[16] He also placed emphasis on developing better contacts with Asia, which resulted in increased research and commercial collaborations, particularly with China and India.[17] He also reactivated his research group focusing on enzymes involved in epigenetic modifications.[18] In 2019, Gannon announced he was retiring after nine years at the helm of the Institute. [19]
Other appointments
- Vice-President of the European Heads of Research Council
- Advisor to the EU Commissioner for Research and Innovation
- Co-founded of the European Life Sciences Forum and the Initiative for Science in Europe, which played significant roles in the establishment of the European Research Council
- Scientific advisory board member, International Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (Warsaw, Poland)
- Elected member of the Royal Irish Academy
- Elected member of Academia Europae
- Elected member of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences
- Elected member of the Queensland Arts and Sciences Academy
- Elected member of the Mexican National Academy of Medicine
- Elected board member of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Research
- Founder of Bimini Ltd
- Founder of Elara Pharmaceuticals[8][4][3]
- Elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences[20]
Awards and honours
- 1999: Honorary doctorate from the Josef Attila University, Szeged, Hungary
- 2008: Honorary doctorate from Queens University, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- 2008: Honorary doctorate from The University of Queensland, Australia[4]
References
- ^ "QIMR Berghofer's Director and CEO prepares to bow out". QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ a b "QIMR appoints new director and CEO" (media release)". QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. January 2010. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ a b c "Our Director: Professor Frank Gannon". QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Staff@QIMR Berghofer: Professor Frank Gannon". QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ a b "Professor Frank Gannon". The University of Queensland. 26 November 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- PMID 176920.
- S2CID 4347021.
- ^ a b c "Professor Frank Gannon". Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes. Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- PMID 17972895.
- S2CID 145525.
- S2CID 4422829.
- ^ "History". Science Foundation Ireland. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ "Irish Republic 85bn euro bail-out agreed". BBC News. 28 November 2010.
- ^ "Clive Berghofer gives record $50.1 million to QIMR" (media release)". QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. January 2013. Archived from the original on 1 May 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ "Our research". QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ "CSL to support QIMR Berghofer translational research". QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 5 June 2016. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ "QIMR Berghofer signs MOU with global genomics giant (media release)". QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 21 October 2016. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- PMID 26441991.
- ^ "QIMR Berghofer's Director and CEO prepares to bow out". QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Fellowship | AAHMS – Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences". www.aahms.org. Retrieved 26 June 2018.