Richard Sykes (microbiologist)

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Richard Sykes (biochemist)
)

Sir
Richard Sykes
HonFREng
Born
Richard Brook Sykes

(1942-08-07) 7 August 1942 (age 81)
Huddersfield
, West Yorkshire, England
Education
Alma mater
  • Queen Elizabeth College (BSc)
  • University of Bristol (PhD)
  • Brunel University
    (DSc)
Known for
  • Monobactam (1981)
  • Formation of
    Glaxo-Wellcome
    (1995)
  • Formation of
    GlaxoSmithKline
    (2000)
  • Rector of Imperial College
    (2001–2008)
  • Chair of Royal Institution (2010)
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Chair of the Vaccine Taskforce
Assumed office
2021

Sir Richard Brook Sykes

Brunel University. As of June 2021, he is chair of the UK's Vaccine Taskforce, where he is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination programme
, including preparations for booster programmes and encouraging vaccine innovation in the UK.

In 1972, after gaining a first class

Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham merger
and held its chair until 2001.

His other appointments have included being

Imperial College Healthcare
from 2012 to 2018.

Early life and education

Richard Sykes was born in the outskirts of

A-levels and completing school, he took up a job as a technician in a pathology laboratory.[5] After leaving secondary school he attended Paddington Technical College and Chelsea College, and gained a place at Queen Elizabeth College where he was awarded a first class BSc degree in microbiology.[2] He received his doctorate in 1972 with a thesis on β-lactamases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, from the University of Bristol, where he worked with Mark Richmond.[2][6] In 1973, together, they reported the first β-lactamase classification scheme.[7]

Glaxo and Squibb

GlaxoSmithKline Headquarters

In 1972, Sykes was appointed head of the Antibiotic Resistance Unit at

antibiotics.[2][9]
There, he isolated product SQ26.180 from
gonorrhoea and became the first monobactam to be licensed for clinical use.[9][12]

From 1983 to 1986 he was vice-president of infectious and metabolic diseases at Squibb.

Glaxo acquired Allen & Hanburys.[15] The Harvard Business Review noted that at Glaxo, when a group of antibiotics failed in the last stages of clinical trial, Sykes praised the teams that had worked on them and encouraged them to move on.[8] In 1993 he received his DSc.[2]

In 1994, during his time at Glaxo, he was part of the group that founded the

Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham merger and held its chair until 2001.[20][21][22] The merger resulted in the marketing of several new drugs.[21] According to Sykes at the time, "the industry would be transformed by understanding the human genome".[21]

Royal Institution and others

Sykes was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1997.[23][24] In 1994 he became a trustee of the Natural History Museum, London,[2] and in 1997 he was appointed senior independent director of Rio Tinto plc, a position he held until 2008.[25]

He was a member of the

National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education that published an influential report in 1997.[clarification needed][26]

Later career

Imperial

In January 2001, he was appointed

tuition fees and instead allowing the universities to set their own fees.[32][34]

UK Stem Cell Foundation

Sykes chairs the UK Stem Cell Foundation.[25] It was established in 2005.[35][36][37]

Other roles

From 2003 to 2005 he was trustee of the

Ara Darzi's planned reorganisation of health care in London.[39][40]

Between 2010 and 2012 he was on the advisory board of the

Brunel University in 2013.[42] In 2020, Sykes stepped down as chairman of the NetScientific Group after serving it for nine years.[43]

Vaccine Taskforce

In 2020 he led an independent review of the workings of the Vaccine Taskforce.[44][45] On 14 June 2021, Sykes was appointed chair of the Vaccine Taskforce, where he will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of the UK's COVID-19 vaccination programme, including preparations for booster programmes and encouraging vaccine innovation in the UK.[44]

Other activities

Sykes was chairman of the advisory panel of the think-tank Reform.[46] He is a member of the Advisory Council for the Campaign for Science and Engineering.[47] He is chair of the Trustees at King Edward VII's Hospital.[48]

Awards and honours

Sykes was knighted in the 1994 New Year Honours.[2][49]

He holds

Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) in 1998.[50]

In 2009 he received the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy's Garrod Medal and delivered its accompanying lecture.[51] It was titled "The evolution of antimicrobial resistance: a Darwinian perspective" and was published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy in 2010.[52]

Selected publications

Articles

Books

Reports

References

  1. ^ Connon, Heather (20 June 2004). "Imperial boss measures up money men". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-1-472-93501-4
    .
  3. ^ Wong, John (6 July 2015) Citation by professor John Wong. National University of Singapore. Honorary degree of science recipient
  4. ISBN 0-470-84762-X
    .
  5. PMID 12110238
    .
  6. PMID 20573657
    .
  7. ISBN 1-55938-814-5
    .
  8. ^
    PMID 17348171
    .
  9. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-953484-5
    .
  10. S2CID 71237348
    .
  11. ^ Sacharow, Fredda (13 June 1982). "Swamp yields a new antibiotic". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  12. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4200-6322-6
    .
  13. ISBN 978-0-471-89979-2
    .
  14. ISBN 978-0-12-138120-2
    .
  15. ^
    ISBN 978-0-226-42431-6
    .
  16. ^ MRC Annual Report. Medical Research Council. 1994. p. 26.
  17. ^ "The Vaccine Taskforce: objectives and membership of steering group" (PDF). GOV.UK. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  18. S2CID 33610131
    .
  19. ISBN 978-0-8078-3314-8
    .
  20. ^
    ISBN 978-1-84816-991-3
    .
  21. ^
    ISBN 0-521-84265-4
    .
  22. ISBN 978-1-4129-2838-0
    .
  23. ^ "Richard Sykes | Royal Society". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Library and Archive Catalogue EC/1997/33 Sir Richard Brook". London: The Royal Society.
  25. ^ a b c d e "Sir Richard Sykes (1942–)". www.rigb.org.
  26. ^ "Higher Education in the learning society: Main Report". Education England. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  27. ISBN 0-85323-968-1
    .
  28. ^ a b c "Richard Sykes" (PDF). Imperial College London. London: Imperial College. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  29. ISBN 978-1-86058-397-1
    .
  30. ^ "A Rector to remember". Imperial Matters: Alumni Magazine (32): 10–13. 2008.
  31. ISBN 978-1-86094-708-7
    .
  32. ^
    ISBN 9781787352933
    .
  33. ^ "Opposition ends Imperial and UCL merger dream". The Guardian. 18 November 2002. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  34. ISBN 978-0-215-03600-1
    .
  35. ISBN 978-0-415-52130-7
    .
  36. ^ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 7 Mar 2005 (pt 29)". publications.parliament.uk. Parliament.co.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  37. ISBN 978-1-62872-181-2
    .
  38. ^ Bawden, Tom (10 June 2011). "Sir Richard Sykes: voted out, but not down". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  39. ^ Randeep Ramesh (26 May 2010). "NHS London chief Richard Sykes resigns in care review row". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  40. ^ Wise, Jacqui (5 June 2010). "BMJ News" (PDF). British Medical Journal. 340: 1216–1217.
  41. ^ ENRC Management Archived 28 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  42. ^ Sir Richard Sykes appointed Chancellor of Brunel University Archived 14 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  43. ^ "Board Changes". NetScientific. 31 March 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  44. ^ a b "Sir Richard Sykes appointed chair of Vaccine Taskforce". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  45. ^ "UK COVID-19 Update: Nurse Gives 'Historic' Jab, Oxford Vaccine Phase 3 Results". Medscape. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  46. ^ "Tax cuts, yes, but first reform public services. Daily Telegraph 3 September 2006".
  47. ^ "Advisory Council of the Campaign for Science and Engineering". Archived from the original on 28 August 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  48. ^ "Our Team". King Edward VII's Hospital. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  49. ^ Sir Richard Sykes DSc – 1994 Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  50. ^ Fellow Sir Richard Sykes FRS FMedSci – website of the Academy of Medical Sciences
  51. ^ "Garrod Lecture & Medal". The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 2021. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  52. PMID 20573657
    .

External links
Academic offices
Preceded by
Rector of Imperial College London

2000–2008 		Succeeded by
Roy Anderson
Preceded by
John Wakeham, Baron Wakeham
Chancellor of Brunel University

2013–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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