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John E. Walker

Sir John Ernest Walker FRS FMedSci[3] (born 7 January 1941) is a British chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1997.[6] As of 2015 Walker is Emeritus Director and Professor at the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit in Cambridge, and a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.[7][8][9][10][11]

Not to be confused with John Edward Walker.

John Walker

John Ernest Walker

(1941-01-07) 7 January 1941[5]

University of Oxford (BA, DPhil)

Christina Westcott
(m. 1963)

Two

Early life and education[edit]

Walker was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, the son of Thomas Ernest Walker, a stonemason, and Elsie Lawton, an amateur musician. He was brought up with his two younger sisters (Judith and Jen) in a rural environment and went to Rastrick Grammar School. At school, he was a keen sportsman and specialized in physical sciences and mathematics during his final three years there. He received a 3rd class Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from St Catherine's College, Oxford.[12][13] Walker began his study of peptide antibiotics with Edward Abraham at Oxford in 1965 and received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1969.[4][12] During this period, he became interested in developments in molecular biology.

Personal life[edit]

Walker married Christina Westcott in 1963, and has two daughters.[2]

Interview by Alan Macfarlane 14 January 2008 (video)

Honorary members of the Mitochondrial Physiology Society