Ben Simons awarded grand prix Charles-Léopold Mayer 2023 by the French Académie des Sciences

Ben was awarded the 2023 grand prix Charles-Léopold Mayer by the Académie des Sciences de l’Institut de France. The prize is awarded to researchers who have performed outstanding work in the biological sciences, and especially in the areas of cell or molecular biology. Previous Cambridge winners include Francis Crick (1961), Sydney Brenner (1975), and (our own!) Sir John Gurdon (1984).

Ben’s research combines mathematical and statistical modelling with cell fate mapping and gene expression profiling to address mechanisms of cell fate. His studies have helped uncover conserved patterns of stem cell self-renewal and understand how these programmes become dysregulated during the transition to cancerous states.