UBC antimicrobial pioneer elected to American National Academy of Sciences

UBC microbiologist Julian Davies has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

He is among 21 foreign associates from 15 countries elected to the prestigious Academy today in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in research.

The Davies lab searches for antibiotics from a variety of natural sources, these include bacteria isolated from soils, sediments, clays, mushrooms and lichens.

A professor emeritus in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Davies earned his PhD in 1956 from the University of Nottingham. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of London and the Royal Society of Canada. Last year he received the 2013 American Society for Microbiology Lifetime Achievement Award for his pioneering work on antimicrobials and his leadership and service to the field of microbiology.

Four UBC Science researchers are among the 30 Canadians that have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. UBC biochemist and Nobel Laureate Michael Smith (1932 – 2000) was elected in 1996. Last year UBC biodiversity expert Sarah Otto joined the Academy.

The NAS is an 150-year-old society charged with providing independent, objective advice to American policy makers on matters related to science and technology. Since 1863, it has served to "investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science or art" whenever called upon to do so by any department of the government.

Official NAS announcement: www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/april-29-2014-NAS-Election.html

For more information on the Davies lab: www.microbiology.ubc.ca/research/labs/davies