Frances Rosemary Balkwill (born 1952) is an English scientist, Professor of Cancer Biology at

Queen Mary University of London Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and previously Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public university, public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of ...

, and author of children's books about scientific topics.

Early life and education

Balkwill was born in south-west London in 1952, and was educated at Surbiton High School. She obtained a BSc in Cellular Pathology at the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a Red brick university, red brick Russell Group research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Society of Merchant Venturers, Merchant Venturers' sc ...

and a PhD on leukaemia cell biology in the Medical Oncology Department at

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (died ...

supervised by Gordon Hamilton Fairley.

Career

She worked for several years at the ICRF Lincoln's Inn Fields (now

Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

London Research Institute) on the effect of

interferon Interferons (IFNs, ) are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses. In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten t ...

on cancer. In 2000 she moved to

Queen Mary, University of London , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

, where she is Professor of Cancer Biology and Director of the Centre for Translational Oncology in the Cancer Research UK Clinical Cancer Centre. In addition to her laboratory research, Balkwill has written many children's books about science, illustrated by Mic Rolph, and is Director of Centre of the Cell, a science education centre for children in the new Barts and The London Medical School building in

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed a c ...

, east London. Her books for children cover a range of topics in biology. For her first book on

HIV and Aids Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

, ''Staying Alive: Fighting HIV/AIDS'' (2002), Balkwill and Rolph travelled to South Africa to carry out research and to determine the educational needs of local communities. 19,000 free copies of the book were distributed throughout South Africa, funded by the publisher

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press was founded in 1933 to aid in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's purpose of furthering the advance and spread of scientific knowledge. CSHL Press publishes monographs, technical manuals, handbooks, review volumes ...

. From 2008 to 2011, Balkwill served as Chairman of the Public Engagement Strategy Committee at the

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glax ...

. In 2016 she was a judge for the

Wellcome Book Prize Wellcome Book Prize (2009–2019 — paused) is an annual British literary award sponsored by Wellcome Trust. In keeping with the vision and goals of Wellcome Trust, the Book Prize "celebrates the topics of health and medicine in literature", inc ...

Awards and honours

In 2008 Balkwill was awarded an

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE). Balkwill's books for children ''Cells are Us'' and ''Cell Wars'' won the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...

Young People Book Prize in 1991. She won the

European Molecular Biology Organization The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is a professional, non-profit organization of more than 1,800 life scientists. Its goal is to promote research in life science and enable international exchange between scientists. It co-funds cour ...

(EMBO) Award for Communication in the Life Sciences in 2004. She was awarded the

Michael Faraday Prize The Royal Society of London Michael Faraday Prize is awarded for "excellence in communicating science to UK audiences". Named after Michael Faraday, the medal itself is made of silver gilt, and is accompanied by a purse of £2500. Background ...

in 2005 "for her outstanding work in communicating the concepts, facts and fascination of science in a way that appeals to children of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities, while at the same time maintaining a distinguished research career". In 2006 she was awarded Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) for her contributions to and achievements in medicine. In 2015 she received an Honorary degree from the University of Bristol. In 2017 she was awarded the Inspiring Leadership in Research Engagement Prize from

. In 2021 she received the Beetlestone Award, recognising her leadership and legacy in the field of informal science learning.

Personal life

Balkwill has two children, Jessica and Barnaby. She has 3 grandchildren Sabrina, Esme and Casper.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balkwill, Fran 1952 births Living people English children's writers British women children's writers Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Officers of the Order of the British Empire Science communicators Alumni of Queen Mary University of London Alumni of the University of Bristol Academics of Queen Mary University of London English women scientists People educated at Surbiton High School