In recognition of his exceptional scientific creativity and insight into human fertility and related disorders, affecting the lives of millions worldwide; of his role as an inspiring teacher and mentor to generations of young researchers; and of his deep commitment and indefatigable efforts to make accessible to the public the joy and wonder of the natural sciences.
Prof. Lord Robert Winston is a world-renowned fertility expert, an acclaimed author, and one of Britain’s best known faces of science. A pioneer of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and treatment of female reproductive diseases, he is an outspoken critic of their commercialization. A passionate believer in science education, he has taught physicians from 80 countries and is a gifted communicator of oftencomplex science to the public through popular science books, TV programs, and lectures.
Born in London in 1940, Winston graduated London Hospital’s University Medical College in 1964. Briefly leaving medicine for the theater, he won the 1969 Edinburgh Festival National Directors’ Award. By 1970, he was at the Hammersmith Hospital in London, where he rapidly gained prominence as an expert in human fertility, ultimately becoming Professor of Fertility Studies. Forging his own operating instruments, Winston developed tubal microsurgery, revolutionized IVF, and created techniques for reversing sterilization and other surgical procedures now used worldwide. His research is published in over 300 scientific papers.
Taking television as a platform for promoting science, Winston has presented highly popular BBC series that include Superhuman, The Secret Life of Twins, Child of Our Time, Human Instinct, The Human Mind, The Human Body, Superdoctors, The Story of God, and Threads of Life, winning numerous prestigious awards. He also encourages popular hands-on science education through the Reach Out Lab he founded at Imperial College London, and his popular books, which have twice received science prizes from the Royal Society in London. His contributions to communicating science to the public have been recognized by the Royal Society’s Michael Faraday Prize.
Created Baron Winston of Hammersmith in 1995, he is an active member of the House of Lords, where he was voted Peer of the Year in 2007 for his contributions to science. He is a past chairman of the influential House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology and is vice-chairman of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.
His versatile contributions are recognized worldwide and he holds honorary degrees from 23 universities and membership of scientific institutions worldwide. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society for Biology.
Today, as Professor of Science and Society and Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College London, he is engaged in collaborative research with the California Institute of Technology to improve the production of stem cells derived from embryonic tissue and reduce genetic abnormalities in embryos. He is also currently chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University, chairman of the Council of the Royal College of Music, council member of the University of Surrey, and chairman of the Genesis Research Trust.