William Wood, a distinguished professor of biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has won an international research award in recognition of a lifetime of scientific achievements, including groundbreaking work that could produce a better understanding of how genetic defects can lead to the birth of malformed children.
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany selected Wood to receive a Humboldt Research Award, which includes a financial prize and covers expenses for a trip to Germany to conduct research with German scientists. Wood is currently working in Dresden, Germany, and will return to CU-Boulder's molecular, cellular and developmental biology department on July 15.
In 1972, Wood became one of the youngest members of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his pioneering research on the formation of complicated viruses that infect bacteria.
He began his career at CU-Boulder in 1975 as a MCD biology visiting professor, and went on to serve multiple tenures as both chair and associate chair of the department. He received a Distinguished Research Lectureship from the university in 2001 and was named a distinguished professor in 2002.
His current research in animal development focuses on a simple roundworm, called C. elegans, that lives in compost piles. With a life cycle of little more than three days, the worms have helped Wood and his research team learn about the development of symmetrical and asymmetrical structures in the embryos of animals and humans.
Wood and his colleagues in Germany are addressing fundamental questions in biology through the study of C. elegans. Their discoveries will contribute to the understanding of human development and what goes wrong when genetic problems lead to malformed children.
For more information about Professor Wood's work visit . For more information about the Humboldt Foundation visit .