Leicester cancer scientist elected to top role in US Radiation Research Society
A leading radiation cancer expert from Leicester is set to become the next Vice-President of an esteemed international research society.
Professor George ‘Don’ Jones, Professor of Cancer Radiation Research and Deputy Director of the Leicester Cancer Research Centre (LCRC), has been elected as Vice-President-Elect of the US Radiation Research Society. He was elected via a ballot of all Society Members.
Currently Professor Jones leads the Radiobiology and DNA Damage Group within the LCRC, which is a University of Leicester Research Centre hosted within the Department of Genetics & Genome Biology (GGB). Professor Jones’s group is working on ways to improve the treatment of various cancers with radiotherapy, by promoting radiation-induced DNA damage formation in cancer cells and/or inhibiting its repair.
Established in 1952, the Radiation Research Society (RRS) is the premier scientific international society whose mission is to advance radiation research in all disciplines of science and medicine, to foster collaboration within a community of researchers interested in the study of the properties and effects of radiation, and to disseminate knowledge in radiation research to the scientific community and the public.
The office of Vice-President Elect is a one-year term, succeeding sequentially to one-year terms as Vice-President/President Elect, President, and Past President. The Vice-President Elect assures a smooth presidential succession, specifically assisting the Vice-President/President Elect who is responsible for the organisation of the Annual Meeting. Professor Jones officially takes up the post of Vice-President-Elect at this year’s RRS Annual Meeting in Chicago, September 23-26, 2018.
Speaking about his appointment, Professor Jones said: “This is a rare privilege and exciting challenge, especially for a non-US member of the Society. Having served as Presidents of both the European Radiation Research Society and the UK’s Association for Radiation Research, it is an honour to be elected to the RRS office of VP-Elect, and the ensuing offices of Vice President, President and Past-President.
“Armed with my prior experience, I am confident of achieving my vision of firstly better supporting the society’s younger members and early career researchers and secondly more widely promoting radiation research across the traditional discipline boundaries. Also, this role is a wonderful opportunity to profile internationally the great work we are doing at here at Leicester, within the LCRC, GGB and Leicester’s Hospitals, to improve radiotherapy outcomes for cancer patients here in Leicester.”
Speaking about the appointment of Professor Jones, Professor Anne Thomas, Director of the Leicester Cancer Research Centre, said: “This appointment endorses the international reputation that Professor Jones has established in radiation research here in Leicester. We look forward to opportunities for international collaboration”.