Blaxter Award
The Nutrition Society’s Blaxter Award is named after Sir Kenneth Blaxter FRS PRSE, who was a leading figure in the field of energy metabolism and animal nutrition during the second half of the last Century. He was President of the Society from 1974 – 1977 and Director of the Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen, Scotland, from 1965 – 1982.
The award will be awarded to scientists within the area of Whole Body Metabolism and Animal Nutrition.
This Senior Award is applicable to scientists within the area of Whole Body Metabolism and Animal Nutrition. Candidates will have made a major contribution to either, or both, of these fields. The Award is open to members of the Nutrition Society and to scientists in the UK and Ireland in closely allied fields who are not members; there is no upper age limit. Both nominations and applications are invited.
Nominations and applications will be judged by a panel of distinguished senior nutritional scientists.
How to apply
Candidates should submit:
- Nomination/Application Letter: a one-page letter of nomination, or application,outlining the candidate’s case.
- Curriculum Vitae: a full CV including a detailed publication list and citations of the applicant’s work as well as any other relevant information.
- Key Publications: copy (in pdf format) of five key publications
The nomination/application letter, CV and five key publications should preferably be submitted as a single PDF.
Applications are now closed. The Blaxter Award will awarded again in 2021.
- 2018, Professor Keith N.Frayn, 'Turning over our fat stores: the key to metabolic health'
Sir Kenneth BlaxterFRS PRSE (1919 – 1991) studied agriculture, biology and botany at the University of Reading in 1936, graduating in 1939. On graduation, Blaxter worked at the National Institute for Research in Dairying (NIRD), located in Shinfield. From 1941 after serving with the 10th Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery, he began to write his PhD thesis, entitled ‘The maintenance of the winter milk supply in wartime’. By 1944 he completed the thesis and shortly thereafter, he requested to be seconded to the biochemistry department of the Ministry of Agriculture in Weybridge, where he conducted blood analysis and researched lead toxicity in ruminants. In 1946, Blaxter moved to Illinois to work with animal nutritionist Harold Mitchell at the University of Illinois.
In 1948, Blaxter became the Head of the Nutrition Department at the Hannah Dairy Research Institute in Ayr, Scotland. During his tenure at the Hannah, Blaxter wrote over 200 scientific papers, focusing primarily on the issues of energy metabolism and feed usage by ruminants. In addition, he investigated nutritional diseases and magnesium deficiency in calves, the effect of temperature and other environmental effects on sheep, and ruminant digestion and feed intake.
In 1965, Blaxter was appointed the third Director of the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland. During his time as Director (1965 – 1982), the Institute considerably enhanced its position as a leader in research on animal nutrition, focusing on the needs of the farming industry.
Blaxter was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was knighted in 1977. From 1972 to 1975, he served as vice-president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and was President from 1979 to 1982. In 1979, he received the Wolf Prize in Agriculture for his research into the nutritional requirements of ruminants. In 1992, he was posthumously awarded the Rank Prize in Nutrition for his lifetime contributions to nutrition science. Blaxter was also the recipient of honorary doctorates from Queen's University in Belfast, the Agricultural University in Norway, the University of Leeds, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Newcastle.
Queries
If you have any queries or would like to find out more, please contact the Society’s Conference Coordinator.
