Prof David Karl Banfield, cell biologist in the Division of Life Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) was today awarded the prestigious Senior Research Fellowship by the Croucher Foundation in recognition of his achievements in the field of cell biology.
Prof Banfield is primarily concerned with discovering novel and fundamental cellular mechanisms, and is a recognized authority on the structure and function of the Golgi apparatus.
Recent discoveries from Prof Banfield's laboratory, published in the prestigious journal Science, provides insight into the mechanism by which enzymes are organized within the Golgi. These findings will make it easier to produce recombinant protein therapeutics for the treatment of diseases such as diabetes, blood-clotting disorders and cancer. His research team is now working on the role of the Golgi in nutrient sensing and the development of cancers.
Prof Banfield received his BSc degree from Simon Fraser University, British Columbia in 1986 and his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of British Columbia in 1991. He then spent 4 years as a Human Frontier Science Program and Canadian Medical Research Council fellow at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. Prof Banfield joined HKUST as an Assistant Professor in 1995 and was promoted to Professor in 2010. In 2003, Prof Banfield was awarded the School of Science Award for Excellence in Teaching in recognition of his outstanding contributions to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.
For media enquiries, please feel free to contact :
Prof David Banfield
Ross Lai
Tel: 2358 6306 / 9103 2928
Email: rosslai@ust.hk
Kit Yip
Tel: 2358 6313
Email: kityip@ust.hk
