About the Department

The Department of Genetics in 1984

On the wall outside the Departmental office are a series of photographs. Apart from the shifting of the often eye-catching fashions, one can follow how the complement of staff has changed over the years.

The size of the department has certainly increased and, as is common in science, people are always coming and going. Indeed, such a dynamic work place, often involving researchers from all over the world, is one of the attractive features of working in a University department.


The permanent staff act as a sort of monitoring system for environmental quality. What do they tell us? Do they stay or do they go?  In the Department of Genetics, they stay. Alec Jeffreys, despite many offers from prestigious institutes the world over, has stayed. Jenny Foxon MBE, the technician who featured on the first ever DNA fingerprint in 1984, has stayed too, as have many others appearing in our photograph gallery.

The Department of Genetics in 2009

I came here in 1990, and have yet to see
a Department in which I’d rather be.
It’s difficult to put a finger on what makes the Department different, but here are a few possibilities: communication is good, and change is handled transparently; what needs to be done is done with pragmatism, practicality and a lack of bureaucracy; there is a real a collegial atmosphere where all members of the Department are valued; last but not least, a good sense of humour generally prevails.

Oh, and the science is pretty good too...