# John Sulston

_British biologist and Nobel laureate (1942–2018)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/john-sulston
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Sir John Edward Sulston was a British biologist and academic who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the cell lineage and genome of the worm Caenorhabditis elegans in 2002 with his colleagues Sydney Brenner and Robert Horvitz at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. He was a leader in human genome research and Chair of the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation at the University of Manchester.
Sulston was in favour of science in the public interest, such as free public access of scientific information and against the patenting of genes and the privatisation of genetic technologies.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 27 March 1942 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q271532#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Fulmer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q271532#P19))
- **Died:** 6 March 2018 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q271532#P570))
- **Place of death:** Fulmer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q271532#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United Kingdom ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q271532#P27))
- **Occupation:** geneticist; physician; molecular biologist; chemist; biologist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q271532#P106))
- **Education:** York House School; Merchant Taylors' School; Pembroke College; Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry; School of Medicine, University of Manchester ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q271532#P69))
- **Awards:** Darwin Medal; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research; Robert Burns Humanitarian Award; George W. Beadle Award; Canada Gairdner International Award; EMBO Membership; Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Prize; Rosenstiel Award; Annual Review Prize Lecture; Dan David Prize; Companion of Honour; W. Alden Spencer Award; Knight Bachelor; Baly Medal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q271532#P166))

## Questions

**When was John Sulston born?**  
John Sulston was born on 27 March 1942 in Fulmer.

**Where did John Sulston study?**  
John Sulston was educated at York House School, Merchant Taylors' School, Pembroke College, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): John Sulston](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sulston) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q271532](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q271532) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: John Sulston (2008).jpg by Arienette22 (CC BY-SA 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Sulston_(2008).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article John Sulston, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: John Sulston (2008).jpg — Arienette22, CC BY-SA 3.0.

## Cite this page

"John Sulston". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/john-sulston. Retrieved 6 November 2026.