Dr. Richard Hawkes

Biography

Richard Hawkes graduated from University College London and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Hull. He has held postdoctoral fellowships at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Institute of Molecular Biology of the University of Oregon, and the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Switzerland. He was subsequently recruited to Université Laval, funded by the Medical Research Council in Canada, to establish a research lab focused on the development of new molecular biology techniques to study the cerebellum. After six years, he accepted the role of Head of the Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy at the University of Calgary. Over the following decade, he served as Department Head and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, followed by ten years as Senior Associate Dean of Research in Medicine, and four years as Associate Vice President of Research for the University. His research is primarily concerned with the structural development of the mammalian cerebellum, where he discovered key patterning markers known as ‘zebrins,’ which form the basis of the modern 'zones-and-stripes' model of cerebellar organization. His studies of adult cerebellar architecture have improved the understanding of pattern formation in cerebellar development, including identifying the canonical Reelin-Disabled signaling pathway. Collaborative studies on cerebellar development have extended to models of human diseases such as neuronal death in childhood disorders like Niemann-Pick disease, as well as the role of dysbindin-dystrobrevin interactions in muscular dystrophy. He has also identified a mutation in the ?1A-voltage-sensitive calcium channel gene that defines novel in vivo roles for the gene in neuronal function and survival, pinpointing a key locus associated with mammalian epilepsy. Additionally, he invented a patented dot immunobinding assay, an immunological technique widely used in labs across the world that has become a 'citation classic.'

Research Interests

Experience

Awards