Linda Brown Buck
Personal Information
Born: 1947
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
1975, BS Microbiology & Psychology, University of Washington; 1980, PhD Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Postdoctoral work, 1980-91, Columbia Uiversity
Professional Life
Field of Study: Biology
Institution/Corporation: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; University of Washington, Seattle; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Columbia University;Harvard University[4]
Degrees & Memberships: Member: 2003, National Academy of Sciences; 2006, Institute of Medicine; 2008, Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; 2008, Fellow, American Academy of Arts & Sciences; Honorary Degree: 2015, Harvard University
Awards & Achievements
Awards: Takasago Award (1992); Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award (1996); Perl-UNC Prize (2002); Gairdner Foundation International Award (2003); Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2004); ForMemRS (2015); Unilever Science Award (1996); R.H. Wright Award in Olfactory Research (1996); Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement
Achievements: unlocked the mysteries of the olfactory system; 1st University of Washington female to win a Nobel Prize;
2004 won Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Richard Axel for work on olfactory receptors
Originally wanted to be a psychotherapist, studying psychology at the University of Washington
Dissatisfied with her studies, she spent several years travelling; she lived on an island outside of Seattle for a while & explored different career options
Loves solving puzzles
Discovered the work to process smells happens in the nose, not the brain; discovered humans have approximately 350 smell receptors (rats have approx. 1,000) but we can detect approx 10,000 distinct odors
2001, she & her team published a "map" of the process by tracing olfactory genes from the nose to the brain
1st University of Washington female to win a Nobel Prize
Holds 3 patents