31st December 2004

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Professor Stephen Downes, Director of the Centre for Molecular Biosciences at the Coleraine campus, has been awarded the OBE for services to biomedical science in the New Year Honours list.



He came to the University of Ulster in 1995 from Cambridge, as Professor of Cancer Biology and Head of the Cancer and Ageing Research Group. He has continued his distinguished research career at Coleraine, working on the repair of carcinogenic DNA damage and on the control of cell growth, in collaboration with other centres of excellence in the UK, the US and in Europe.



He has also led the projects that have created the new £14.5 million Centre for Molecular Biosciences at Coleraine, and the £4 million Centre for Functional Genomics.



Professor Downes said: "The University of Ulster has developed the best research centre in biomedical science in the UK, as shown by our outstanding success in the last two nationwide Research Assessment Exercises. This has been due to an intensely cooperative and productive effort by our many teams of outstanding researchers."



Also honoured today was Emeritus Professor of Human Resource Management, Professor Desmond Rea, who received a knighthood. Sir Desmond is currently Chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.



Sir Desmond was professor of human resources management at the University of Ulster until 1995 and chairman of the Labour Relations Agency from 1996 until 2002.

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk