Ottoline studied at the University of Cambridge for both her BA and PhD degrees, and then undertook post-doctoral research at Indiana University. In 1994 she worked at the University of York, before moving to Cambridge in 2010.
Ottoline's research includes the genetics of plant development and the interaction of plant hormones with the environment. Notable achievements include the identification of the auxin receptor, which is a hormone that controls shoot architecture and development in plants. She also played a key role in promoting Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism in plant biology research.
Undertaking world-leading research has earned Ottoline a number of awards, including Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to plant science, science in society, and equality and diversity in science. Other awards include the Rosalind Franklin Award (2007), the Genetic Society Medal (2016), and the EMBO Women in Science Award (2017). She is a fellow of the Royal Society, an international member of the US National Academy of Sciences, a Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation and a Member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.
At the end of this month Ottoline will become Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation. Fun fact: that's where I work!
In 2017 Ottoline was interviewed by Jim Al-Khalili for the BBC Radio 4 programme The Life Scientific. You can listen for free on the BBC Sounds app, or via this link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08q5wxx
Finally - back to bees, and here's a picture of queen Ottoline:
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