TEDxSalford

Speaker Announcement – Ian Wilmut

Our latest speaker to be confirmed for the upcoming TEDxSalford event in October is a renowned name in the scientific community, having been a pioneer in the field of genetics research for most of his career. He gained fame (and notoriety) in 1996 for leading the research group that achieved the first cloning of a mammal – Dolly the sheep. It will be an honour to have Sir Ian Wilmut OBE joining us on stage at TEDxSalford 2.0 this year.

Born in Warwickshire in 1944, he studied agriculture at the University of Nottingham, and received his doctorate in animal genetic engineering from the University of Cambridge in 1971. In 1973 he was part of the team that produced the first calf from a frozen embryo, named ‘Frosty,’ and in 1974 joined the Animal Breeding Research Station in Edinburgh – known today as the Roslin Institute.

In 1996 the birth of Dolly the sheep was announced by his research team at the Roslin Institute, causing sensation and controversy after being created by the fusion of an ovum with the mammary cell of an adult sheep – creating a clone from the genetic material of the original animal. While an incredible advancement in the science of embryology, this also raised questions about the ethics of cloning, and the potential future of its application to human genetics.

The science and technology of cloning, at least by our method, takes us into some of the most esoteric reaches of biology” – Ian Wilmut

Ian was also the co-author of , a book which details the history and reasons behind the groundbreaking research that led to the cloning of Dolly, and its implications into the future of science, technology, and ethics.

Sir Ian Wilmut will be welcomed to our stage at TEDxSalford 2.0, which will be hosted at the Lowry Complex, Salford Quays, Greater Manchester, on 21st October 2012. Tickets are available now.