Jeffrey C. Hall is an American chronobiologist and geneticist. Along with Michael W. Young and Michael Rosbash he was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm”.
Full Name : Jeffrey Connor Hall
Born : 3rd May, 1945 in New York City, U.S.
Nationality : American
Father : Joseph W. Hall
Fields : Genetics
Awards :
Genetics Society of America Medal (2003)
Gruber Prize in Neuroscience (2009)
Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (2011)
Gairdner Foundation International Award (2012)
Shaw Prize (2013)
Wiley Prize (2013)
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2017)
Interesting facts about Jeffrey C Hall :
Interest Turn to Basic Science
– Jeffery had grown up in the city of Washington and went to Amherst College, Massachusetts. However while undergoing the undergraduate course in the field of medicine, his interest took a turn to basic science and genetics mechanism and thus he switched his course.
Earned Ph.D. in Genetics
– after He decided to switch the course of his study to genetic mechanics in Drosophila, he attended the University of Washington and received the Ph.D. degree in the particular field. Later he carried out his research studies at California Institute of technology.
Assistant Professor of Biology, Brandeis University
– In the year 1974 he was an assistant professor of biology at the Brandeis University, Waltham in Massachusetts and later he went on to become a full-time professor in the year 1986 in the same university.
Research in Molecular Mechanism
– His research in the field of molecular mechanism helped other scientists to gain attention in circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is a twenty-four-hour biological clock designed for both humans as well as animals to track the pattern of daily behavior.
Research of Nervous System Behavior
– While he was researching for the nervous system behavior at Brandeis University, he observed courtship singing type behavior in Drosophila. However, a postdoctoral fellow in his laboratory observed a changed about the flies’ songs and noticed that it occurred periodically.
Collaboration with Rosbash
– Despite facing some criticism Hall decided to collaborate with Rosbash who was also from the University of Brandeis. Both of them were successful in isolating the period gene. However, at the same time, a fellow from Rockefeller University named Young was fortunate in insolating the same type of gene single handedly.
Levels of Period Gene Products
– After the discovery of the period gene, Hall and Rosbash went further to in their research and later became successful in getting the levels of a period gene product that is PER. PER is known to building upon at night and eventually, it declines during the time of day.
