Anthony Pawson

Anthony Pawson

Anthony 'Tony' James Pawson, OC OOnt CH FRS FRSC (born October 18, 1952), British-born Canadian scientist whose research has revolutionized the understanding of signal transduction, the molecular mechanisms by which cells respond to external cues, and how they communicate with each other. He identified the phosphotyrosine-binding Src homology 2 (SH2 domain) as the prototypic non-catalytic interaction module. SH2 domains serve as a model for a large family of protein modules that act together to control many aspects of cellular signaling. Since the discovery of SH2 domains, hundreds of different modules have been identified in many proteins.

Born in Maidstone, England, the son of the cricketer and writer Tony Pawson, he was educated at Winchester College and the University of Cambridge where he received a MA in biochemistry followed by a Ph.D. from King's College London in 1976. From 1976 to 1980 he pursued postdoctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley. From 1981 to 1985, he was Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Pawson is a Distinguished Investigator and former Director of Research at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital and Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto both of which he joined in 1985.