Professor Paul Sharp wins Royal Society’s Darwin Medal

Professor Paul Sharp FRS, is recognised by the Royal Society with a prestigious medal, created in memory of Charles Darwin FRS, for his research on the evolutionary origins of HIV and malaria.

The Royal Society’s Darwin Medal, is awarded for work of distinction in evolution, biological diversity and developmental, population and organismal biology. 

Paul is recognised for his ground-breaking work addressing the origins and evolution of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the malaria parasite Plasmodium.

He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh, where until recently he held the Alan Robertson Chair of Genetics in the School of Biological Sciences’ Institute of Ecology and Evolution.

Paul’s research investigates the evolutionary origins of various pathogens, including viruses and bacteria, and the factors that influence their genetic diversity.

He was one of the first researchers to use DNA sequence databases to gain insight into evolutionary processes.

HIV transmission 

Paul has carried out important work into the origins and ongoing evolution of the human HIV viruses HIV-1 and HIV-2, as well as their relatives infecting primates in Africa. 

HIV, a virus that attacks the body’s immune system, is one of the world’s most serious public health challenges. Approximately 39 million people globally were living with HIV in 2023.

In 1992 Paul began a collaboration with virologist Beatrice Hahn in the USA, which continues to this day.

In an attempt to track down the origin of HIV-1, they obtained thousands of faecal samples from apes at numerous locations across central Africa for DNA analysis. 

This led to the discovery that the main form of HIV-1, responsible for the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, originated via transmission from chimpanzees.

The virus was transmitted to humans from a specific chimpanzee population in west central Africa, most likely in the south east of Cameroon, over a century ago.

The research also found that a rarer variant of HIV-1 was transmitted to humans from gorillas. 

Origins of Malaria

Around 15 years ago Paul and Beatrice started to use the same samples to look for malaria parasites in African apes.

Malaria, caused by various species of single-celled parasites termed Plasmodium, spreads among humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.

Each year, around half a million people die from malaria and another 250 million are infected.

Their research resulted in the description of several previously unknown species of Plasmodium infecting chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas. 

It also revealed that Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the vast majority of fatal malaria cases in humans, originated as a parasite of gorillas.

Two more human malaria parasites, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium malariae, were also found to have been transmitted to humans from apes.  

Biography

Paul Sharp studied genetics and evolution at the University of Edinburgh, followed by a PhD in 1982 under the mentorship of Alan Robertson FRS. 

He then took up a lectureship in the Department of Genetics at Trinity College, University of Dublin in 1982, where he developed an interest in the field of molecular evolution. 

Paul became Professor of Genetics at the University of Nottingham in 1993, and then moved to take up the newly established Alan Robertson Chair of Genetics at the University of Edinburgh in 2007. 

Paul was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2013. He retired from teaching in 2022, but continues to conduct research as an Honorary Professorial Fellow.

About the Darwin Medal

The Darwin Medal was first awarded in 1890 to noted biologist and naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace FRS 'for his independent origination of the theory of the origin of species by natural selection.' 

The medal is of silver gilt, was awarded biennially until 2018 and is now awarded annually.

Researchers from the School of Biological Sciences have achieved outstanding success in this award category and account for four of the 17 recipients of the Darwin Medal in the 21st century. 

Previous awardees are Bill Hill (2018), Nick Barton (2006) and Brian Charlesworth (2000).

I am both surprised and extremely honoured to receive this award.

Professor Paul Sharp FRS Honorary Professor, University of Edinburgh

The scope of scientific knowledge and experience in this year’s line-up is amazing. These outstanding researchers, individuals and teams have contributed to our collective scientific endeavour and helped further our understanding of the world around us.

Sir Adrian Smith President of the Royal Society

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