Brian J. Ford
| Brian J. Ford | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1939 (age 77–78) Corsham, Wiltshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Scientist, author and broadcaster |
Brian J. Ford FLS HonFRMS (born 1939 in Corsham, Wiltshire) is an independent research biologist, author, and lecturer, who publishes on scientific issues for the general public. He has also been a television personality for more than 40 years.
Ford attended the King's School, Peterborough, and then Cardiff University to study botany and zoology between 1959 and 1961, leaving before graduating to set up his own multi-disciplinary laboratory.
Ford has campaigned on the mis-use of forensic data in courts and the misuse of dangerous germs, which have resulted in new laws being passed. Ford's current research interests include e-learning, for which he is based at the University of Leicester.
Ford's other publications range from microbial research and elucidating newly threatening infections to examining scientists' dissatisfaction with their lot. Other areas of his interests are the invention of a space microscope commissioned by Brunel University, to be used by European Space Agency, safety of the water supply and the rising incidence of head lice and bed bugs, his discovery of new phenomena in blood coagulation, the excretory mechanisms of plants and investigations of the 'ingenuity' of living cells that alter our understanding of the living cell. Ford's proposal for biohazard legislation led to supportive articles in Nature and The Times and has led to the introduction of worldwide biohazard controls.
He has written papers on the development of science, such as an essay on scientific illustration and an 18,000-word essay on scientific publishing in the 18th century. One of his best known discoveries is the original specimens of Antony van Leeuwenhoek. They were sent to the Royal Society of London in the 17th century and remained there until 1981 when Ford found the Leeuwenhoek specimens hidden in the letters and he then submitted them to extensive microscopical examination using both old and new microscopes.
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