Michael Swann
| The Lord Swann | |
|---|---|
Michael Swann in 1987
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| Born | Michael Meredith Swann 1 March 1920 |
| Died | 2 September 1990 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | British |
| Institutions |
University of Cambridge University of Edinburgh |
| Education |
Winchester College, Hampshire (independent boarding school) Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
| Known for | The mechanisms of cell division and fertilisation |
| Spouse | Tess Gleadowe (1942–1990; his death); 4 children |
Michael Meredith Swann, Baron Swann, FRS,FRSE (1 March 1920 – 22 September 1990) was a distinguished molecular and cell biologist. He was appointed chairman of the BBC, awarded a knighthood and subsequently a life peerage.
Swann was educated at Winchester College, a boarding independent school for boys in the city of Winchester in Hampshire, where he was an Exhibitioner, followed by Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he was a Scholar.
Swann lectured in zoology at the University of Cambridge, his former Alma Mater. He served with the British Army during World War II, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In 1942, he marriead Tess Gleadowe (died 2009). They had two sons and two daughters.
His academic work was on the mechanisms of cell division and fertilisation. He used cell polarisation methods to understand the changes in molecular organisation of the mitotic spindle. With his collaborator Murdoch Mitchison, he found evidence in support of a new theory of cell division. He collaborated with Victor Rothschild in experiments on changes in membrane structure during fertilisation. He was appointed professor of Natural History at the University of Edinburgh in 1952 and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1962.
From 1965 to 1974, he was the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh University. In 1968, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science by the University of Leicester. During his term as Principal, he encountered difficulty with students led by Gordon Brown who had unusually been elected as Rector of the University. He received a knighthood in the 1972 Birthday Honours, having the honour conferred by the Queen herself on 5 December 1972.
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