Cornish Scientist Evolves
University of Exeter press release
A University of Exeter scientist, who grew up in Penwith and now lives in Falmouth, has been awarded the highest possible academic title of 'Professor' at the age of just 39. An expert in evolutionary biology and sexual selection, Tom Tregenza works on the University of Exeter's Tremough Campus.
'Professor' is the most senior title an academic can be given and is awarded to those who are at the very top of their field.
Tom Tregenza attended Penpol School (1974-81), Mounts Bay School (1981-6) and Penwith Sixth Form College (1986-8) before leaving Cornwall in 1988 to study at Bristol University. He studied and worked at the Universities of Liverpool, Leeds and Melbourne before returning to Cornwall in 2004 to join the University's new Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Tremough. He now lives in Falmouth with his family.
Professor Tom Tregenza said: "I have worked at some top Universities in the North of England and Australia, and throughout that time when people asked me what my career plans were I always said, "I'm waiting for someone to open a biology department in Cornwall and then I'm going to move there". I could not have imagined how well things would turn out.
"The Centre for Ecology and Conservation is among the very best research centres in its area worldwide. As a Cornishman, I am very proud that we have a genuinely world class scientific centre and to be a professor in the group is a huge honour for me"
Tom Tregenza's expertise is in the field of sexual selection. His research focuses on understanding how male animals evolve to make them more attractive to females and how females evolve to ensure they get the best father of their offspring. He also works on understanding how new species are formed and how one species can divide to form two new species. As Professor of Evolutionary Ecology he will continue to teach undergraduate and postgraduate Biology students as well as conducting his research.
Professor Tregenza's colleague Nina Wedell, an evolutionary biologist who originates from Sweden, has also been made a Professor. There are now 18 University of Exeter academics on the Tremough Campus who have achieved the top academic ranking of Professor.
The £100 million Tremough Campus is a Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative Ĵof which the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth are two of the founding partners. It is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council. Set in 70 acres of countryside, but close to the waterside towns of Penryn and Falmouth, the campus offers a lively student community. The University of Exeter now offers degrees in Biology, Modern Celtic and Cornish Studies, English, Geology, Geography, History, Law, Mining Engineering, Politics and Renewable Energy on its Tremough Campus, which has expanded rapidly as part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative.