Joesph Sambrook was born on 1st March 1939 in Liverpool, England.He is internationally renowned for his studies of DNA tumour viruses and the molecular biology of normal and cancerous cells.

Education

Sambrook was educated at the University of Liverpool (BSc (hons) 1962) and he obtained his PhD at the Australian National University in 1966. Postdoctoral research, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology 1966-67 ; Postdoctoral research, Salk Institute 1967-69 .In 1969 James Watson hired the young virologist, Joseph Sambrook to work at Cold Spring Harbor.Sambrook established a tumor virus group that continues to the present day.

Staff Investigator, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York 1969-71 , Senior Staff Investigator 1971-77 , Assistant Director 1977-85 ; Professor and Chairman, Department of Biochemistry, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 1985-91 ; Director, Burgher Center for Molecular Cardiology, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 1986-93 ; Director, McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 1991-94 ; Director of Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Melbourne 1995- ; Professor, Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne 1995- . Fellow, Royal Society 1985; Joseph F. Sambrook Laboratory dedicated at Cold Spring Harbor 1985; Fellow, Australian Academy of Science 2000. Chairman NIH/DOE Advisory Committee on DNA Sequencing 1990-94.

Achievements

Joseph Sambrook is best known for his studies on DNA tumour viruses and the molecular biology of normal and neoplastic cells. His Tumour Virus Group at Cold Spring Harbor identified and mapped all of the major genes of adenoviruses and SV40, determined their transcriptional control in infected and transformed cells, and elucidated the mechanism of integration of these viruses into the genome of the host cell. He has also made important contributions to our understanding of intracellular traffic and protein folding and is an influential leader in the field of the molecular genetics of human cancer. He returned to Australia in 1995 as Foundation Director of Research at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute of Melbourne. He is the founder and director of The Kathleen Cunningham Consortium for research into familial breast cancer, KConFab.This national consortium for the study of familial aspects of breast cancer was set up in 1995. Sambrook is also a well-published author of scientific books. His works include a set of books entitled Molecular Cloning and Inspiring Science- Jim Watson and the Age of DNA.