Professor David Boxer
Microbiologist and Food Scientist
Prof. David Boxer
At the Institute of Food Research in Norwich
David Howell Boxer was born in 1947 and brought up at 33 Cynon Street in Aberaman. He was the son of William H.S. Boxer and his wife Sarah, née Davies. He attended Aberaman Junior School and transferred to Aberdare Boys’ Grammar School in September 1959. Whilst there he became particularly interested in athletics and he excelled in the shot-put and throwing the discus, winning in the former event at the Welsh Junior AAA Championships1 in 1965. David was a member of the YMCA in Aberaman where he did much of his training.
David left the school in the summer of 1966 having been awarded a Lord Kitchener Memorial Scholarship to study at the University of Bristol. He went on to gain a B.Sc., Ph.D. as well as a CertEd.
He spent most of his professional career at the University of Dundee where he went in the early 1980s. More recently in 2009, he moved south to Norwich. His career is summarised below:
University of Dundee
- Nuffield Foundation Research Fellow, University of Dundee 1982-83
- Head of Department of Biochemistry
- Personal Chair, 1991
- Professor of Microbial Biochemistry, 1991-2002
- Dean of Science and Engineering Faculty, 1994-99
- Deputy Principal, 200-02
- Vice-Principal (Research & Enterprise), 2002-09
Institute of Food Research2, Norwich
- Director, 2009 – retired 2015
University of East Anglia3
- Professor of Microbial Metabolism, 2009 – 2012
David in 1965
David currently serves on the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC), Biosciences Skills and Careers Panel; the Board of the European Technology Platform Food for Life and chairs the European FOODforce Group.
He was a member of Universities Scotland Research and Commercialisation Committee (1998–2009) and the Scottish Life Science Alliance (2005–2008).
He has been chairman and member of several Research Council peer review committees. He has also been chairman and member of over 20 scientific Visiting Assessment groups at UK / overseas universities and research institutes.
He has served on the Editorial Board of four international Biochemistry/Microbiology science journals; published widely and held some 20 Research Council research grants. David currently chairs the Food and Health Alliance at the Norwich Research Park.
He is co-chair and founder of the UK National Technology Platform for Food.
He is an external examiner for several universities; an author of numerous scientific papers; and currently, (2012), edits Methods in Microbiology.
David is married to Dr Maureen Boxer, née McGuckin. They have one son. David still likes to keep fit and does so by walking, cycling and skiing.
- Click here for a press report on this athletic achievement.
- Institute of Food Research, http://www.ifr.ac.uk
- University of East Anglia, http://www.uea.ac.uk