Dr. Pawson’s longstanding research interests are focused on signal transduction mechanisms in the cell. Research efforts focused on understanding the properties of normal and oncogenic protein-tyrosine kinases led to the identification of a protein domain, termed the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain, which is a common feature of many proteins involved in cell signaling. Since the discovery of SH2 domains, dozens of different protein domains involved in protein-protein interactions and cell signaling have been identified and Dr. Pawson’s research laboratory continues to focus on studying the functional significance of these interactions in signal transduction. In addition, Dr. Pawson’s research group is actively working on the molecular signals involved in axon guidance including Eph receptors and ephrins.

Dr. Pawson was a co-leader of a large-scale effort using state-of-the-art strategies to map out protein-protein interactions within normal human cells, and to study the differences in these interactions in malignant cells at the systems level. The Dynactome project team included leading Canadian researchers, and had international reach through collaborations with scientists in the United States and China.

Dr. Pawson received his PhD in 1976 from King's College, University of London and went on to pursue postdoctoral work at the University of California at Berkeley. Currently, Dr. Pawson is Distinguished Investigator, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute (SLRI) at Mount Sinai Hospital and a Professor in the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics at the University of Toronto. Dr. Pawson is a Distinguished Scientist of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), holds the Apotex Chair in Molecular Oncology, and is an International Research Scholar of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He has received numerous awards, including the Gairdner Foundation International Award (1994), Michael Smith Prize in Health Research (2002), Premier's Platinum Medal for Research Excellence (2002), Wolf Prize in Medicine (2005), and The Royal Medal from the Royal Society of London (2005). He is a Fellow of the Royal Societies of London and Canada, a recipient of the Order of Canada, and has been named a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in the United Kingdom. In 2008, Dr. Pawson was awarded the Kyoto Prize from the Inamori Foundation in Japan for his work on human cell to cell communication. The Kyoto Prize is an international award to honour those who have contributed significantly to the scientific, cultural, and spiritual betterment of humankind.