Dr David Shotton
Qualifications
1965 B.A. Natural Sciences (First Class), Cambridge University. 1969 M.A., Cambridge University. 1970 Ph.D. Molecular Biology, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge University
Role or Position
2004 - Reader in Image Bioinformatics, University of Oxford. Director of Image Bioinformatics Research Group
1995 - Degree Director, M. Sc. in Biology Degree, University of Oxford
1981 - Governing Body Fellow, Wolfson College, Oxford
1998 - College Lecturer in Biology, Christ Church, Oxford
Email address
Academic Background
Previous appointments:
1981 - 2004 University Lecturer in Cell Biology, University of Oxford
1976 - 1981 Lecturer in Cell Biology, Imperial College, University of London
1968 - 1976 Postdocs at Bristol University, UC Berkeley, and Harvard University
Visiting Fellowships
1977 EMBO Fellow, Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
1987 - 1988 CIBA-Geigy Fellow, Dept. Biology, UCSD, San Diego, USA; Dept. Cytometry, Univ. Leiden, NL.
Undergraduate Teaching
Cell Biology teaching for theBiological Sciences degree
Research Interests
I determined both the amino acid sequence and three-dimensional crystallographic structure of the protein elastase in the dark ages, when these things were done by hand. I subsequently developed novel ways to use microscopic imaging to reveal the workings of biological systems. My previous cell biological research primarily involved the use of low-angle shadowing and freeze fracture electron microscopy to study membrane proteins, confocal fluorescence microscopy to investigate the structure and function of cell membranes and the cytoskeleton, and time-lapse video microscopy to investigate temporal aspects of target cell death induced by cytotoxic T lymphocytes during cellular immune defense. I have published extensively on microscopy techniques, and taught frequently on international microscopy courses.
More recently, my work has been in the emerging field of image bioinformatics, and I have formed the Image Bioinformatics Research Group at Oxford, part of the Oxford e-Science Centre, with a goal of unlocking the knowledge contained within images of biological systems. I am PI for the EPSRC Ontogenesis Network (http://www.ontonet.org), a network of excellence to foster the creation, ontogeny and evolution of biological ontologies. My current research interests include applications of Semantic Web technologies to enhance acquisition and use of biological research data, including the development of data webs (distributed databases), the development of ontological descriptions for areas of biology including animal behaviour, semantic content analysis of scientific videos, and advances in digital publishing of both text and data.
Publications include
Shotton, D.M. (2007). Research images as first class publication objects. Wiley-Blackwell Executive Seminar. Royal Society, London, 1 June 2007.
Shotton, D.M. (2006). The nature of biomedical research data. Research Information Network Workshop: Getting the most out of data, making the most of research. Royal Institute of Public Health, London, 5 December 2006.
Shotton, D.M. (2006). Data Webs: new visions for research data on the Web. Meeting: The Closed World of Databases meets the Open World of the Semantic Web. National e-Science Centre, Edinburgh, 12 October 2006.
Catton, C., Sparks, S. and Shotton, D. M. (2006) Publishing and finding images in the BioImage Database, an image database for biologists. Cell Biology: A Laboratory Handbook 3rd Edition (J. Celis, ed.) Vol. 3, Ch 21, pp 207-216, Elsevier Science.
Rodriguez, A., Guil, N., Shotton, D. M. and Trelles, O. (2004). Automatic analysis of the content of cell biological videos, and database organization of their metadata descriptors. IEEE Multimedia 6: 119-128.
Boudier, T. and Shotton, D. M. (1999). Video on the Internet: an introduction to the digital encoding, compression and transmission of moving image data. J. Structural Biology 125: 133-155.
Shotton, D. M. and Attaran, A. (1998). Variant antigenic peptide promotes cytotoxic T lymphocyte adhesion to target cells without cytotoxicity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95: 15571-15576.
Sheppard, C. J. R. and Shotton, D. M. (1997). Confocal laser scanning microscopy. Oxford, Bios Scientific Publishers.
Severs, N. J. and Shotton, D. M., Eds. (1995). Rapid Freezing, Freeze Fracture and Deep Etching. Vol. 2 in the Series Modern Techniques in Biomedical Microscopy. (D. M. Shotton, Series Ed.). New York, Wiley-Liss.
Shotton, D.M. (ed.) (1993). Electronic Light Microscopy: The Principles and Practice of Intensified Fluorescence, Video Enhanced Contrast and Confocal Scanning Optical Microscopy. Volume 1 in Modern Techniques in Biomedical Microscopy (Series Editor Shotton, D.M.). New York, Wiley-Liss.
Hobbies
Sailing, hill walking, gardening
Links