Marsden, Charles

Interview with Professor Charles Marsden conducted by Professor Tilli Tansey, for the History of Modern Biomedicine Research Group, 19 April 2016, in the School of History, Queen Mary University of London. Transcribed by Mrs Debra Gee, and edited by Professor Tilli Tansey and Dr Apostolos Zarros. The project management and the technical support (filming and production) were undertaken by Mr Adam Wilkinson and Mr Alan Yabsley, respectively.

Professor Charles Marsden PhD DSc HonFBPhS (b. 1943) read zoology at the University of London before going to Southampton University where he obtained an MSc in biochemical pharmacology (1967), a PhD in invertebrate neuropharmacology (1969) and a DSc in 1986. Following his PhD, he went to the University of Bergen (Norway) for three years (1969-1972) before going to the Institute of Neurology, London, to work with Professor Gerald Curzon. In 1978 he moved to the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Nottingham, where in 1981 he obtained a Wellcome Trust Senior Lectureship, and subsequently a Professorship in Neuropharmacology (1986). From 2002 to 2008 he was Co-Director of the Institute of Neuroscience at Nottingham. During this period he was President of the British Association of Psychopharmacology (BAP; 2000-2002) and of the Serotonin Club (2008). He was awarded the J. R. Vane Medal by the British Pharmacological Society (BPS; 2002) for his contribution to neuropharmacology. In 2012 he was made an Honorary Member of the Serotonin Club, and in 2013 was given a Life Time Achievement Award by the BAP. In 2014 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the BPS (HonFBPhS).

The History of Modern Biomedicine Research Group is funded by the Wellcome Trust, which is a registered charity (no. 210183). The current interview has been funded by the Wellcome Trust Strategic Award entitled “Makers of modern biomedicine: testimonies and legacy” (2012-2017; awarded to Professor Tilli Tansey).
 
The interview is part of the History of the Modern Biomedicine Interviews (Digital Collection).
 
Access to the ‘Drugs and pharmacologists’ thematic group of resources:
 
Access to the transcript of this video interview and its related material: 
History of Modern Biomedicine Interviews (Digital Collection), items e2016083-e2016093.
 
Example of how to cite: Tansey E M (intvr); Yabsley A (prod) (2016) Tansey E M (intvr); Yabsley A (prod) (2016) Marsden, Charles: 01 - A Cambridge childhood (19-Apr-2016). History of Modern Biomedicine Interviews (Digital Collection), item e2016084. London: Queen Mary University of London.
 
Access to the transcript of a longer, audio interview:
 
Note: Video interviews are conducted following standard oral history methodology, and have received ethical approval (reference QMREC 0642). Video interview transcripts are edited only for clarity and factual accuracy. Related material has been deposited in the Wellcome Library.
 
© The Trustee of the Wellcome Trust, London, 2016
 
Professor Marsden has contributed to our Wellcome Witness Seminar on Drugs Affecting 5-HT Systems
 
A copy of Professor Marsden's curriculum vitae is available here.
 

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