CZ 
EN 
will award the 2025 Mendel Memorial Medal
to T. H. Noel Ellis for his research linking Mendel's work with modern genetics.
The medal, which is awarded annually, recognizes significant contributions to the advancement of Mendel’s scientific and cultural legacy.
T.H. Noel Ellis (born 1953) is currently a visiting scientist at the John Innes Centre, where he worked for 36 years. His core research interests are in genome organisation, diversity, and developmental genetics of pea. He was also Professor of Crop Genetics and Phenotype Biology at the University of Aberystwyth and was Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes.
Noel’s research links historical genetics with modern genetics by identifying pea genes studied by Mendel and characterising them at the molecular level. Since 2015, he has collaborated extensively with Peter van Dijk on a reappraisal of Mendel’s work, deepening our understanding of Mendel’s Genetics.
Mendel Memorial Medal Ceremony
10th March 2025 at John Innes Conference Centre:
Mendel Memorial Medal Ceremony | John Innes Centre
Register to attend the Mendel Memorial Medal Ceremony 2025:
Register to attend the Mendel Memorial Medal Ceremony 2025
Some relevant publications on Mendel are:
Mendel’s genetics:
van Dijk P.J. and Ellis T.H.N. (2023) Gregor Mendel and the theory of species multiplication. Genetics 224:iyad046, https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/iyad046
Ellis, T.H.N. and van Dijk, P.J. (2023) Mendel’s terminology and notation reveal his understanding of genetics. Hereditas 160, 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41065-023-00276-x
van Dijk P.J., Jessop A.P. and Ellis T.H.N. (2022) How did Mendel arrive at his discoveries? Nature Genetics 54: 926–933 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-022-01109-9
Ellis T.H.N., Hofer J.M.I., Swain M.T. and van Dijk P.J. (2019) Mendel's pea crosses: varieties, traits and statistics. Hereditas 156: 33 https://hereditasjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41065-019-0111-y
van Dijk P.J., Weissing F.J. and Ellis T.H.N. (2018) How Mendel's interest in inheritance grew out of plant improvement. Genetics 210: 1 – 9 https://www.genetics.org/content/210/2/347
van Dijk P.J. and Ellis T.H.N. (2016) The full breadth of Mendel's genetics. Genetics 204: 1327-1336 https://www.genetics.org/content/204/4/1327
Mendel’s genes:
Feng, C., ... Ellis, N., Chayut, N. and Cheng, S. (2024) Genomic and Genetic Insights into Mendel’s Pea Genes https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.31.596837
Ellis T.H.N., Hofer J.M.I., Timmerman-Vaughan G.M., Coyne C.J. and Hellens R.P. (2011) Mendel, 150 years on. Trends in Plant Science 16: 590-596 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2011.06.006
Hellens R., ... and Ellis T.H.N. (2010) Identification of Mendel's White Flower Character. PLoS ONE 10: e13230 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0013230
Bhattacharyya M.K., Smith A.M., Ellis T.H.N., Hedley C. and Martin C. (1990) The wrinkled-seed character of pea described by Mendel is caused by a transposon-like insertion in a gene encoding starch-branching enzyme. Cell 60: 115-122 DOI: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90721-p
The Mendel Memorial Medal is a unique annual award given to an internationally recognized figure for his or her contribution to the scientific and cultural legacy of Gregor Mendel and genetics. Past recipients of this award have included Nobel prize winners, outstanding researchers, pioneers in genetics, molecular biology, and the history of biology and genetics, as well as other eminent scientists. Last year saw the thirtieth anniversary of the start of the award. Its origin, however, goes back much deeper and is firmly linked to the tradition of developing Mendel’s scientific legacy at the Mendelianum of the Moravian Museum in Brno.
J. G. Mendel - scientist and a multifaceted personality.
Introductive section: From the genetic program to its implementation.
Scientific milieu of Mendel´s discovery: A trip to Mendel´s epoch.
Conference Hall: the place where Mendel was meeting his scientific colleagues and gathered motivation for his experiments.
Mendel's laboratory: disclosure what Mendel knew and what he could not know.
Molecular-biological laboratory: The desire to explore and discover.
Genetic stories on the background of Nobel Prizes: Mendel in the concept of today's science
Mendel´s plants: Mendel's verification of his discoveries.
Historic hall and modern science: A counterpoint of old and new.
The building of the former Technical College where the meetings of the Nature Research Society were held over which Mendel often presided in his position of society´s vice-chairman (Komenského náměstí 2).
The building of the former Moravian Diet where the premises of the Mortgage Bank were situated from 1878. Mendel was working there as
The building of the Modern High School in Brno where Mendel lectured physics and natural science 1854-1868 and published his discovery in 1865 in the Nature Research Society meetings (Jánská 22).
The Bishop Court became the Moravian Museum and the seat of the AgriCulture Association with its many scientific sections in 1817. Mendel profited most from the gardening section. The experiments performed to achieve new colour varieties of ornamental plants initiated his experiments with peas (Muzejní 1).
The Dietrichstein Palace of the Moravian Museum with its memorial hall showing plaques of the chief figures of the AgriCulture Association as founders of the Moravian Museum (Zelný trh 1).
The Institute of Theology at the Dominican Monastery where Mendel studied 1844-1848. In St Michael church he was ordained priest on August 15, 1847 and celebrated his first mass (Dominikánské náměstí).
The New Town Hall as a centre of cultural events and presentations of the AgriCulture Association activities in which Mendel took part as a member of its Central Board (Dominikánské náměstí).
The Urban Centre where the office and the library of the Nature Research Society were housed after 1870 (Šilingrovo náměstí).
St. Ann Hospital where Mendel proved unsuccessful in his pastoral service but achieved the support of the hospital director in ornamental plant breeding and meteorology (Pekařská 53/55).
The original seat of the Augustinian Order St. Thomas to 1782 (Moravské náměstí).
The former Cistercian Nunnary, since 1783 the seat of the Augustinian Order. Mendel lived there 1843-1884. The Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin and the adjoining prelate quarters of Gregor Mendel 1868-1884 (Mendelovo náměstí 1).
The Reduta Theatre where exhibits of flowers, fruit and vegetable were organized by Mendel´s Section of Pomiculture, Viniculture and Horticulture of the AgriCulture Association (Zelný trh).
The former Cistercian Nunnary, since 1783 the seat of the Augustinian Order. Mendel lived there 1843-1884. The Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin and the adjoining prelate quarters of Gregor Mendel 1868-1884 (Mendelovo náměstí 1).