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Turi King

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Turi King
King in 2015
Born
Turi Emma King[4]

(1969-12-31) 31 December 1969 (age 54)[4]
Nottingham, England
NationalityCanadian[citation needed]
British
Alma mater
Known for
AwardsHaldane Lecture (2018)[1]
Scientific career
FieldsGenetics
Archaeology
History
Forensics
Genetic genealogy
Surnames[2]
InstitutionsUniversity of Leicester
ThesisThe relationship between British surnames and Y-chromosomal haplotypes (2008)
Academic advisorsAlec Jeffreys[3]
Websitewww.turiking.co.uk

Turi Emma King (born 31 December 1969)[4] is a Canadian-British professor of Public Engagement and Genetics at the University of Leicester. In 2012, King led the DNA verification during the exhumation and reburial of Richard III of England.[5] She is also known for featuring with Stacey Dooley on the BBC Two genealogy series, DNA Family Secrets.[6][7] She is currently the Director of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath.[8]

Early life and education

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King was born in Nottingham, England, as the eldest of three children born to Alan King, an engineer, and Daphne King, a housewife.[9] King is named after Norwegian aviator Turi Widerøe, the first woman to fly for a Western airline.[10]

She moved to Canada at an early age and was brought up in Vancouver, British Columbia. She studied at the University of British Columbia and worked on archaeological sites in Canada, Greece, and England,[11] before moving to Jesus College, Cambridge[9] to read Archaeology and Anthropology.[12] There she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree.[13] She won a scholarship to study for a Master of Science degree in Molecular Genetics at the University of Leicester, gaining a First with Distinction.[14]

In 2000, she started her doctoral research as a Wellcome Trust Prize Student at the University of Leicester, specialising in genetic genealogy and "in tracing migration patterns by using genetics."[9] Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, the inventor of DNA fingerprinting, was on her PhD supervisory panel.[15]

Her thesis on the relationship between British surnames and Y-chromosomal haplotypes[16][17] was published in 2007, and eventually formed the basis of the book Surnames, DNA and Family History, which she co-authored with David Hey and George Redmonds.[18][2][19]

Career and research

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Turi King
King working in the laboratory

King's research initially centered around genetics, genetic genealogy, forensics, and surnames, and using aspects of human DNA such as the Y chromosome to track past human migrations.[11][20][21] Her work has included tracing "the signal of the Viking migration to the north of England", resulting in her appearance in Michael Wood's The Great British Story – A People's History on BBC Two,[17] and in Michael Wood's Story of England.[22]

In 2012, she led the genetic analysis and verification during the exhumation and reburial of Richard III of England.[23] She was able to use the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from direct living descendants of Richard III's sister, Anne of York, one of whom (Michael Ibsen) was traced by British historian John Ashdown-Hill, with a second relative (Wendy Duldig) traced by the University of Leicester team.[24][25][23][26]

In March 2021, she presented the BBC Radio 4 documentary "Genetics and the longer arm of the law".[27]

Public speaking and consultancy

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As Professor of Public Engagement, King regularly undertakes public speaking at universities,[28] schools and public events such as the Cheltenham Science Festival,[29] the Moscow Science Festival,[30] a Congressional Breakfast on Capitol Hill,[31] the Galway Science and Technology Festival,[32] and the Queen's Lecture in Berlin.[33] She guest-presented the Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures in Japan in 2019 stepping in for Alice Roberts.[34][35]

She advises on numerous television programmes and provides genetic expertise to authors such as Patricia Cornwell,[36][37] Philippe Sands,[38] Edward Glover, and David McKie.[39]

King has also appeared in a number of television and radio documentaries as an expert in genetic genealogy, forensics, and/or ancient DNA.[40][41][42][43]

Current research

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The following is a list of projects King is either heading or has been involved with:

  • The King's DNA: whole genome sequencing of Richard III[11]
  • What's in a Name? Applying Patrilineal Surnames to Forensics, Population History, and Genetic Epidemiology[11][44]
  • HALOGEN (History, Archaeology, Linguistics, Onomastics, and GENetics)[11][45]
  • The Irish Surnames Project[11]
  • The Mary Jane Kelly Project, dedicated to confirming the identity of Jack the Ripper's final confirmed victim.[11][46]

TV, video and radio appearances

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King has appeared in numerous television and radio documentaries, programmes and videos as well as advising on television and radio productions such as BBC's Who Do You Think You Are?[47]

  • Presented the series Ancient Murders Unearthed for Sky History.[48]
  • Presented the BBC Radio 4 documentary: Genetics and the longer arm of the law[27]
  • Guest on The Life Scientific as DNA Detective Turi King
  • Britain's Lost Battlefields with Rob Bell[49]
  • Richard III: The King in the Car Park[50]
  • Britain's Secret Treasures[51]
  • Richard III: Solving a 500 Year Old Cold Case (TEDx Leicester)[52]
  • Richard III – The DNA Analysis & Conclusion (University of Leicester)[53]
  • Richard III: The Resolution of A 500-Year-Old Cold Case (Irving K. Barber Learning Centre Lecture, UBC)[54]

DNA Family Secrets

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Stacey Dooley with King in DNA Family Secrets

DNA Family Secrets is a television series which began airing on BBC Two in March 2021,[6] presented by Stacey Dooley and King, it uses current DNA technology to solve family mysteries around ancestry, missing relatives and genetic disease. Series three aired in 2023.[55]

Awards and honours

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In 2016, King was appointed an honorary fellow of the British Science Association in recognition of her contribution to public engagement in science.[56] She gave the J. B. S. Haldane prize lecture of The Genetics Society in 2018, at the Royal Institution, London.[1] She was the president of the Adelphi Genetics Forum for two years, as announced in the Galton Review.[57]

Personal life

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King is married.[58]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "JBS Haldane Lecture 2018 - Turi King - Genetics Society". Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b King, Turi E.; Jobling, Mark A. (2009). "What's in a name? Y chromosomes, surnames and the genetic genealogy revolution". Trends in Genetics. 25 (8): 351–360. doi:10.1016/j.tig.2009.06.003. hdl:2381/8106. ISSN 0168-9525. PMID 19665817.
  3. ^ "The DNA of a King: Dr Turi King on the genome sequencing of Richard III - Culture24". www.culture24.org.uk. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Anon (2010). "Turi Emma KING". companieshouse.gov.uk. London: Companies House. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b King, Turi E.; Fortes, Gloria Gonzalez; Balaresque, Patricia; Thomas, Mark G.; Balding, David; Delser, Pierpaolo Maisano; Neumann, Rita; Parson, Walther; Knapp, Michael; Walsh, Susan; Tonasso, Laure; Holt, John; Kayser, Manfred; Appleby, Jo; Forster, Peter; Ekserdjian, David; Hofreiter, Michael; Schürer, Kevin (2014). "Identification of the remains of King Richard III". Nature Communications. 5: 5631. Bibcode:2014NatCo...5.5631K. doi:10.1038/ncomms6631. PMC 4268703. PMID 25463651. Open access icon
  6. ^ a b "DNA Family Secrets". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Minnow Films". www.minnowfilms.co.uk. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Professor Turi King to be the next Director of the Milner Centre for Evolution". www.bath.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Waldie, Paul (5 February 2013). "Two Canadian links to Richard III". theglobeandmail.com. Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  10. ^ "Twitter".
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Anon (2015). "Prof Turi King". le.ac.uk. University of Leicester. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  12. ^ "Washington, DC: Cambridge Society of Washington DC Lecture on King Richard III".
  13. ^ "About – Turi King".
  14. ^ "Turi King". Archaeological Institute of America Stanford Society. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  15. ^ Solving a 500 Year Old Cold Case - with Turi King, 20 March 2019, retrieved 4 July 2021
  16. ^ King, Turi Emma (2007). The relationship between British surnames and Y-chromosomal haplotypes. copac.jisc.ac.uk (PhD thesis). University of Leicester. OCLC 505387627. EThOS uk.bl.ethos.484806. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  17. ^ a b "The Great British Story: A People's History. Dr. Turi King". BBC Two. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  18. ^ "Surnames, DNA, and Family History | George Redmonds | 9780198736486 | Oxford University Press Canada". www.oupcanada.com. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  19. ^ Redmonds, George; King, Turi; Hey, David (2011). Surnames, DNA, and Family History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19958-264-8. Archived from the original on 30 December 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  20. ^ Turi King publications indexed by the Scopus bibliographic database. (subscription required)
  21. ^ Turi King publications from Europe PubMed Central
  22. ^ "Turi King". Richard III Society. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  23. ^ a b King, Turi E.; Fortes, Gloria Gonzalez; Balaresque, Patricia; Thomas, Mark G.; Balding, David; Delser, Pierpaolo Maisano; Neumann, Rita; Parson, Walther; Knapp, Michael; Walsh, Susan; Tonasso, Laure; Holt, John; Kayser, Manfred; Appleby, Jo; Forster, Peter; Ekserdjian, David; Hofreiter, Michael; Schürer, Kevin (2014). "Identification of the remains of King Richard III". Nature Communications. 5: 5631. Bibcode:2014NatCo...5.5631K. doi:10.1038/ncomms6631. PMC 4268703. PMID 25463651.
  24. ^ "Dr Turi King – genetic analysis". The Discovery of Richard III. University of Leicester. Archived from the original on 15 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  25. ^ "Richard III: a 'car park king' timeline". History Extra. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  26. ^ "Living relatives | Richard III: Discovery and identification". University of Leicester. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  27. ^ a b "BBC Radio 4 - Genetics and the longer arm of the law". BBC. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  28. ^ "Institute for Genealogical Studies established at Strathclyde". University of Strathclyde. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  29. ^ "The Times Cheltenham Science Festival 2015". Issuu. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  30. ^ Фестиваль NAUKA 0+ Archived 2019-12-05 at the Wayback Machine www.mos.ru. 7 October 2016
  31. ^ Hall, Lynsey (January 2018). "JBS Haldane Lecture" (PDF). Genetics Society News. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  32. ^ "Solve the 500 Year Old Mystery of Richard III". www.galwayscience.ie. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  33. ^ "Queen's Lecture 2016". TU Berlin (in German). 1 November 2016. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  34. ^ "Royal Institution Blog".
  35. ^ "Who Am I? — 2019 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures at Tokyo Tech". Tokyo Institute of Technology (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  36. ^ "University of Leicester scientist lends expertise to new Jack the Ripper book". University of Leicester. 27 February 2017. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  37. ^ "The Mary Jane Kelly Project". University of Leicester. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  38. ^ "Philippe sands east west street wn 2016". Issuu. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  39. ^ Leith, Sam (28 August 2013). "What's in a Surname? A Journey from Abercrombie to Zwicker by David McKie – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  40. ^ "Britain's Secret Treasures (2012– ) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  41. ^ "Secrets (2013– ) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. 4 August 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  42. ^ "Richard III: The King in the Car Park (2013) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. 4 February 2013. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  43. ^ "Inside Science: Orion Launch; Fake Mars trip; XDNA; Richard the Third's skeleton". BBC Radio 4. 4 December 2014. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  44. ^ "What's in a name? Applying patrilineal surnames to forensics, population history and genetic epidemiology". www.le.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  45. ^ "Impact of Diasporas on the Making of Britain: HALOGEN". University of Leicester. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  46. ^ "The Mary Jane Kelly Project — University of Leicester". www2.le.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  47. ^ "Turi King". IMDb. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  48. ^ "Ancient Murders Unearthed". Sky HISTORY TV channel. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  49. ^ Britain's Lost Battlefields with Rob Bell (TV Mini Series 2020) - IMDb, retrieved 30 August 2021
  50. ^ Osmond, Louise; Woods, Pete (4 February 2013). Richard III: The King in the Car Park (TV movie). UK: Darlow Smithson Productions, Channel 4 Television Corporation. tt2677712 at IMDb.
  51. ^ Britain's Secret Treasures (TV Series 2012– ) - IMDb, retrieved 30 August 2021
  52. ^ TEDx Leicester Richard III: Solving a 500 Year Old Cold Case (Webcast). Leicester: TEDx Leicester. 21 November 2016. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  53. ^ Richard III – The DNA Analysis & Conclusion (Webcast). Leicester: University of Leicester. 2 December 2014. Archived from the original on 16 December 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  54. ^ Irving K. Barber Learning Centre Lecture, UBC. Richard III: The Resolution of A 500-Year-Old Cold Case (Webcast). Vancouver: UBC. 16 March 2016. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  55. ^ "BBC Two - DNA Family Secrets". BBC. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  56. ^ "2016 Honorary Fellows revealed". britishscienceassociation.org. British Science Association. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  57. ^ [1]
  58. ^ "Identifying Richard III – an interview with Dr Turi King | the Post Hole".

Selected bibliography

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