Today, 9th October, marks a remarkable milestone: Philip Cohen has been a principal investigator in Dundee for exactly 55 years.

Philip and Tricia arrived on 9th October 1971, spending their first night at Peter Garland’s house in Perth. Apparently the temperature fell to 9°F that night, prompting him to wonder why he had signed the contract. Fortunately for Dundee, he stayed.

MRC PPU Director, Dario Alessi, said "Over the ensuing decades, Philip has made an extraordinary contribution to science, to the development of Dundee as a leading centre for Life Sciences, and to the training and careers of generations of researchers. His scientific vision, leadership and commitment have helped shape the research community we are all part of today. Please join me in congratulating Philip on this wonderful anniversary, and thanking him for everything he has contributed and continues to contribute to Dundee and the wider scientific community."

Philip said “Thanks for these kind words Dario. It has been a lot of fun helping to built up what was then the Biochemistry Department at Dundee, from a handful of scientific and support staff to what is now the School of Life Sciences complex. Despite the mess that the Central Administration of the University has made of its finances over the past few years, I am confident that we will soon emerge from these problems and build the Life Sciences into an even stronger Faculty in the future."