Thomas ap Rees

{{Short description|British botanist (1930–1996)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Thomas ap Rees | native_name = | native_name_lang = | image =  | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date |1930|10|19}} | birth_place = Frome, Somerset | death_date = {{death date and age |1996|10|03 |1930|10|19}} | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates =  | other_names = | residence = | citizenship = | nationality = | fields = Biochemistry<ref name="StittBulpin1978">{{cite journal|last1=Stitt|first1=Mark|last2=Bulpin|first2=Paul V.|last3=Ap Rees|first3=T.|title=Pathway of starch breakdown in photosynthetic tissues of Pisum sativum|journal=Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects|volume=544|issue=1|year=1978|pages=200–214|issn=0304-4165|doi=10.1016/0304-4165(78)90223-4|pmid=152656}}</ref>

| workplaces = {{Plainlist| * University of Sydney * CSIRO * University of Cambridge}} | patrons = | education = | alma_mater = University of Oxford (DPhil) | thesis_title = The Effect of fungal infection upon the respoiratory metabolism of plant tissues | thesis_url = http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/OXVU1:LSCOP_OX:oxfaleph020407949 | thesis_year = 1957 | doctoral_advisor = Jack Harley<ref name=phd/> | academic_advisors = | doctoral_students = | notable_students = | known_for = | influences = | influenced = | awards = | spouse =  | partner =  | children = | signature =  | signature_alt = | website =  | footnotes = }} '''Thomas ap Rees''' (19 October 1930 – 3 October 1996) was a botanist. He was Professor of Botany in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge between 1991 and 1996<ref name=reeswho>{{Who's Who | title=ap REES, Prof. Thomas|type=was | id = U176553 | volume = 1996 | edition = online Oxford University Press|location=Oxford}}</ref> when he has killed in a road accident whilst cycling home.<ref name="indep"/>

==Education and early life== He was born in Frome, Somerset and attended Llandovery College, Dyfed and served two years military service in the Royal Corps of Signals before studying botany at Lincoln College, Oxford gaining a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1957 for research supervised by Jack Harley.<ref name=phd>{{cite thesis |degree=DPhil |first=Thomas|last=ap Rees |title=The Effect of fungal infection upon the respoiratory metabolism of plant tissues |publisher=University of Oxford |date=1957 |url=http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/OXVU1:LSCOP_OX:oxfaleph020407949}}</ref>

==Research and career== He lived in Sydney, Australia for a number of years as a lecturer in botany at the University of Sydney and in 1961 he was appointed as Senior Research Officer of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. He returned to Britain in 1964 on being appointed a lecturer at the University of Cambridge.<ref name="indep">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-professor-thomas-ap-rees-1357677.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-professor-thomas-ap-rees-1357677.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |title=Obituary: Professor Thomas ap Rees |author=David Summers, Ed Tanner and Tony Kirby|date=10 October 1996}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Ap Rees' contribution to plant biochemistry was substantial.<ref name="StittBulpin1978"/> He published over 100 research papers and more than 20 reviews during his career.<ref name="indep" /> Over 170 scientists attended a meeting held after his death in honour of him and his work. His main area of research was in the regulation and control of plant metabolism. He argued that sucrose played a central role in plant metabolism. Much of his research was on non-crop species as he believed that there may be metabolic features present in these that could be bred into crop plants. Fellow scientists admired him for his sound approach to research.<ref>{{Cite journal| last1 = Hill | first1 = S.| title = Carbohydrate metabolism in plants| journal = Trends in Plant Science| volume = 3| issue = 10| pages = 370–371| year = 1998| doi = 10.1016/S1360-1385(98)01320-X| bibcode = 1998TPS.....3..370H}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees, Thomas ap}} Category:People from Frome Category:1930 births Category:1996 deaths Category:Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Category:Academic staff of the University of Sydney Category:English biochemists Category:Professors of Botany (Cambridge) Category:20th-century British botanists Category:Road incident deaths in the United Kingdom Category:Cycling road incident deaths Category:20th-century British Army personnel Category:Royal Corps of Signals soldiers Category:People educated at Llandovery College Category:20th-century English chemists