MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Sir Richard Roberts, a co-recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, will take part in a lecture series Nov. 4 at Mississippi State University.

Roberts, a native of England, will discuss business ventures in the biosciences industry as part of the Jack Hatcher Entrepreneurship Program. The free lecture will take place at 2 p.m. in the auditorium of the Swalm Chemical Engineering Building. Roberts and American Phillip A. Sharp shared the Nobel Prize in 1993 “for their discoveries of split genes,” according to the organization’s Web site.

Shane Burgess, director of the Life Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, said Roberts can provide Mississippians with extensive insights into bio-economics. Roberts was invited to the university by the LSBI, MSU’s Office of Research and the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering.

Roberts is the chief scientific officer with Massachusetts-based New England Biolabs, which is considered a leader in the production and supply of substances used in chemical reactions to study or produce other substances for the life science industry.

The Jack Hatcher Entrepreneurship Program helps engineering students who want to pursue careers combining technical and business skills, which may include a business startup or working for an entrepreneur in the early years of the business.

Gerald Nelson, director of the Hatcher program, said students will benefit greatly from the experience.

“This is a great opportunity to have such a distinguished member of the biotech community visiting the university,” he said.

More information can be found about the Hatcher program on their Web site.

Contact: Dr. Shane Burgess, (662) 325-0533