Edith Sim

Edith Sim is a British researcher who is an emeritus professor at Kingston University and the University of Oxford. She was awarded the 2012 British Pharmacological Society John Vane Medal and a lifetime achievement award in 2015 from the Arylamine N-acetyltransferases Workshop Group.

Early life and education
Sim was born and raised in Hilltown, Dundee. Her father Joe ran his own company repairing mechanical office equipment and her mother Edith Snr had worked as a seamstress before joining her husband in helping to run his business. She was an only child, and her grandmother died of tuberculosis. She attended Morgan Academy, where she was the only girl in her chemistry class. She eventually attended a short course at the University of Edinburgh in biochemistry, which motivated her to apply for an undergraduate degree. She moved to the University of Oxford as a doctoral researcher. After earning her doctorate she moved to Grenoble, where she worked as a postdoctoral researcher.

Research and career
Sim's research is at the intersection of chemistry and biology. She joined the faculty at Oxford in 1983, where she was made Head of Pharmacology in 2000. She dedicated her career to understanding the enzyme in tuberculosis. She identified the structure of arylamine N-acetyltransferase and defined the mechanism of action using a catalytic triad. In 2010, Sim moved to Kingston University as dean of science, Engineering and Computing.

In 2012, Sim was awarded the British Pharmacological Society John Vane Medal. She was appointed to the governing body of Abertay University in 2022.

Awards and honours

 * 2012 John Vane Medal
 * 2015 Lifetime achievement award from the Arylamine N-acetyltransferases Workshop Group