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Jonathan Roger Beckwith is an American microbiologist and geneticist. He is the American Cancer Society Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.
Beckwith led the research group that in 1969 isolated the first gene from a bacterial chromosome. The group of researchers worked under Beckwith at the Harvard Medical School and consisted of several now well-known scientists and doctors including James A. Shapiro and Lawrence Eron, MD. Following this discovery, he has made important contributions to the study of bacterial genetics. His studies include the mechanisms of protein secretion, disulfide bond formation, and cell division. In addition, he is a prominent speaker on the social implications of science and has been an activist in science. He spoke out against the testing of boys for XYY chromosomes and was a member of the ELSI committee of the Human Genome Project initiated by James D. Watson. He has worked on issues of social responsibility in science and since 1983 has taught a course on the Social Issues in Biology at Harvard University, one of the first of its kind. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1986.
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