Sydney Brenner is remembered for his revolutionary biological research, which provided profound insights into cell biology and the mechanics of genetic regulation.

His work with the simple organism Caenorhabditis elegans laid the groundwork for developmental biology and genetics, demonstrating how a complete organism's lineage and neural development could be mapped out.

This humble nematode became a model organism thanks to Brenner's foresight and has since been indispensable in biomedical research, including studies of aging, cancer, and the nervous system.

He was elected as member of the European Academy of Engineering in 1994.