The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Alumni Chats Series

Julius Brennecke (Current Senior Scientist, IMBA, Vienna. and former Predoctoral Fellow, EMBL Heidelberg, 2006-2001) chats with Thomas Vaccari (Current Professor, University of Milan and former Predoctoral Fellow, EMBL Heidelberg, 2004-1999). Julius explains his fascination for how molecular pathways govern complex biological patterns in fruit flies. Before describing the risky decision to investi...

Former EMBL-EBI Director 1994-2023, Dame Janet Thornton reflects on her distinguished career in bioinformatics, the wonder of protein research and the vital role of accessible data services for life science research. She also speaks about AI's impact on protein structure prediction and the potential for AlphaFold to revolutionise the field. This interview was conducted by former EMBL Group Leader,...

Alex Stark (EMBL Predoctoral Fellow 2001-2005) chats with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral Fellow 1999-2004). Alex describes the evolution of computational biology and its impact on understanding protein structures and gene regulation. He recounts early efforts to identify functional similarities between unrelated proteins before the advent of AlphaFold and serving as a member of one of the teams...

Des Higgins (EMBL-EBI Group Leader, 1990-1996) speaks with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral fellow, 1999-2004) about the "wild west" early days of bioinformatics, the establishment of EMBL-EBI and the collaboration which led to the Clustal programme. Des also reflects on the impact on his career of EBI co-founder Michael Ashburner This interview was conducted in July 2023. Alumni Chat contributors...

In this interview, Martin Hetzer (Former Staff Scientist, EMBL Heidelberg, 1998-2003, currently President, ISTA, Vienna) chats with Angus Lamond (Former Group Leader, EMBL Heidelberg, 1995-1987, currently Professor, University of Dundee) about his professional journey from his early training in Vienna and the US to his current leadership role at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria. Mar...

Fátima Gebauer (EMBL Staff Scientist, 1995-2002) speaks with Angus Lamond (EMBL Group Leader, 1987-1995) about her experience at EMBL, including her initial impression of the lab as "heaven" and her subsequent project on sex-lethal protein. Fátima reflects on her role as Chair of the EMBL Alumni Association board and leadership styles and challenges in life sciences, sharing advice in particular f...

In this interview, Baubak Bajoghli (Former Postdoctoral Fellow. EMBL Heidelberg, 2012-2017, currently Director, Austrian BioImaging/CMI, Vienna) describes to Angus Lamond ( Former Group Leader, EMBL Heidelberg, 1987-1995, currently Professor, University of Dundee) about how the EMBL served as a vital catalyst for his research into immune cell development. By providing access to advanced imaging te...

Ernst Stelzer ( EMBL Group Leader, 1983-2011) speaks with Angus Lamond (EMBL Group Leader, 1987-1995) about his career journey from EMBL Predoc to Group Leader, and his contributions to the field of microscopy including the development of confocal microscopy This interview was recorded in July 2023 Alumni Chat contributors are members of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) community....

Mark Green (Internal Auditor, EMBL Heidelberg, 1999-2003 , Head of EBI Administration, 2003-2018 ) discusses his career at EMBL with Angus Lamond (EMBL Group Leader, 1987-1995). While working for the Medical Research Council (MRC) in the UK, he was tasked with auditing the MRC Transition Fund for EMBL to move its data library to the nascent EBI. This began a connection with EMBL which would lead h...

Mary Holmes (EMBL's first librarian, 1974-1998) speaks with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral fellow, 1999-2004) about the establishment of EMBL, the early days of the Szilárd library and the technological advances witnessed in over 20 years. Mary reflects on the impact of her husband, Ken Holmes, and his role in leading EMBL's first site in Hamburg. Ken was awarded the Lennart Philipson Award in 2...

Sara Fahs (EMBL Predoctoral Fellow 2014-2018) chats with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral Fellow 1999-2004). Sara speaks about the excitement about the scale of EMBL upon arriving in the mid 2010s. She also talks about retaining the inter-disciplinary ethos she encountered at EMBL and adapting to a career in industry after leaving academia. This conversation was recorded in July 2025. Adobe Podcas...

Sara Courtneidge (EMBL Group Leader, 1985-1994) speaks with Angus Lamond (EMBL Group Leader, 1987-1995) about her memories of former EMBL Director General Lennart Philipson, her research into the src structure and the importance of funding for basic research. This interview was conducted in 2022. Alumni Chat contributors are members of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) community. Th...

David Owen (EMBLEM Vice Chair, 2000-2021) chats with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral Fellow 1999-2004). David discusses his career phases from a PhD in pharmacology to eventually joining the pharmaceutical industry. He emphasises the challenges and rewards of transitioning from academia to industry and the impact of technology transfer on basic research. He also touches on his role in establishin...

Giorgia Guglielmi (EMBL Predoctoral Fellow, 2011-2016) speaks with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral fellow, 1999-2004) about her research on cell behaviour, her career move to science writing, the challenge of fake news in science communication and her pride at winning the John Kendrew Award. This interview was conducted in July 2022. Alumni Chat contributors are members of the European Molecular...

George Simos (EMBL Postdoctoral Fellow 1990-95) chats with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral Fellow 1999-2004). George reflects on his first impressions upon joining EMBL in the early 90s, his return to Greece and efforts to bring back some of the culture and approach to research that he experienced in Heidelberg. He also explains his work on hypoxia and the thrill he gets when discovering somethin...

Thomas Graf (EMBL Head of Unit, 1983-1998) speaks with Angus Lamond (EMBL Group Leader, 1987-1995) about the potential of personalised cancer treatment, the role of basic research in the Covid-19 response and advice for young scientists. This interview was recorded in July 2022 Alumni Chat contributors are members of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) community. The opinions expresse...

In this interview, electron microscopy expert Erin Tranfield (EMBL Postdoc, 2009-2013) discusses her unconventional career path with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoc 1999-2004) which led from researching air pollution's impact on the heart to studying lunar dust toxicology at NASA . She explains that electron microscopy is a powerful tool because it uses electrons instead of photons to achieve a higher...

Ilaria Piazza (EMBL Predoctoral Fellow, 2009-2014) speaks with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral fellow, 1999-2004) about her career progression to becoming a group leader, the value of working in different countries for scientific curiosity and winning the John Kendrew Award. This interview was conducted in July 2022. Alumni Chat contributors are members of the European Molecular Biology Laborator...

Denis Duboule (EMBL Group Leader 1988-1993) chats with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral Fellow 1999-2004). Denis reflects on his arrival as a group leader at EMBL in the 1980s, and on how EMBL’s freedom and international spirit helped shape his identity as a European scientist. He also shares memories of working for Director General Fotis Kafatos and his pride in giving the inaugural Kafatos Lectu...

Maria Tosches (EMBL Predoctoral Fellow, 2007-2014) speaks with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral fellow, 1999-2004) about her first experiences of 'Evo-Devo' at EMBL, the challenges of working on non-established models and studying the cerebral cortex of reptiles. This interview was recorded in July 2022. Maria was the recipient of the 2022 John Kendrew Award. You can watch her award presentation h...

Claire O'Donovan (Team Leader Protein Function & Head of Metabolomics, EMBL-EBI, 1994-2024), a pioneer in computational biology, discusses her career at EMBL-EBI with Angus Lamond (EMBL Group Leader, 1987-1995). She explains the evolution of Swiss Prot, a protein database, and its global impact. Claire highlighted the importance of open access data and collaborations and stressed the need for...

Leo Burger (Head of Mechanical Workshop, EMBL Heidelberg, 1979-2023) speaks with Thomas Vaccari (Predoctoral fellow, EMBL Heidelberg, 1999-2004) and Angus Lamond (Group Leader, EMBL Heidelberg, 1987-1995). Leo reflects on over 40 years of building innovative and high quality equipment in the Mechanical Workshop at EMBL. This interview was conducted in March 2024. Alumni Chat contributors are membe...

Sigrid Reinsch (Postdoctoral Fellow, EMBL Heidelberg, 1992-1998) discusses her career journey from EMBL to NASA with Angus Lamond (EMBL Group Leader, 1987-1995). She details the challenges of transitioning from EMBL and explains NASA's focus on human space exploration and understanding life in extreme environments. She also discusses NASA's education programs and the need for continued funding. Th...

Wieland Huttner (Group Leader, EMBL Heidelberg, 1985-1990) speaks with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral Fellow, 1999-2004) about the establishment of EMBL's PhD programme and his co-founding of the Max Planck Institute in Dresden with other EMBL alumni. This interview was conducted in July 2024. Alumni Chat contributors are members of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) community. The...

Eric Wieschaus (EMBL Group Leader 1978-81) chats with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral Fellow 1999-2004). Eric looks back on his groundbreaking work on Drosophila genetics with Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard at EMBL—research that led to the 1995 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He also reflects on staying grounded amid recognition, his commitment to teaching, and what it means to “do science th...