Research at a Glance 2012
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European Molecular Biology Laboratory Research at a Glance 2012 European Molecular Biology Laboratory Research at a Glance 2012 www.embl.org Research at a Glance 2012 Contents Introduction 6 About EMBL 8 Career opportunities 10 EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Directors’ Research 12 Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit 18 Developmental Biology Unit 32 Genome Biology Unit 42 Structural and Computational Biology Unit 52 Core Facilities 66 EMBL-EBI, Hinxton, United Kingdom European Bioinformatics Institute 76 Bioinformatics Services 90 EMBL Grenoble, France Structural Biology 98 EMBL Hamburg, Germany Structural Biology 110 EMBL Monterotondo, Italy Mouse Biology 120 Index 130 | Research at a Glance 2012 | 5 “EMBL combines a critical mass of expertise and resources with organisational exibility, enabling us to keep pace with today’s biology.” – Iain Mattaj 6 | Research at a Glance 2012 | e vision of the nations which founded the European Molecular Biology Laboratory was to create a centre of excellence where Europe’s best brains would come together to conduct basic research in molecular biology and related elds. During the intervening decades, EMBL has grown and developed substantially, and its member states now number twenty-one, including the rst associate member state, Australia. Over the years, EMBL has become the agship of European molecular biology and has been continuously ranked as one of the top research institutes worldwide. EMBL is Europe’s only intergovernmental laboratory in the life sciences and as such its missions extend beyond performing cutting-edge research in molecular biology. It also oers services to Euro- pean scientists, most notably in the areas of bioinformatics and structural biology, provides advanced training to researchers at all levels, develops new technologies and instrumentation, and actively engages in technology transfer for the benet of scientists and society. EMBL is also heavily engaged in discussions of science policy and strategy at the European level, where it coordinates multiple ac- tivities. It is the synergy between these diverse missions and the stringent, external quality control to which we submit all our activities regularly, that allows EMBL to stay at the forefront and achieve world-class standards. In research, the ve EMBL sites (a central laboratory in Heidelberg, with outstations in Grenoble, Hamburg, Hinxton, and Monterotondo) put strong emphasis on interdisciplinarity and collabora- tion, and when the researchers leave to assume key positions in the member states, they export their unique experience of working in a very energetic, interdisciplinary and international environment. Freedom, exibility and a regular turnover of sta allow EMBL to pursue the most exciting themes in molecular biology as they arise. Our long-standing tradition of organising excellent courses, confer- ences and workshops and an extensive outreach programme ensure that know-how spreads further and informs the public about the impact that modern biology has on our lives. In Research at a Glance you will nd a concise overview of the work of our research groups and core facilities. Science at EMBL covers themes ranging from studies of single molecules to an understand- ing of how they work together in complex systems to organise cells and organisms. Our research is loosely structured under thematic units, giving scientists the intellectual freedom to pursue the topics that most interest them while drawing on the diverse techniques and expertise available in the insti- tute. But what really distinguishes EMBL is the large number of inter-unit collaborations, bringing people with common interests but distinct skills together to tackle ambitious projects. Increasingly, our young scientists come with physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, and computer science backgrounds, contributing new perspectives and the complementary expertise required to unravel the complexity of living systems. EMBL combines a critical mass of expertise and resources with organisational exibility, enabling us to keep pace with today’s biology. e impact of the laboratory’s scientic work, the quality of its ser- vices, and its continued attractiveness to world-leading young scientists are testimony to EMBL’s suc- cess, and show that we are well-equipped for the future. Iain Mattaj EMBL Director General | Research at a Glance 2012 | 7 About EMBL The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is a world-class international research organisation, with some 85 independent groups covering the spectrum of molecular biology. Scientists represent disciplines including biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science across EMBL’s five sites: the main laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, and four outstations: Grenoble, France; Hamburg, Germany; Monterotondo, Italy; and the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Hinxton, United Kingdom. Europe’s flagship laboratory for the life sciences EMBL was founded in 1974 to create a central European laboratory in the emerging field of molecular biology. It remains the only intergovernmental research organisa- tion in Europe that performs research in the molecular life sciences, and is directly supported by 20 member states and one associate member, Australia. EMBL’s goals are: The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL- EBI) is located on the Wellcome Trust Genome Outstanding life science research: setting trends • Campus in Hinxton, near Cambridge. As a and pushing the limits of technology. European hub for biomolecular data, the EBI • Providing world-class research infrastructure offers the scientific community access to a variety and services to the member states. of bioinformatics services, alongside which, a number of active research groups work in areas • Training and inspiring the next generation that complement and extend these services. of scientific leaders. • Driving research, innovation and progress through technology development, interac- tions with industry and technology transfer. • Taking a leading role in the integration of life science research in Europe. 8 | Research at a Glance 2012 | EMBL Hamburg develops novel, innovative technologies in structural biology, such as high- throughput crystallisation and data interpretation software as well as operating cutting-edge syn- chrotron radiation beamlines and offering world- leading facilities and expertise to the research community. It also has an ambitious research pro- gramme for structures of multifunctional proteins and protein complexes of biomedical relevance. EMBL Heidelberg is home to five research units, central scientific services, the admin- istration, and the laboratory’s technology transfer arm, EMBL Enterprise Management Hamburg (EMBLEM). Heidelberg is the largest centre for Hinxton biomedical research in Germany and there are many bilateral links between EMBL scientists and local research institutions. Heidelberg Grenoble Monterotondo EMBL Monterotondo, near Rome, focuses on mouse genetics and functional genomics, and offers expertise in mammalian physiology and production of mouse models of human diseases. Researchers form dynamic partnerships with other international research and clinical centres. The EMBL Grenoble builds and operates beamlines outstation shares a campus with Italian national for macromolecular crystallography, develops research groups (IBC-CNR) and the headquarters instrumentation and techniques, and provides of the the European Mouse Mutant Archive. facilities and expertise to visitors in collabora- tion with its campus partners, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ERSF) and the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL). The outsta- tion is also part of the Unit of Virus Host Cell Interactions (UVHCI). | Research at a Glance 2012 | 9 Career Opportunities At EMBL’s ve sites, there are opportunites across the spectrum of life science research for PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, group leaders, and many other professionals – from soware development to chem- istry and engineering. EMBL’s sta comprises more than 1500 people from over 70 dierent countries – this internationality creates an atmosphere that is creative, interdisciplinary and collaborative, with an unparalleled breadth of expertise and complementary skills. PhD programme Postdoctoral fellows Training is one of EMBL’s core missions and Postdoctoral fellows at EMBL benefit from the our International PhD Programme is renowned expertise of world class scientists, state-of-the-art for offering excellent education to prospective scientific equipment, training in career development scientists. and an excellent seminar programme. Research independence, dedicated mentoring and Our research groups encourage a balance between an international environment are the cornerstones senior and young scientists, creating the ideal of the programme, in which close to 200 students environment to share and discuss research from all over the world are currently enrolled. endeavours while supporting junior colleagues to develop and grow into new positions. EMBL students obtain their degree from a national university or jointly with EMBL and one The EMBL Interdisciplinary Postdocs (EIPOD) of its 29 prestigious partner universities in the programme builds on highly interactive research member states. between units and is aimed at candidates whose research crosses scientific boundaries. EMBL recruits PhD students twice a year. For more details please check www.embl.de/training/ Please contact group leaders directly to find out if a eipp or contact [email protected] position