Great achievement: Eight Israeli researchers at prestigious European life sciences organization

The European Molecular Biology Organization is one of the world’s most important scientific research organizations. Its members include dozens of Nobel Prize winners. Now they have added 120 new members, including eight researchers from various Israeli universities. Image source: Embo

Eight researchers from Israeli universities have been selected to join the prestigious European Molecular Biology Organisation (known as EMBO), one of the most prestigious institutions specialising in life sciences.

The scientists will now be part of an exclusive group of around 2,000 researchers from around the world – including dozens of Nobel Prize winners – who regularly exchange expertise and information on topics ranging from molecular medicine to cell function.

EMBO Director Dr Fiona Watt said the new members “have made enormous contributions to basic life science research and, in many cases, their work has paved the way for innovations that have improved lives” around the world.

The 120 new members and associate members include scientists from several European countries as well as countries in Asia and Latin America, including researchers from Mexico, Chile and Argentina.

For their part, the Israeli researchers come from several of the country’s most prestigious universities: four from the Weizmann Institute, three from the Technion and one scientist from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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From the Graduate School in Israel’s capital, specialist Inbal Goshen joined EMBO, heading a university laboratory studying the role of astrocytes and their influence on neurons in higher brain functions.

Metabolism and Microbes

Weizmann contributed the names of Karina Yaniv (molecular and cellular mechanisms), Asaf Aharoni (biosynthesis and function of plant metabolites), Ariel Amir (biophysical modeling of microbial growth), and Nir Goff (theoretical models of cell shapes).

Finally, from Haifa, where the Technion is based, are Professors Oded Baja, whose field is metagenomics, an approach that analyzes organisms in their natural environment, and Benjamin Podbelevich, who studies the mechanisms of cell fusion in fertilization and organ development.

This group of Israeli researchers is completed by Professor Assia Rolls, from the Technion Medical School, who studies psychosomatic interactions, specifically how the brain influences the immune system and its ability to deal with disease.

EMBO’s entry is great news in the world of science and each country represented celebrates the distinction. For example, the Slovak Academy of Sciences celebrated the appointment of Professor Silvia Pastorikova with a prominent headline on its website.

He noted that Pastorikova is “the first Slovakian scientist to become a member of the elite EMBO organization.”

Young scientists selected in 2024 will join a four-year programme, during which they will receive financial support from the organisation and will be able to benefit from important professional contacts.

Achievements covering the scientific spectrum

In addition, they will have access to the research facilities of the European Molecular Biology Centre. EMBO, which was founded in July 1964, is currently celebrating its 60th anniversary.

They noted from Heidelberg that the new members and associate members of EMBO were honoured “for their achievements covering the full spectrum of life science research”.

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Some work to understand how infectious diseases spread, the intricacies of nutrient cycles in the oceans, or the secrets of cell signaling networks.

Also arriving are scientists studying the secrets of how plants survive in desert environments and the links between our brain biology and our emotions.