The British cell biologist Fiona Watt has been appointed as Director of EMBO. She will join EMBO as its sixth director, succeeding Maria Leptin who was recently appointed President of the European Research Council.
“We are pleased that Fiona Watt will become the next EMBO Director and look forward to working with her,” says Michael N. Hall, Chair of EMBO Council. “With her strong leadership skills, extensive executive and publishing experience and boundless enthusiasm she is ideally suited to lead EMBO in fulfilling its mission of promoting excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond. She is an internationally renowned scientist who has made major discoveries in stem cell biology.”
Fiona Watt is founding director of the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine at King’s College London, UK. She is also executive chair of the Medical Research Council funding agency. Her research interest is the role of stem cells in adult tissue maintenance and how this information can be harnessed for regenerative medicine.
The EMBO Director is appointed by EMBO Council. As the EMBO Director, Fiona Watt will further develop the programmes offered by EMBO to support life scientists in Europe and beyond. She will actively engage with the community of EMBO Members and foster discussions to promote excellence in the life sciences. Working closely with the EMBC, the inter-governmental organization that funds the major EMBO Programmes and activities, she will maintain regular exchanges with scientific organizations and administrations in the 30 EMBC Member States. She will be responsible for managing EMBO and representing the organization externally.
Source, further information and bioscetch: PR -EMBO, 13.07.2021