Article

The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) welcomes a new cohort of 28 young investigators who will be active members of the EMBO Young Investigator Programme for the next four years. Among them is Jesse Veenvliet, a research group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG). He joins a vibrant network of more than 800 current and former EMBO Young Investigators, Installation Grantees, and Global Investigators. The EMBO Young Investigator Programme supports life scientists who have been group leaders for less than four years at the time of application in setting up their laboratories.

“EMBO is delighted to welcome the new young investigators. Their outstanding achievements demonstrate the excellence and ambition that will drive progress in the life sciences. We are pleased to support these young group leaders as they take the next steps in their careers, and we look forward to their discoveries and contributions to our community,” says EMBO Director Fiona Watt.

As part of the Young Investigator Programme, Jesse Veenvliet has access to a wide range of benefits, including training and mentoring opportunities, as well as access to core facilities at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany. Young investigators also receive a financial award of 15,000 euros, can apply for additional grants, and gain support for networking activities, such as joint group meetings or travelling to conferences.

Jesse Veenvliet and his group reconstruct development in a dish to understand how embryos build themselves. By guiding pluripotent stem cells to self-organize into stem-cell-based embryo models (embryonic organoids), the team investigates how cells sense and use their physiological microenvironment to sculpt the body plan with remarkable robustness. “I’m thrilled to join this lively and inspiring network. The EMBO YIP community brings together an incredible group of talented and passionate researchers across disciplines, and I’m excited about the opportunities this opens for me, my team, and our work,” says Jesse Veenvliet.

EMBO is an organization of more than 2,100 leading researchers that promotes excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond. The major goals of the organization are to support talented researchers at all stages of their careers, stimulate the exchange of scientific information, and help build a research environment where scientists can achieve their best work. The administrative EMBO headquarters is in Heidelberg, Germany.

EMBO press release: https://www.embo.org/press-releases/twenty-eight-group-leaders-become-embo-young-investigators/