Leoš Valášek from the Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IMIC) has been elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). The prestigious EMBO community is currently represented by more than 2000 scientists from all over the world. This year, Valášek became one of 120 newly admitted members, thus placing him among 19 members in the Czech Republic.
„Becoming a member of EMBO is an honor for every scientist. The real beauty of this selection is that it is apolitical; in essence, established scientists (EMBO members) vote for their colleagues whom they perceive as leaders in the field to “welcome them into the club”, so to speak. What does this mean for me? Strong determination and commitment to keep going our way and probably better access to all that EMBO membership has to offer,“ says Leoš Valášek.
Leoš Valášek obtained a master’s degree in Genetics and Molecular Biology in 1994 from Charles University in Prague, after which he went on to study for a PhD at the University of Vienna. A successful post-doc at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA paved the way for him to pursue an independent career at the IMIC. Valášek’s laboratory strives to figure out how the cell deciphers the genetic code of DNA using relatively simple decoding keys and uses this gene-encoded information to produce proteins, i.e., cellular effectors, through a very complex process also called translation.
For more information about his research and a publication in the prestigious journal Nature, click here – Čeští vědci vyluštili záhadný genetický kód nově objeveného parazita.
EMBO is an organization of more than 2,000 leading scientists that promotes excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond. One of its main objectives is to support talented scientists, foster the exchange of scientific information and create an environment in which scientists can achieve the best results. This year the organization announced the election of new members in a press release on 9 July 2024. It will officially welcome the new members in Heidelberg, Germany, from 29 October to 1 November 2024.
