Research

From genomes to organisms, EMBL is exploring the secrets of life

EMBL’s diverse research programme is pushing the limits of biological knowledge, with our researchers developing innovative techniques and technologies as part of the process.

Research Units

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory is made up of many independent groups of research scientists, who work on a wide range of biological topics. EMBL categorises these groups by area of scientific interest into nine research units. This structure helps EMBL scientists working on similar scientific questions to leverage common tools and experimental apparatus.

EMBL Programme

Pushing boundaries in research, services, training and technology


Learn more about EMBL research

EMBL Faculty

Explore how EMBL research groups collaborate with partners

Publications

Explore EMBL’s full list of scientific publications and preprints which go back as far as 1979

Cross-cutting research topics

From exploring the molecular components inside a cell to studying whole populations and ecosystems, EMBL scientists will explore these different scales through research themes that foster collaborative, multidisciplinary research.

EMBL maintains close cooperative affiliations with organisations of comparable standard, vision and international orientation.

These institutional collaborations are based on shared goals and scientific synergy or complementarity. The aim is to create a network of institutions that enhance molecular life science in Europe and around the world.


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ELIXIR Science Officer

Technology in EMBL-EBI Hinxton

Data is transforming life science research. From understanding human health and disease to advancing biodiversity and molecular biology, the ability to find, access, share and reuse high-quality biological data is critical to scientific discovery.ELIXIR is Europe's life science data infrastructure,...

Closes on 13th July. Posted 22nd June 2026

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Bioinformatician

Technology in EMBL-EBI Hinxton

​About the team We are seeking a Bioinformatician with expertise in data integration and experience in structural biology and molecular dynamics (MD) data to join the Velankar team at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI). The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) team develops essential mac...

Closes on 20th July. Posted 22nd June 2026

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User Support Bioinformatician (Maternity Cover)

Technology in EMBL-EBI Hinxton

About the teamWe are looking to recruit an enthusiastic User Support Bioinformatician for a maternity cover position, on a time-limited contract of up to 12 months. The role will deliver high-quality user support, training, documentation and relevant AI/LLM applications as part of the European Nucle...

Closes on 17th July. Posted 19th June 2026

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Postdoctoral Researcher in Neuro Epigenetics

Science, research and training in Rome, Italy

We are looking for a curious, creative, and driven Postdoctoral Researcher to join the research group of Mathieu Boulard at EMBL Rome to study gene regulation in neurons.We investigate how chromatin governs olfactory receptor gene choice, an epigenetic mechanism by which olfactory neurons express a...

Closes on 20th July. Posted 19th June 2026

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With support from more than 30 countries, laboratories at six sites across Europe and thousands of scientists and engineers working together, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is a powerhouse of biological expertise. EMBL is an intergovernmental organisation, headquartered in Heidelberg, and was founded in 1974 with the mission of promoting molecular biology research in Europe, training young scientists, and developing new technologies.

EMBL currently employs more than 1800 people in Barcelona, ​​Grenoble, Hamburg, Heidelberg, EMBL-EBI Hinxton (near Cambridge), and Rome.

Publishing hundreds of research articles and hosting dozens of conferences every year, EMBL is driving visionary fundamental research and training Europe’s future scientific talent.

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