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Christian Boulin Fellowship
In memory of one of the Laboratory’s longest-serving members, and honoring 38 years of commitment and contribution to the infrastructure of European life science, EMBL launches the new Christian Boulin Fellowship.
Established in memory of Christian Boulin, Director of Core Facilities and Services, the Fellowships support travel and accommodation costs of young scientists visiting EMBL’s Core Facilities. Applicants from EMBL’s member states with a demonstrable need for financial assistance are encouraged to apply for one of 15 annual fellowships of up to 1500 Euro.
In April 2014, EMBL lost a remarkable colleague, collaborator, advisor and friend. Christian Boulin was not only an accomplished scientist, but also a tenacious and energetic facilitator, who demonstrated an unselfish commitment to EMBL and its goals. “Christian’s open-mindedness and intellectual curiosity were at the heart of many successful collaborations,” says Iain Mattaj, EMBL Director General. “Under his leadership the Core Facilities developed into what they are today. We’re proud to keep his memory alive through this Fellowship programme.”
We’re proud to keep his memory alive through this Fellowship programme.
The Core Facilities are one of EMBL’s highlights, playing a crucial role in enabling hundreds of scientists per year to achieve ambitious research goals in a cost effective way. Under Boulin’s direction these central facilities opened their doors in 1998, hosting state-of-the-art equipment and providing expert services and support to EMBL’s researchers, visitors and collaborators from the Laboratory’s member states. EMBL currently operates a variety of Core Facilities that support multiple research areas pursued throughout the Laboratory.
Each facility has tight links to industries that provide cutting-edge technologies. Boulin worked tirelessly to build trusting relationships with many companies, and to identify and establish complementary activities, from advanced training to technology transfer. The Fellowships will build further bridges between industry and facility users, and are made possible thanks to the generous support of EMBL’s Corporate Partnership Programme. “This is doubly fitting,” says Matthias Hentze, EMBL Director, “Not only did Christian initiate and inspire countless fruitful interactions with our Corporate Partners, but the Fellowships are also a logical extension of the Partners’ commitment to nurturing scientific excellence by alleviating financial barriers.”
At the end of the day the most important measure is scientific excellence.
The Fellowships are intended to defray expenses incurred by scientists visiting EMBL’s Core Facilities to learn and use the latest scientific techniques and thus advance ambitious research projects. Applicants must demonstrate financial need, and priority will be given to those from member countries that require scientific strengthening. “Alongside the formal criteria, at the end of the day the most important measure is scientific excellence,” says Head of Core Facilities Rainer Pepperkok, who will administer and evaluate applications. “Christian was dedicated to welcoming users and facilitating their success – this is the perfect way to honour his memory.”
