Research Topics

Research at EMBL is fascinating, multifaceted and at the forefront of scientific progress. We encourage highly motivated and dedicated young researchers eager to broaden their experience to join our postdoctoral community.

Postdocs at EMBL have a wide range of backgrounds including, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, medicine, engineering, physics, mathematics, computer science and bioinformatics. Interdisciplinarity is an important strength of research at EMBL and as such we welcome fellows interested in moving into a new area of research.

If you are interested in becoming an EMBL postdoc, the first step is to contact the group leader of your choice directly to ask about opportunities.


Research themes

Cell signalling and differentiation

Cell Biology and Biophysics

Developmental Biology

Directors' Research

Genome Biology

  • Furlong group - Genome regulation and chromatin topology during embryonic development

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Eustermann group - Exploring the chromatin landscape by cryo-electron microscopy

EMBL Barcelona

  • Dayton group - Organoid models of neuroendocrine development and cancer
  • Haase group - Engineering vascularised tissue-specific disease models
  • Sharpe group - Multicellular systems biology
  • Trivedi group - Self-organization in multi-cellular systems

EMBL Grenoble

EMBL Hamburg

  • Wilmanns group - Structure and function of molecular machinery for protein translocation across membranes

EMBL-EBI Hinxton

EMBL Rome

Cellular organisation and dynamics

Cell Biology and Biophysics

Developmental Biology

Directors' Research

Genome Biology

  • Saka group - Spatial biology from molecules to tissues: high-dimensional investigation of cellular organisation

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Mahamid group - In-cell structural analysis of phase separation and molecular crowding
  • Mattei team - High-throughput cryo-EM
  • Savitski team - Stability proteomics for assessing the state of the proteome

EMBL Barcelona

EMBL Grenoble

  • Galej group - Structure and function of RNA-protein complexes

EMBL Hamburg

  • Wilmanns group - Structure and function of molecular machinery for protein translocation across membranes
Evolution

Cell Biology and Biophysics

  • Dey group - Evolutionary cell biology of the nucleus

Developmental Biology

Genome Biology

  • Furlong group - Genome regulation and chromatin topology during embryonic development
  • Steinmetz group - Systems genetics and precision health

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Bork Group - Deciphering function and evolution of biological systems
  • Dodonova group - Organisational principles and 3D architecture of archaeal chromatin
  • Dorrity Group - Environmental response at the single-cell level
  • Typas group - Systems microbiology

EMBL Barcelona

EMBL Hamburg

EMBL-EBI Hinxton

EMBL Rome

  • Gross group - Neural control of instinctive behaviour
Gene regulation, chromatin and epigenetics

Cell Biology and Biophysics

Developmental Biology

Directors' Research

  • Heard group - Epigenetic mechanisms in development and disease
  • Hentze group - RNA biology, metabolism and molecular medicine
  • Watt Group - Regulation of stem cell fate

Genome Biology

  • Furlong group - Genome regulation and chromatin topology during embryonic development
  • Korbel group - From genomic variation to molecular mechanism
  • Krebs team - Decoding gene regulation using single-molecule genomics
  • Saka group - Spatial biology from molecules to tissues: high-dimensional investigation of cellular organisation
  • Steinmetz group - Systems genetics and precision health

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Dodonova group - Organisational principles and 3D architecture of archaeal chromatin
  • Dorrity Group - Environmental response at the single-cell level
  • Duss group - Assembly mechanisms of protein-RNA complexes at the single-molecule level
  • Eustermann group - Exploring the chromatin landscape by cryo-electron microscopy
  • Müller group - Molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes
  • Zaugg group - Personalised genomics to study genetic basis of complex diseases

EMBL Barcelona

EMBL Grenoble

  • Galej group - Structure and function of RNA-protein complexes
  • Kowalinski group - Structural biology of macromolecular protein-RNA complexes
  • Márquez team - High-throughput crystallisation laboratory

EMBL Hamburg

  • Wilmanns group - Structure and function of molecular machinery for protein translocation across membranes

EMBL Rome

Genetics and genomics

Cell Biology and Biophysics

Developmental Biology

  • Arendt group - Evolution of the nervous system in bilateria
  • Aulehla group - Timing in embryonic development
  • Crocker group - Gene regulation during evolution and development
  • Ikmi group - Plasticity of animal body design
  • Rapti group - Assembly mechanisms of nervous system architecture
  • Vu Group - Control principles of animal body size

Directors' Research

  • Heard group - Epigenetic mechanisms in development and disease
  • Hentze group - RNA biology, metabolism and molecular medicine

Genome Biology

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Bork Group - Deciphering function and evolution of biological systems
  • Dorrity Group - Environmental response at the single-cell level
  • Eustermann group - Exploring the chromatin landscape by cryo-electron microscopy
  • Müller group - Molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes
  • Typas group - Systems microbiology
  • Zaugg group - Personalised genomics to study genetic basis of complex diseases

EMBL Barcelona

EMBL-EBI Hinxton

EMBL Rome

Metabolism and metabolomics

Cell Biology and Biophysics

Developmental Biology

Directors' Research

  • Hentze group - RNA biology, metabolism and molecular medicine

Genome Biology

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Bork Group - Deciphering function and evolution of biological systems
  • Mahamid group - In-cell structural analysis of phase separation and molecular crowding
  • Savitski team - Stability proteomics for assessing the state of the proteome
  • Zimmermann group - Metabolic microbiome–host interactions

EMBL Rome

Microbiology and virology

Cell Biology and Biophysics

  • Dey group - Evolutionary cell biology of the nucleus
  • Schwab team - Volume correlative light and electron microscopy

Developmental Biology

Genome Biology

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Bork Group - Deciphering function and evolution of biological systems
  • Duss group - Assembly mechanisms of protein-RNA complexes at the single-molecule level
  • Mahamid group - In-cell structural analysis of phase separation and molecular crowding
  • Mattei team - High-throughput cryo-EM
  • Typas group - Systems microbiology
  • Zimmermann group - Metabolic microbiome–host interactions

EMBL Barcelona

  • Bernabeu group - In vitro 3D blood-brain barrier model and cerebral malaria

EMBL Grenoble

EMBL Hamburg

  • Garcia Alai team - Molecular biophysics and high-throughput crystallisation
  • Kosinski group - Integrative modelling of infection cycles
  • Landau Group Group - Functional protein fibrils in microbial infections and aggregation diseases
  • Wilmanns group - Structure and function of molecular machinery for protein translocation across membranes

EMBL-EBI Hinxton

  • Bateman team - Microbial sequence and structure analysis
  • Finn group - Computational approaches to understanding microbiomes
  • Iqbal group - Computational microbial genomics
Molecular medicine and disease mechanisms

Cell Biology and Biophysics

Developmental Biology

  • Rapti group - Assembly mechanisms of nervous system architecture

Directors' Research

  • Hentze group - RNA biology, metabolism and molecular medicine

Genome Biology

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Bork Group - Deciphering function and evolution of biological systems
  • Eustermann group - Exploring the chromatin landscape by cryo-electron microscopy
  • Zaugg group - Personalised genomics to study genetic basis of complex diseases
  • Typas group - Systems microbiology
  • Zimmermann group - Metabolic microbiome–host interactions

EMBL Barcelona

  • Bernabeu group - In vitro 3D blood-brain barrier model and cerebral malaria
  • Dayton group - Organoid models of neuroendocrine development and cancer
  • Haase group - Engineering vascularised tissue-specific disease models

EMBL Grenoble

EMBL Hamburg

  • Blanchet team - Characterisation of biological molecules and assemblies using small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS)
  • Kosinski group - Integrative modelling of infection cycles
  • Landau Group Group - Functional protein fibrils in microbial infections and aggregation diseases
  • Wilmanns group - Structure and function of molecular machinery for protein translocation across membranes

EMBL-EBI Hinxton

EMBL Rome

  • Gross group - Neural control of instinctive behaviour
  • Hackett group - Epigenetic mechanisms and intergenerational inheritance
Neurobiology

Cell Biology and Biophysics

  • Erzberger group - Theory of cellular and multicellular organisation
  • Prevedel group - Advanced optical techniques for deep tissue microscopy
  • Schwab team - Volume correlative light and electron microscopy

Developmental Biology

  • Arendt group - Evolution of the nervous system in bilateria
  • Graf group - Theory of biological homeostasis and plasticity
  • Rapti group - Assembly mechanisms of nervous system architecture

EMBL Grenoble

EMBL Rome

Protein and proteomics

Cell Biology and Biophysics

  • Banterle group - Understanding cross-scale principles of cellular organisation
  • Cuylen group - Cellular phase separation by surfactants
  • Ellenberg group - Systems biology of cell division and nuclear organisation

Directors' Research

  • Hentze group - RNA biology, metabolism and molecular medicine

Genome Biology

  • Huber group - Quantitative Biology and Statistics
  • Saka group - Spatial biology from molecules to tissues: high-dimensional investigation of cellular organisation

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Bork Group - Deciphering function and evolution of biological systems
  • Dodonova group - Organisational principles and 3D architecture of archaeal chromatin
  • Dorrity Group - Environmental response at the single-cell level
  • Eustermann group - Exploring the chromatin landscape by cryo-electron microscopy
  • Mahamid group - In-cell structural analysis of phase separation and molecular crowding
  • Müller group - Molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes
  • Savitski team - Stability proteomics for assessing the state of the proteome
  • Typas group - Systems microbiology

EMBL Grenoble

  • Bhogaraju group - Structural biology of ubiquitin signalling
  • Djinovic group - Structure and assembly mechanisms of sarcomeric cytoskeleton
  • Galej group - Structure and function of RNA-protein complexes
  • Kowalinski group - Structural biology of macromolecular protein-RNA complexes

EMBL Hamburg

  • Blanchet team - Characterisation of biological molecules and assemblies using small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS)
  • Garcia Alai team - Molecular biophysics and high-throughput crystallisation
  • Kosinski group - Integrative modelling of infection cycles
  • Landau Group Group - Functional protein fibrils in microbial infections and aggregation diseases

EMBL-EBI Hinxton

EMBL Rome

RNA regulation and transcriptomics

Developmental Biology

Directors' Research

  • Heard group - Epigenetic mechanisms in development and disease
  • Hentze group - RNA biology, metabolism and molecular medicine

Genome Biology

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Duss group - Assembly mechanisms of protein-RNA complexes at the single-molecule level
  • Eustermann group - Exploring the chromatin landscape by cryo-electron microscopy
  • Mahamid group - In-cell structural analysis of phase separation and molecular crowding
  • Müller group - Molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes

EMBL Barcelona

  • Dayton group - Organoid models of neuroendocrine development and cancer

EMBL Grenoble

  • Galej group - Structure and function of RNA-protein complexes
  • Kowalinski group - Structural biology of macromolecular protein-RNA complexes

EMBL-EBI Hinxton

EMBL Rome

Tissue and systems biology

Cell Biology and Biophysics

Developmental Biology

  • Arendt group - Evolution of the nervous system in bilateria
  • Aulehla group - Timing in embryonic development
  • Crocker group - Gene regulation during evolution and development
  • Ikmi group - Plasticity of animal body design
  • Petridou group - Critical points and transitions in embryo development
  • Rapti group - Assembly mechanisms of nervous system architecture
  • Vu Group - Control principles of animal body size

Directors' Research

Genome Biology

  • Furlong group - Genome regulation and chromatin topology during embryonic development
  • Huber group - Quantitative Biology and Statistics
  • Korbel group - From genomic variation to molecular mechanism

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Bork Group - Deciphering function and evolution of biological systems
  • Mahamid group - In-cell structural analysis of phase separation and molecular crowding
  • Typas group - Systems microbiology
  • Zimmermann group - Metabolic microbiome–host interactions

EMBL Barcelona

EMBL Hamburg

EMBL-EBI Hinxton


Methods and Technology Development

Bioinformatics and software development

Cell Biology and Biophysics

Genome Biology

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Bork Group - Deciphering function and evolution of biological systems
  • Dorrity Group - Environmental response at the single-cell level
  • Savitski team - Stability proteomics for assessing the state of the proteome
  • Typas group - Systems microbiology

EMBL Barcelona

EMBL Grenoble

EMBL Hamburg

EMBL-EBI Hinxton

Chemistry and chemical biology

Cell Biology and Biophysics

  • Cuylen group - Cellular phase separation by surfactants
  • Deo group - Building next-generation fluorescent tools for biological imaging
  • Diz-Muñoz group - Mechanobiology at the cell surface

Genome Biology

  • Saka group - Spatial biology from molecules to tissues: high-dimensional investigation of cellular organisation

Molecular Systems Biology

EMBL-EBI Hinxton

EMBL Grenoble

EMBL Hamburg

  • Garcia Alai team - Molecular biophysics and high-throughput crystallisation
  • Wilmanns group - Structure and function of molecular machinery for protein translocation across membranes

Chemistry at EMBL

More information

Computational modelling

Cell Biology and Biophysics

Developmental Biology

Genome Biology

Molecular Systems Biology

EMBL Barcelona

EMBL Grenoble

  • Galej group - Structure and function of RNA-protein complexes

EMBL Hamburg

  • Blanchet team - Characterisation of biological molecules and assemblies using small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS)
  • Garcia Alai team - Molecular biophysics and high-throughput crystallisation
  • Kosinski group - Integrative modelling of infection cycles

EMBL-EBI Hinxton

EMBL Rome

Imaging, microscopy and image analysis

Cell Biology and Biophysics

  • Banterle group - Understanding cross-scale principles of cellular organisation
  • Cuylen group - Cellular phase separation by surfactants
  • Deo group - Building next-generation fluorescent tools for biological imaging
  • Dey group - Evolutionary cell biology of the nucleus
  • Diz-Muñoz group - Mechanobiology at the cell surface
  • Ellenberg group - Systems biology of cell division and nuclear organisation
  • Köhler group - Self-organisation in meiosis
  • Kreshuk group - Machine learning for bioimage analysis
  • Pepperkok team - Membrane traffic and organelle biogenesis
  • Prevedel group - Advanced optical techniques for deep tissue microscopy
  • Quail group - Principles of genome self-organisation
  • Schwab team - Volume correlative light and electron microscopy
  • Zimmermann team - Advanced Light Microscopy technology development and service provision

Developmental Biology

Directors' Research

  • Heard group - Epigenetic mechanisms in development and disease
  • Watt Group - Regulation of stem cell fate

Genome Biology

  • Furlong group - Genome regulation and chromatin topology during embryonic development
  • Huber group - Quantitative Biology and Statistics
  • Saka group - Spatial biology from molecules to tissues: high-dimensional investigation of cellular organisation

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Dodonova group - Organisational principles and 3D architecture of archaeal chromatin
  • Duss group - Assembly mechanisms of protein-RNA complexes at the single-molecule level
  • Eustermann group - Exploring the chromatin landscape by cryo-electron microscopy
  • Mahamid group - In-cell structural analysis of phase separation and molecular crowding
  • Mattei team - High-throughput cryo-EM
  • Müller group - Molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes

EMBL Barcelona

  • Bernabeu group - In vitro 3D blood-brain barrier model and cerebral malaria
  • Dayton group - Organoid models of neuroendocrine development and cancer
  • Haase group - Engineering vascularised tissue-specific disease models
  • Sharpe group - Multicellular systems biology
  • Trivedi group - Self-organization in multi-cellular systems

EMBL Grenoble

  • Papp Team - Robotics and process development for MX and Cryo-EM
  • Galej group - Structure and function of RNA-protein complexes

EMBL Hamburg

  • Duke Team - Biological X-ray imaging
  • Schneider group - Tools for structure determination and analysis
  • Landau Group (Visiting) - Functional protein fibrils in microbial infections and aggregation diseases

EMBL Rome

Integrated structural biology

Cell Biology and Biophysics

  • Banterle group - Understanding cross-scale principles of cellular organisation
  • Ellenberg group - Systems biology of cell division and nuclear organisation

Molecular Systems Biology

  • Dodonova group - Organisational principles and 3D architecture of archaeal chromatin
  • Duss group - Assembly mechanisms of protein-RNA complexes at the single-molecule level
  • Eustermann group - Exploring the chromatin landscape by cryo-electron microscopy
  • Mahamid group - In-cell structural analysis of phase separation and molecular crowding
  • Mattei team - High-throughput cryo-EM
  • Müller group - Molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes
  • Savitski team - Stability proteomics for assessing the state of the proteome

EMBL Grenoble

EMBL Hamburg

  • Blanchet team - Characterisation of biological molecules and assemblies using small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS)
  • Duke Team - Biological X-ray imaging
  • Fiedler team - Synchrotron instrumentation for structural biology beamlines at PETRA III
  • Garcia Alai team - Molecular biophysics and high-throughput crystallisation
  • Kosinski group - Integrative modelling of infection cycles
  • Landau Group (Visiting) - Functional protein fibrils in microbial infections and aggregation diseases
  • Schneider group - Tools for structure determination and analysis
  • Wilmanns group - Structure and function of molecular machinery for protein translocation across membranes

EMBL-EBI Hinxton

Microfluidics

Cell Biology and Biophysics

  • Dey group - Evolutionary cell biology of the nucleus
  • Cuylen group - Cellular phase separation by surfactants

Developmental Biology

EMBL Barcelona

  • Bernabeu group - In vitro 3D blood-brain barrier model and cerebral malaria
  • Haase group - Engineering vascularised tissue-specific disease models
Robotics and automation

Cell Biology and Biophysics

  • Pepperkok team - Membrane traffic and organelle biogenesis
  • Prevedel group - Advanced optical techniques for deep tissue microscopy
  • Schwab team - Volume correlative light and electron microscopy

Developmental Biology

  • Crocker group - Gene regulation during evolution and development

Molecular Systems Biology

EMBL Grenoble

EMBL Hamburg

  • Fiedler team - Synchrotron instrumentation for structural biology beamlines at PETRA III
  • Garcia Alai team - Molecular biophysics and high-throughput crystallisation
  • Schneider group - Tools for structure determination and analysis

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