MBI PI Timothy Saunders selected as EMBO Global Investigator

Asst. Prof. Saunders joins inaugural class of new EMBO Programme

MBI SciComms | DEC 2019

Asst. Prof. Timothy Saunders, MBI Principal Investigator and Department of Biological Sciences, NUS has been selected to join the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) Global Investigator Network. This new EMBO Programme, launched in 2019, aim to identify and support the next generation of scientific leaders that have started their laboratories in EMBC Associate Member States (currently India and Singapore) or in a country or territory covered by a cooperation agreement with EMBC (currently Chile and Taiwan). This inaugural class of nine EMBO Global Investigators are distributed across all four of these countries or territories.

“We are delighted to welcome the first EMBO Global Investigators to our community,” says EMBO Director Maria Leptin. “Through the network we want to enable these researchers to develop and maintain strong connections with the life science community in Europe and beyond.”

“I am honoured to be selected and inducted into the EMBO Global Investigator Network Programme. The programme will provide excellent support for my collaborations with European-based colleagues and also enable me to expand my scientific network across Singapore and in Europe.” says Asst. Prof. Saunders.

Asst. Prof. Saunders’ research investigates the biochemical and biomechanical processes guiding organ formation. His lab emphasizes interdisciplinary research that combines cutting-edge experimental techniques such as lightsheet microscopy with theoretical modelling to deconstruct how robust patterns and structures emerge from the complex array of genetic and biophysical interactions occurring during embryo development. Recently, his lab revealed how the formation of chevron (V-shaped) patterns in embryonic fish muscle does not arise simply from genetic instructions, but actually requires application of spatial and temporal physical forces.

The EMBO Global Investigator Network

The benefits of the EMBO Global Investigator Network include training in leadership and research integrity; small grants, for example for making visits to Europe to start or continue collaborations, or for attending or organizing regional or international scientific meetings; and financial support for joint lab meetings and lab retreats, publications or childcare.

The emphasis of the programme is on creating a regional network of young group leaders and strengthening cross-continental connections with scientists in Europe, in particular with the EMBO Young Investigators and Installation Grantees. To this end, the EMBO Global Investigators will be invited to attend the biennial Global Investigator Meeting, together with other members of the EMBO community.

This first group of EMBO Global Investigators will begin the programme in January 2020 and receive support from EMBO for a total of four years.