The Director of EMBO Prof. Fiona Watt Visited Vilnius University

On September 19th, Prof. Fiona Watt, the Director of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), visited Vilnius University (VU). The scientist met with Prof. Edita Sužiedėlienė, the Pro-Rector for Research.

"Collaboration with EMBO opens up unique opportunities for VU scientists. VU is proud of its researchers who have received EMBO grants, which have allowed them to establish their own laboratories, become members of the EMBO Young Investigators Network, and thus establish connections in the international research community. VU's young researchers actively use various EMBO programs and support to participate in international conferences, courses, and visits. Prof. F. Watt's visit only reaffirms the success and dedication of Vilnius University researchers in the field of life sciences," says Prof. E. Sužiedėlienė.

Later, Prof. F. Watt visited the VU Life Sciences Center, where she was welcomed by the Center's Director, Prof. Daumantas Matulis. Prof. F. Watt presented EMBO programmes and activities. The Life Sciences Center researchers, Dr. Algirdas Toleikis and Dr. Jorūnė Sakalauskaitė, who received EMBO scholarships, gave presentations.

Prof. Fiona Watt is a British scientist best known for her contributions to the field of stem cell biology. She received her DPhil in cell biology from the University of Oxford, UK, in 1979 and carried out postdoctoral research at M.I.T, Cambridge, USA. She established her first laboratory at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in London, UK, and then moved to the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) London Research Institute where she worked for 20 years. From 2007 to 2012, she was deputy director of the CRUK Cambridge Institute and of the Wellcome–MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, UK. She moved to King’s College London, UK, in September 2012 to take up the post of director of the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine. She was on secondment as executive chair of the Medical Research Council from 2018 to 2022. In January 2022, Fiona Watt became EMBO Director and a group leader at EMBL Heidelberg. She remains a professor and visiting worker at King’s College London. Fiona Watt is a leading scientist in stem cell biology. Her main research interests are how the differentiated state of cells in adult tissues is maintained and how this information can be harnessed for regenerative medicine. She has published more than 280 publications, filed five patents, and received numerous awards and honours in recognition of her achievements. Fiona Watt is an elected member of EMBO, the Academia Europaea and the US National Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of the UK Royal Society and Academy of Medical Sciences. In 2016, she received the FEBS | EMBO Women in Science Award. She was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cell Science and deputy editor of eLife. She currently serves on the (advisory) editorial boards of EMBO Molecular Medicine, Cell Stem Cell and Current Opinion in Cell Biology. She is also on the advisory boards of the bioRxiv and medRxiv preprint servers.

EMBO is an organization that brings together more than 1900 scientists, promoting excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond. The organization's goals include supporting talented scientists at all stages of their careers, fostering the exchange of scientific information, and facilitating the creation of a research environment conducive to achieving the best scientific results. EMBO helps young scientists develop their research, promotes their international recognition, and ensures their mobility. Information about the latest scientific research and learning methods that help maintain high standards of research practice is disseminated through courses, seminars, conferences, and scientific journals. EMBO also contributes to shaping science and research policies, aiming to obtain community feedback and closely monitor scientific trends in Europe.

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