The governing Council of EMBL has approved Director General Edith Heard's restructure of senior management with effect from 1 July 2020.
Professor Heard said: "EMBL has grown significantly over the past decade including the addition of a new site at Barcelona, and we have ambitious plans for the future to ensure our research, services and training expand further for the benefit of our Member States, humanity and the planet."
"The management changes confirmed today will ensure EMBL's tradition of excellence and innovation in molecular biology is maintained even while we develop new research areas including infection biology and human ecosystems."
Professor Ewan Birney FRS becomes Deputy Director General, with specific responsibility to support the Director General to increase EMBL's engagement with its Member States and to expand its global influence. Professor Birney is a globally respected research leader. He will remain a Joint Director of EMBL-EBI.
Professor Peer Bork becomes Director of EMBL Heidelberg (Scientific Activities), with responsibility for oversight and coordination of scientific activities on the Heidelberg site. He will work closely with the Heads of Unit as well as Dr Rainer Pepperkok, the Director of Core Facilities and Scientific Services. Professor Bork will progressively step down from his role as Head of the Structural and Computational Biology Unit.
Mr Matti Tiirakari has been confirmed as Chief Operating Officer, after serving in an interim capacity since joining EMBL in January 2020 on secondment from CERN. He heads EMBL's administrative functions across all six sites, and leads EMBL's crisis management system.
EMBL's leadership structure is on the EMBL website.
Tags: Director, Director General, Heard, leadership, management
