2010 FEBS/EMBO Women in Science award honours Ingrid Grummt /Outstanding geneticist and committed mentor

The FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award, now in its third year, recognizes and rewards the exceptional achievements of a female researcher in molecular biology over the previous five years. Winners of the award are role models who inspire future generations of women in science.

“Ingrid Grummt is an outstanding scientist who has made seminal contributions in the field of regulation of gene expression, including the very recent discoveries that link ageing and some inherited diseases with the silencing of genes required for cell growth,” said selection committee member Claudio Sunkel, Director of the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology in Porto, Portugal.

The 2010 winner is distinguished not only for scientific contributions but also for her commitment to the development of European science through her active service on various advisory boards, panels and scientific committees.

“It is important to me to inspire young women to face personal and professional challenges, to help them mobilize their strengths when in doubt and motivate and encourage them to keep their eyes on their goals. I think that integrating career and personal goals makes people happier and more productive in the long run,” said the award winner.

Prior to joining the German Cancer Research Center, Ingrid was a post-doctoral fellow at the German Academy of Sciences in Berlin and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich, and led a research group at the University in Würzburg, Germany. She was honoured with prestigious awards such as the Science Prize of the Fritz-Winter-Foundation and the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz-Prize for German scientists.

The 2010 FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award of 10,000 euro will be presented to Ingrid Grummt on 30 June at the 35th FEBS Congress in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she will present a special lecture.

About EMBO

The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) promotes excellence in molecular life sciences in Europe by recognizing and fostering talented scientists. Since 1964, leading scientists are elected annually to become EMBO Members based on proven excellence in research. Members number more than 1,400 today. Fifty-three scientists from the EMBO membership have received the Nobel Prize.

Four leading peer-reviewed journals – The EMBO Journal, EMBO reports, Molecular Systems Biology and EMBO Molecular Medicine – span a broad spectrum of topics of molecular biology and reflect how science is shaping the world.

EMBO funding, training and networking activities impact thousands of scientists every year, promoting collaboration in all areas of molecular biology – within its 27 member states, in Europe and neighbouring countries, and worldwide.

For more information: www.embo.org

About FEBS

The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) is a leading European organization of the life sciences. Its constituent societies, whose membership exceeds 40,000 in Europe and adjoining countries, extend from Ireland and Iceland in the west, to Armenia in the east.

FEBS promotes research and the teaching of biochemistry, molecular cell biology and molecular biophysics, by supporting an annual congress, a rich program of advanced practical and theoretical courses, workshops and special lectures. These activities are complemented by an extensive fellowships program, enabling mobility of young and senior scientists across the European continent.

FEBS has pioneered the creation of scientific publication forums for European life scientists by its two leading journals, FEBS Journal and FEBS Letters.

Being concerned about Europe's scientific future, FEBS has been involved in the establishment of the European Life Science Forum (ELSF) and the Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE), both active in developing new channels and means for advancing science.