{"id":54553,"date":"2026-11-04T13:01:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T13:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/alumni\/?page_id=54553"},"modified":"2026-11-04T20:43:31","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T20:43:31","slug":"peer-bork","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/alumni\/community\/obituaries\/peer-bork\/","title":{"rendered":"Peer Bork"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n\n

Peer Bork, EMBL Interim Director General, passed away on Friday 16 January 2026 at the age of 62.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

It is with profound sadness that we share the news of Peer Bork\u2019s passing. Peer served as Head of EMBL\u2019s Structural and Computational Biology Unit from 2001 to 2021 and as Director of EMBL Heidelberg from 2020 to 2025. In March 2025, he became Interim Director General.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peer was a visionary thinker who never lost sight of the bigger picture. He cared deeply about the people he mentored and the community he helped build. His loss has come as a profound shock to colleagues and friends across continents, many of whom felt a close connection to him and drew inspiration from his creativity, curiosity and sense of fun. He will be deeply missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rest in peace, Peer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

——————————————-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See EMBL institutional obituary here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Giulio Superti-Furga<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImpossible to describe the feeling of losing Peer Bork. My deepest condolences to Rebecca, to his family, to his lab, and to our entire community. It is a lonelier planet without one of its most brilliant minds and truly forward-looking innovators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a privilege it was to enjoy some of his attention, making companies together, writing papers, recruiting scientists, but above all discussing the future. I think most of my friends would agree that Peer was simply a few notches smarter than the rest of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His sentences had twenty ramifications. He assumed he did not need to finish a particular branch of thought, because one could extrapolate and avoid the banality of closure, especially when the next idea was already lifting you higher, as it invariably did. After talking to Peer, your head would buzz in full-tilt stimulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I suspect he assumed his interlocutors were always smarter than they actually were, but they became so afterward, through the training. Some of the earliest truly complex thoughts on the impact of genomics, drug discovery, microbiome exploration, and planetary health came through Peer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There must be a place on the other side where one can continue the conversation, Peer. Your spirit was far too strong and luminous to depend on mitochondria or anything so mundane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Au revoir.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Martin Beck<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer Bork has profoundly shaped my scientific thinking. To work with him at EMBL was a privilege. His scientific creativity was so extraordinary that one often wondered whether he possessed some intellectual advantage over the rest of us \u2014 ordinary scientists.

But Peer was exceptional in so many ways. He could edit a dull scientific paper so that it suddenly became an exciting read. He was knowledgeable. He could collapse an elaborate proposal like a house of cards with a single question. But he could also motivate and inspire.

He had an extraordinary ability to read and anticipate human behavior. He knew how to get his will on panels. He loved EMBL and went far beyond the extra mile for it. He was a fabulous mentor \u2014 he cared deeply for his group leaders and was always willing to step in to help make them successful. He was the grand master of Liar\u2019s Dice. He certainly knew how to throw a party. And he had style.

With my deepest respect and gratitude, I bow to a giant. He’ll be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Rob Russell<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTerrible to lose Peer. He was a colleague, collaborator, co-author, mentor, boss and friend. He is the main reason I moved to EMBL and Germany. Always insightful, always helpful, and with a human touch that virtually no scientist of his stature had. Science will now be a lot less fun. I’ll miss him. Everybody do what you can for Rebecca and the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Sofia Kirke Forslund-Startceva <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTruly bitter news, we have lost Peer Bork. He was my mentor and likely the most brilliant scientist I have had the honour of working with, a genuinely kind and caring person, uncommonly sane in actually focusing on what matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Huijiao Yang<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am utterly shocked. My impression of Peer dates back to when I was applying for a PhD and researching potential supervisors. I came across a post by Peer that emphasized allowing free exploration without restricting directions. At the time, I had not yet been admitted to a program, and deciding on a research direction was my greatest source of confusion. As I hesitated over whether I could embrace such boundless freedom as a challenge, I found myself deep in thought. Now, this has struck me once again\u2014what kind of scientist should I become? What is my scientific mission? When new technologies emerge, what new imagination should science embrace? Thank you, Peer. During my moments of greatest uncertainty, your story and work have not only reignited my inspiration but also, to some extent, helped clear the fog, guiding me toward becoming a true scientist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Margarida Amaral<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat a loss! Shocked and saddened by the passing of Peer, a pioneering figure in Systems Biology and an extraordinary scientific leader. His vision and generosity shaped EMBL and touched countless colleagues. Thoughts are with his family and all who mourn this profound loss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

John Quackenbush<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was so saddened to see this announcement. Peer was a giant in computational and systems biology whose work continues to influence nearly everyone and everything in the field. But more importantly, he was a good, kind-hearted human being who many of us were fortunate to have as a friend and colleague.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Poul Nissen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo sad to write these words. Peer Bork was all the new and exciting biology, a pioneer, a great support and mentor of the next generations, and a world-leading scientist. He stood for all the great values that connect us in Europe and to the world. We have lost a role model and a hero. Rest in peace Peer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Michael Boutros<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of Peer Bork \u2013 an exceptional scientist, collaborator, and important member of our Heidelberg biomedical community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peer was a driver of cross-institutional collaborations and of forging lasting connections between people, disciplines, and places. His commitment to establishing and continuing the Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit between the Heidelberg Medical Faculty and EMBL was remarkable. His passion for driving innovation and translating it into medicine at the interface between computational research and health care inspired many scientists around him. I am extremely grateful for his ideas and contributions within the MMPU framework and the countless other projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On behalf of the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University, and also personally, I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues at EMBL and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Lars Steinmetz<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer was an inspiration to me throughout my career at EMBL. He played a key role in my decision to join EMBL in 2003. I will never forget the inspirational discussion we had at the EMBL cafeteria during my interview, and after that the many discussions we had over the 23 years that followed. Peer was honest and cared about others. He was EMBL\u2019s top scientist and generous in sharing his time and insights to make EMBL better. I always respected that he made time for his family and divided his day in two, the morning for EMBL, the afternoon for science. I will miss him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Eric Karsenti<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“So sad to have lost such a wonderful friend and colleague. Peer has been an amazing support and companion all the way through the Tara Oceans adventure. I remember vividly also all those senior scientists meeting at EMBL and exciting discussions as well as our sometimes failures we laughed about when trying to get money from rich people. I will deeply miss Peer. My warmest support to Peer’s family and close friends.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Shannon McWeeney<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith everything going on, I hadn\u2019t had the chance to fully process this. I\u2019m deeply saddened by the passing of Peer Bork, EMBL\u2019s Interim Director General.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had the privilege of collaborating with his group at EMBL in the mid-2000s\u2014an incredibly formative period in my career. That experience gave me invaluable exposure to the remarkable intellectual collaboration that EMBL provides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peer was an extraordinary steward of EMBL and of science itself, embodying an enduring spirit of open, curiosity-driven exploration. His impact on bioinformatics and computational biology is profound and lasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rest in peace, Peer. My thoughts are with his family, colleagues, and the global scientific community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\u202aGerm\u00e1n Bonilla-Rosso<\/strong>\u202c <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wouldn’t be who I am without having read those late 90s papers demonstrating how to do quantitative biology with sequences from Peer Bork, specifically on predictive functions. And on taking metagenomics seriously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His death is a huge loss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Juan Felipe Beltr\u00e1n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer Bork was the first \u201chousehold name\u201d I encountered in bioinformatics research. His paper predicting drugs\u2019 shared targets based on similarity of their side effects has come up at least once a year in my career. We lost a great node in our network today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\u202aLuis Pedro Coelho<\/strong>\u202c \u202a<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer was a giant of bioinformatics and computational biology and an inspiring mentor to everyone who had been in his group. I find myself repeating things he said all the time and will probably keep doing so for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Wolfgang Huber<\/strong>\u202c \u202a<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor many years, Peer Bork organised Bio-IT retreats to bring together the bioinformaticians across EMBL, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and later Feldberg. Days out on the mountain followed by forward-looking and meta-science oriented sessions in the hut that fueled many projects and careers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\u202aLaurence Pearl<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo sad to hear of the untimely death of the wonderful Peer Bork – a truly original thinker in bioinformatics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Matthias Mann <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery sad to hear about Peer Bork’s untimely passing. I have known him since my time at EMBL in the 1990s – a brilliant mind and wonderful collaborator. His contributions to bioinformatics were transformative. The community has lost a giant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Eran Segal <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery sad news. Peer was a great scientist, always ahead of the curve with new ideas, new ways to look at the data, new insights and discoveries. RIP Peer, I learned a lot from you and will miss our conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Shini Sunagawa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer\u2019s impact on science will last forever, and so will the impact he made on many who had the privilege of knowing him. In my mind, I keep hearing snippets of his words, full of resonating wisdom. I am forever grateful for his long-lasting mentorship and the laughs we shared. My deepest condolences go to Peer\u2019s family. I wish them the strength to make space for happy memories, in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Andrew McCarthy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy sincere condolences to all Bork family members. Peer was an exceptional scientist who made a huge contribution to EMBL and inspired a generation of scientists. He will be sorely missed, may he rest in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Kai Simons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo sad. Peer was such a wonderful scientist and colleague. He will be deeply missed. It was personalities like Peer who made EMBL such a success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Miguel Andrade<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur deepest condolences to Peer’s family from Miguel and Carola. It is consoling that Peer lived an intense life and inspired many. We always remember and will remember his good humored and cordial attitude. His generosity over the years made our lives better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Panagiotis Kastritis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer left a lasting impression on me. Hearing him talk through his ideas over our paper ignited my willingness to contribute to top research: I cannot explain it, but something moved inside me and changed how I approach science. His natural brilliance pushed molecular sciences forward in ways that will last, and I am deeply sorry for such a loss. My deepest condolences to his family, such a brilliant mind leaving us far too soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Matthias Wilmanns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy deepest condolences to Rebecca and all of their family. Peer has been one of the most remarkable scientists at EMBL for > 30 years, and he is a most prominent part of the EMBL legacy in computational biology. He has been absolutely passionate for the organisation. It is a shame that he did not reach a stage where he could reflect on all his achievements and simply enjoy life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Peter Becker<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am wrestling with words. I worked very closely with Peer during his Interim Directorship. He was so energetic, determined, visionary, reliable and full of future plans! How sad. What a great loss for EMBL and the community it represents!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Fiona Watt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer will always be remembered for being a great scientist and colleague. On behalf of EMBO, I send my deepest condolences to his family and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Rob Hooft<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the Sander Group we were often many people sharing a single crowded room. Peer was a remarkable colleague. He left his trace, 30 years at EMBL, and is leaving a void.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Martina Muckenthaler<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt feels way too early that Peer had to go! What remains are memories: time as researchers at EMBL, as group leaders within the MMPU, kindergarten time and birthday parties of our children. I wish the family a lot of strength to cope with this immense loss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Iain Mattaj<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt seems incredible that it is 30 years since Peer arrived at EMBL. Even in the context of a very creative place he stood out from the beginning as special, always coming up with unexpected questions and insights, and always expecting those of others. He had a talent for coming up with seemingly simple questions that no-one else had thought of. I am still shocked by his death and can barely imagine what Rebecca and the boys are going through. All my sympathy to them for a loss that arrived much too early.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Angus Lamond<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is such a shock to the whole EMBL family and wider research community. I send my sincere condolences and thoughts to Peer’s family, colleagues and friends. Peer’s many research discoveries and achievements have benefitted researchers across many fields, including my own and he will be greatly missed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Thomas Vaccari<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI remember Peer since the days I was a young PhD student in Developmental Biology in the early 2000s. His group would occupy almost stably a corner in the old downstairs cafeteria with a seemingly endless rotation of people around him, holding a coffee slouched in the 70’s style white and orange cafeteria chairs. The discussions of him and his people were in apparent constant stream. The dim lighting gave the scene a warm and cozy feeling and the impression of a circle of debating Greek philosophers (at least in my mind). As an experimental scientist, I remember naively my marveling at the fact that bioinformaticians were liberated from experiments and more free to think. As I returned to EMBL during my career, I came to regard Peer as one of the familiar faces in such an ever new, high turnover institute. He helped me preserve a comforting sense of remembrance and belonging. In these last few years coming to EMBL for various alumni activities, I have been happy to interact with Peer occasionally in the context of the landmark TREC activities, one of his brainchilds, and more lately witnessing his involvement in the recent Director General transition. Like few other people, to me he incarnated a chunk of the EMBL soul. This is why last week I felt like when we lose a relative that we regret having not interacted with more often. Thank you, Peer, for all that you have given me and so many others, far beyond the field of bioinformatics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Marino Zerial<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is with shock and deep sadness that we received the news that Peer Bork suddenly passed away. It is a loss not only for the EMBL community (past and present) but for the whole scientific community of life sciences. Peer was a remarkable scientist and a great leader, and for all of us who had the privilege of overlapping with him at EMBL, a colleague admired and respected not just for his extraordinary contributions to computational and systems biology, but also for his generous spirit and collegiality. We mourn his loss deeply, and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the many EMBL colleagues who could benefit from his work, lately as interim Director General. His legacy of excellence, collaboration, and humanity will long be remembered. Farewell Peer!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Bertrand Seraphin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring my time at EMBL, I had the privilege of witnessing Peer Bork\u2019s arrival at the institute. I quickly came to appreciate an active and dynamic colleague, whose breadth of knowledge was inspiring. His sudden passing is a profound loss. Please accept my heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathy to Peer\u2019s family during this difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Kristina Djinovic Carugo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel privileged to have known Peer for more than 30 years. He was a truly sparkling mind, inspiring and seeding enthusiasm, whether he was speaking about science or about everyday life. What a great loss for EMBL, for the community, and for everyone who knew him. My deepest condolences to Rebecca, Udo, Robin, and to the entire family and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Ruben Abagyan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was deeply saddened to hear of Peer\u2019s passing. Since that memorable time in the early 90s at EMBL, Peer stood out as a true visionary pioneer. He had a rare, forward-thinking instinct for research, shaping the tools of bioinformatics long before the field matured. My sincere condolences go to his family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Anandhi Iyappan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has been an absolute privilege to be working in his lab. Although I have had very little opportunities to interact with him, those moments were always filled with positivity, encouragement and above all trust that he has on each one of the people he worked with.  Beyond being a great scientist, and visionary, for me Peer was a father-like figure, a man who demonstrated that he can be a leader and yet be empathetic towards people, a man who always took the blame on himself when something went wrong and never looked for credits when things went right – a sign of a true leader. I will miss him a lot and I will cherish the little moments I have had with him.  My heart goes out to his family and I wish them strength to overcome this loss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Nektarios Tavernarakis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was truly heartbroken to learn of Peer’s passing. I first met him 22 years ago, when he was invited to Crete as a distinguished speaker at the Onassis Lectures, and we have kept regular interaction since. He was a kind soul and an inspiring scientist whose work has left a lasting impact on the life sciences community, both at EMBL and beyond. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. My thoughts are with them all in this incredibly difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Sarah Teichmann<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer was a giant of computational biology and a scientific role model from the time I entered the field as a PhD student in the mid-90s. I was thrilled when Peer was the external examiner for my PhD in 1999 (together with Richard Durbin as internal examiner) and will never forget the 3 intense hours we spent debating the PhD thesis in those early days of the complete bacterial and yeast genomes. Peer exuded energy and the excited frenzy of a life of science, travel and family duties, and he maintained that enthusiastic personality throughout the following decades. It was always a pleasure to read his group’s newest works and cross paths with him at conferences. It is with deep dismay and shock that I learned of his passing. My sympathy and condolences are with his family and friends, and the large international scientific community who are all so saddened by this untimely loss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Johan Decelle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am deeply saddened by the loss of Peer. It is profoundly tragic to see a father, husband, colleague, mentor, and leader pass away. I was always impressed by his intelligence, sharp thinking, insightful questions, leadership, and vision. I am deeply grateful for his essential contributions to Tara Oceans and for the visionary TREC project he initiated. It feels terribly unfair that such a brilliant person\u2014who gave so much to life science, trained so many students, and launched so many impactful projects\u2014was taken from us. We will remember Peer and his contributions, and we will strive to carry forward his vision and scientific dreams. My sincere condolences go to his wife, family, friends, and colleagues at EMBL. Thank you, Peer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Edith Heard<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is difficult to express the shock and sadness I feel at the news that we have lost Peer. My deepest condolences go to his family. Peer\u2019s loss is a huge loss for science, for all those who knew him and were inspired by him. He was a true visionary who cared about great science and about those who did it. I remember the exhilaration he would bring when discussing science with him. He was a holistic thinker who would not only come up with big ideas but also with clever ways to implement them, even on a planetary scale. It was conversations with him, and the colleagues around him, that led to the inception of Planetary Biology and the TREC project, in the Molecules to Ecosystems programme. He was a true thought partner for me at EMBL when I was Director General. I also witnessed what an incredibly kind and generous mentor he was to so many people. We have lost a great man. My thoughts are with his family, his friends and colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Julien Tap<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI remember Peer with deep gratitude and respect. During my time at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, working in his group profoundly shaped both my scientific direction and my professional identity. Peer had a rare ability to connect bold ideas with a generosity of spirit, pushing boundaries while trusting and empowering those around him. I had the chance to live the microbiome revolution at his side, and I remain deeply grateful for the trust he placed in me, for instance, when I was given the responsibility to run the first gut metagenomics sequencing efforts at EMBL. What an adventure! What continues to influence me most today is how he worked. The way I approach science: open, collaborative, data-driven, and focused on asking the right questions, comes directly from Peer. Even years later, in every project I lead or contribute to, I find myself applying principles I learned from him. Peer\u2019s legacy lives on not only through his scientific contributions but through the many people and ways of working he shaped. My heartfelt condolences go to his family, friends, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. He will be deeply missed and always remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Aur\u00e9lie Maupoum\u00e9<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had the privilege of being one of the Budget Officers for his unit a long time ago, and Peer profoundly shaped my professional identity in ways that have stayed with me until now. He taught me what it truly means to be a business partner rather than a controller – to accompany and support rather than simply monitor. My core professional foundation of \u201cAll about collaboration and sharing\u201d is something I owe entirely to him and the trust he placed in me. Although many years have passed since I left EMBL, I have carried these principles with me through every role and in my personal life, and I think of him with deep gratitude for the professional I became under his guidance. I know how immense this loss must be for all of you who worked closely with him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Gerrit van Meer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo me, Peer was a scholar who combined top science with friendship. My sincere condolences to family, friends and colleagues. He lives on in our minds and hearts!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Mayte Pisabarro<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer’s passing deeply saddens me. His pioneering work and contributions to science will live on, and his always warm smile will remain in my memory. My most sincere condolences to his family, especially dear Rebecca. May he rest in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Patrick Cramer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had the privilege to interact with Peer since the middle of the 1990s. Last year he provided his advice to the Max Planck Society during one of our working dinners in Munich. He was the THE pioneer of bioinformatics and systems biology in Europe and such a wonderful, helpful and approachable colleague. He will be sorely missed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Luca Toldo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/strong>I joined EMBL in 1994, and remember crisply the high energy and intellectual power of Peer, always driving Science to new horizons and pushing the boundaries of what the computer power could offer to serve biocomputing (later bio-informatics) needs. My warmest condolence to the family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Jamie Hackett<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom our scientific discussions, to mentorship, to the bar, Peer you were a great inspiration. I both learned greatly and enjoyed working with you deeply. R.I.P.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Eero Vuorio<\/strong>
<\/strong>\u201c<\/strong>Today I learned with great sadness that Peer Bork has passed away. I learned to know him through the years he worked at EMBL as a vigorous scientist and a cheerful person. His untimely death is a great loss for EMBL and the entire scientific community. Please extend my condolences to his family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Chris Bowler<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy deepest condolences to the Bork family on this tragic loss. I have known Peer since the early days of Tara Oceans more than 15 years ago and we have shared many happy moments, successes and also failures together. Peer always had an immensely positive spirit and enthusiasm to get things done, and in spite of his rock star status as a scientist he was always humble, ready to listen, and ready to get excited about the next big idea. His contributions to understanding the human, soil and ocean microbiomes were immense, and his passing is a huge loss for science. And on a personal note, I just lost a fantastic colleague, visionary, and friend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Hiroyuki Ogata<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDear Peer, thank you for leading and guiding us. You have been my hero and will continue to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Andrew Moore<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/strong>Generous, industrious, friendly, driven by science. What more could you ask for in a scientist? How sad that we no longer have Peer amongst us, but how lucky we were to have had him!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Ruedi Aebersold<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI read with great sadness about Peer’s untimely passing. I send my heartfelt condolences to Peer\u2019s family and friends. He was a true pioneer transforming science in many ways. He was a fountain of ideas that he generously shared. He was fair and efficient in leadership positions and he was tireless in advancing the careers of numerous talented young scientists. But foremost, he was a warm and emphatic human being. I was privileged to enjoy these characteristics for more than twenty years. I will miss him greatly. Fortunately, his traces and legacy will live on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Christine Boecker<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/strong>My memories of Peer go back to the time of EMBL’s Biocomputing Unit when I was working with Toby Gibson. Peer used to be in the midst of his team, always lively discussing science, making plans for great bioinformatics tools, and as well enjoying lunch breaks playing computer games with them. Only during this time his office door was closed. Peer was the initiator of the Biocomputing Ski Retreat bringing the groups and people together: during the day on the slope and afterwards exchanging on science until the evening. There was space for fun but always high scientific ambitions as well. That’s how I’ll remember him: surrounded by his team members, exchanging ideas, dedicated to his visions, full of energy, smiling. I send my heartfelt condolences to Rebecca, Udo and Robin, and to his friends and colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Vera van Noort<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer inspired me to always challenge myself in science and in personal endeavours, to never choose the boring path, like he always found interesting new routes himself. At the same time he stressed the importance of family and made sure everyone felt welcome in his group. My thoughts are with his family and the current Bork group. May you find strength to continue his legacy and look back with fond memories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Michael Nilges<\/strong>
<\/strong>
<\/strong>\u201c<\/strong>This is so sad. Peer and I overlapped for my whole time at EMBL and in a lot of ways he is and will remain Biocomputing at EMBL for me. He was a wonderful colleague and extremely generous and helpful. He was so full of life the last time we met a couple of years ago and this is difficult to believe. Rest in peace, dear Peer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Chan Yeong Kim<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/strong>I still cannot believe you are no longer with us. It feels so unreal. From our very first meeting when I joined the Bork group, to the time you walked into our office full of excitement after playing UT, all the research meetings we had, and our memories at Gyeongbokgung and Inwangsan in Seoul last April, all these moments remain so vivid in my mind. Even though you were already a highly accomplished and respected scientist, you used to say that “research is like a candy shop”. Seeing that passion and motivation was a huge inspiration to me. I learned so much from your creativity and your remarkable ability to always see the big picture. I am so grateful to you for welcoming me into your lab and for your invaluable guidance. You have my deepest respect, and I will miss you. Thank you for everything. \uac10\uc0ac\ud569\ub2c8\ub2e4. \uc0bc\uac00 \uace0\uc778\uc758 \uba85\ubcf5\uc744 \ube55\ub2c8\ub2e4.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Pascale Cossart<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDear Peer’s family It was a real shock to learn about Peer’s death last Friday. Peer was one of the pillars of EMBL Heidelberg. When I arrived for my long term visit to EMBL four years ago, he was among the three first leaders I wanted to meet right away. His vision, his solid attitude in front of science and his charisma were exceptional. Science has lost a personality who was so supportive for young people… and the less young!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Alex Stark<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to express my sincere condolences to Peer’s family and friends. The situation is so sad and unreal. Peer’s dedication to EMBL and to science was inspirational. He has been an important mentor during my PhD at EMBL 2001 to 2005 and again for me as a starting PI at the IMP in Vienna from 2008 onwards. I’m forever grateful!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Maria Garcia Alai<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer was a brilliant scientist who inspired me and pushed me to do better science. His excitement for ideas, paired with an extraordinary ability to turn them into reality, was truly contagious. I will miss him deeply and will forever cherish the memories we shared: discussing projects, sampling together, and talking about life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Maja K\u00f6hn<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am deeply shocked and saddened by Peer’s passing. When I was a group leader at EMBL, he was always approachable, helpful, and kind. I was lucky to spend a fun evening last year with him and Rebecca at a birthday party, and I will cherish these memories. He was a giant in his field and part of EMBL’s DNA. What a huge loss. My deepest condolences to his family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Eileen Furlong<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’ve had the privilege to know Peer for over 20 years at EMBL, we had so many great discussions as heads of Units, when he was head of the Structural and Computational Biology Unit. My fondest memories are brainstorming crazy scientific ideas, especially while having a night-cap, a whisky or two at the end of the evening at our faculty retreats.  The loss is huge at so many levels, it still hasn’t sunk in. Peer, we miss you dearly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Silke Schumacher<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDear Rebecca, dear Udo and dear Robin,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is with incredible sadness that I learned about Peer\u2019s sudden passing. Peer\u2019s scientific brilliance and creativity, and how he mentored scores of young scientists over several decades at EMBL, generated a lasting legacy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I witnessed first-hand during shuttling the kids to and from school that he applied the same principles to his sons Udo and Robin: always ready for a joke, but never leaving his principles of providing them with loving challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My thoughts are with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Wei-Hua Chen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy deepest condolences to Peer\u2019s family and friends. I had the privilege of spending five years as a postdoctoral researcher in his lab. He was not only an exceptional mentor, but also a trusted friend. His passing is a profound loss to the scientific community, and he will be deeply missed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Health + Life Science Alliance, Helke Hillebrand <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of Peer Bork, a valued executive member of the Health + Life Science Alliance Heidelberg Mannheim. Peer was a leading scientific mind and a committed supporter of collaboration across institutions, disciplines, and borders. His enthusiasm for the Alliance highlighted the relevance of interdisciplinary and interinstitutional collaboration for excellent research.

Peer\u2019s intellectual curiosity, generosity, and integrity left a lasting mark on our community. He will be remembered not only for his outstanding scientific contributions, but also for his thoughtful leadership and his encouragement of others.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues, and all who had the privilege to work with him at the EMBL Heidelberg and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Systems Ecology Group, Research Group at Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Peer Bork from EMBL. He was a giant in the field and such a positive, curious person. Peer had been one of our key collaborators since 2013. We will truly miss his deep kindness, enthusiasm, and intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Max Delbr\u00fcck Center<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe mourn the sudden unexpected loss of Peer Bork, a formative figure who helped shape the center\u2019s intellectual spirit and commitment to innovative life science. Bork went on to build an extraordinary international career, influencing modern biology far beyond Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018For me, Peer was far more than an exceptional scientist. He was a close colleague and a dear friend. His sudden loss fills me with deep sadness and lasting gratitude for having shared both science and friendship with him.\u2019 Detlev Ganten\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Condolences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you would like to add a message of condolence for inclusion on the EMBL Alumni Obituaries page, please contact the Alumni Relations team<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\n
\n\n
\"\"
Peer Bork<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":0,"parent":498,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-title-left-aligned.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"embl_taxonomy":[],"class_list":["post-54553","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"embl_taxonomy_terms":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/54553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54553"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/54553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54639,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/54553\/revisions\/54639"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"embl_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/embl_taxonomy?post=54553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}