Timeline
Key moments in EMBL’s history
Founded in 1974, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory was the idea of prominent scientists, with the goal to create a supranational research centre to redress the balance in the strongly US-dominated field of molecular biology.
An EMBL founding father and Nobel laureate Sir John Kendrew served as EMBL’s first Director General until 1982, followed by Lennart Philipson, and then Fotis Kafatos in 1993. Iain Mattaj took over leadership in 2005 and was followed by EMBL’s current Director General, Edith Heard, who started in 2019.
Today, EMBL has six European sites attracting both young investigators and established scientists from all over the world and is known as Europe’s life sciences laboratory and a hub for world-class research, training, and scientific services.
Impacts
Notable EMBL impacts felt far and wide
The EMBL organism
Micro-histories of different parts of EMBL
Gallery
EMBL images throughout its history
Other important links
50th anniversary
A celebration, a legacy, an eye toward the future
EMBL Archive
Historical records from Europe’s life sciences laboratory
EMBL at 40 years
Commemorative publication from EMBL’s 40th anniversary