Two former EMBL researchers have been recognised for their outstanding scientific contributions in the fields of host–microbiome research and structure-guided drug development, respectively.
Stephen Cusack (left) and Lisa Maier (right), recipients of the 2026 Lennart Philipson and John Kendrew awards, respectively.
The recipients of the 2026 EMBL Alumni Awards have been selected. Each award includes a prize of €15,000, recognising exceptional scientific achievement and impact from members of EMBL’s global alumni community of 11,000 former staff.
Lisa Maier receives the 2026 John Kendrew Award
Lisa Maier, who was a postdoc in the Genome Biology Unit at EMBL Heidelberg from 2015 to 2018 in the Typas Group, has received the 2026 John Kendrew Award in recognition of her transformative work on how commonly used drugs affect the human gut microbiota.
The selection committee described Maier as “an exceptional scientist” responsible for “the latest, most interesting discovery on the impact of drugs on the human gut microbiota.” Her work, they noted, has major implications for how drug development and antimicrobial intervention will be approached in the future. In particular, she has demonstrated that drugs in current clinical use can have unexpected effects on gut microbes, has developed strategies to preserve the gut ecosystem while retaining drug efficacy, and has extended these findings to disadvantaged parts of the world.
During her time at EMBL, Maier pioneered the transition of microbiome research from primarily computational analyses to systematic experimental approaches. Her 2018 Nature paper provided the first comprehensive map of how marketed drugs directly affect prevalent members of the human gut microbiome. Cited more than 2,000 times, the study has substantially influenced the field and challenged existing drug development pipelines and regulatory policies.
After leaving EMBL, Maier established her own laboratory at the University of Tübingen, supported by an Emmy Noether Fellowship. Her subsequent work developed proof-of-concept strategies to counteract antibiotic-induced microbiome damage and demonstrated how specific non-antibiotic drugs can disrupt colonisation resistance, increasing infection risk. She was appointed as a full professor in 2022 and has since secured major competitive funding.
The committee also highlighted her active role in shaping the next generation of scientists while widely disseminating her discoveries.
“I’m deeply honoured to receive this year’s John Kendrew Award,” Maier said. “This recognition reflects not only my work but also the dedication of my team and the impressive growth of experimental microbiome science at EMBL – from its early days to the vibrant field it is today. Being part of this journey has shaped how I approach science and lead my lab. I strive to carry EMBL’s spirit of curiosity and collaboration into every project and look forward to advancing the field together with the EMBL community.”
The John Kendrew Award is generously sponsored by Roland Specker.
Stephen Cusack receives the 2026 Lennart Philipson Award
Stephen Cusack has been awarded the 2026 Lennart Philipson Award in recognition of his profound contributions to structure-guided drug development against major human pathogens.
Cusack served as Head of EMBL Grenoble from 1989 to 2022 and is currently Emeritus at EMBL and Visiting Professor of Structural Biology at the University of Oxford.
The selection committee described him as “an exceptional structural biologist whose work has profoundly shaped structure-guided drug development against major human pathogens.” Across his career, he has combined fundamental discovery with an unwavering commitment to translation, ensuring that structural insights contribute towards tangible therapeutic outcomes.
Cusack’s research on bacterial tRNA synthetases underpinned the development of improved antibacterial agents, contributing to an FDA-approved drug and additional compounds progressing through clinical trials. Likewise, his structural and mechanistic studies of the influenza virus cap-binding and endonuclease domains provided critical insights into viral replication and enabled the identification of the first ligands targeting these proteins. This work ultimately supported the development and commercialisation of the influenza drug baloxavir marboxil (Xofluza), the first new anti-influenza treatment in decades.
Through these achievements, Cusack has demonstrated how rigorous structural biology can drive innovation in anti-infective drug discovery and deliver meaningful impact on global health.
“It is a great honour to receive the Lennart Philipson Award,” Cusack said. “When Lennart Philipson was the Director General, one could wander into his office for a chat without an appointment. We had a common interest in the adenovirus receptor binding protein, and this became the first of my fundamental structural biology projects that unwittingly led us along the translational path towards innovative biomedical applications. Others were the development of antibiotics targeting pathogen aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and antivirals targeting the influenza virus, each adding extra spice into my idiosyncratic mix of basic and applied structural biology.”
The Lennart Philipson Award is generously sponsored by EMBLEM, EMBL’s technology transfer arm.
The EMBL Alumni Awards celebrate outstanding alumni who have made exceptional contributions to science, technology, or science communication. The John Kendrew Award, launched in 2007, recognises early-career alumni (two to seven years after leaving EMBL) for excellence in science or science communication. The Lennart Philipson Award, established in 2015, honours alumni whose work has delivered validated impact in translational research or technology innovation across the life sciences.
The 2026 EMBL Alumni Awards will be presented at EMBL Heidelberg (and online) on Friday 10 July. All EMBL staff and alumni are invited to attend. Registration details will be shared soon. Nominations and applications for the 2027 John Kendrew and Lennart Philipson Awards, as well as the 2027 Kafatos Lecture, will also open soon. Visit the EMBL alumni relations page to stay updated!
