With a background spanning genetics, epigenetics, and computational biology, Mathieu Schulz has joined EMBL Rome as Project Coordinator for Lifecourse, a new EMBL initiative exploring how genes and the environment interact throughout life to shape health and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this interview, Schulz shares his journey from experimental biology to scientific coordination, his work with Lifecourse, and the role music plays as the soundtrack to his life and an integral part of his daily routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I originally trained as a geneticist before completing my PhD in Paris, where I studied epigenetic regulation during early development using mouse stem cell models. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I then moved to Montreal, Canada, for a postdoctoral position, where my research became increasingly computational. I focused on understanding how environmental factors, such as paternal health and body weight, can influence epigenetic information in sperm and potentially affect the next generation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over time, my interests evolved from experimental biology to data analysis, and eventually to coordinating larger scientific initiatives. As Project Coordinator of Lifecourse, I\u2019m now bringing together many of the scientific questions and collaborative approaches that have shaped my career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lifecourse project sits at the intersection of many different research areas. My role is to help create the framework that allows scientists, facilities, and support teams from different disciplines to work together toward a common goal. That means connecting expertise across EMBL, coordinating new experimental approaches, and helping build resources that can benefit researchers in the future. I see my role as creating the conditions that enable large-scale collaborative science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What fascinates me most is that biology is never static. Our experiences, environment, and lifestyle continuously influence how we develop, age, and respond to disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through Lifecourse, we\u2019re working to understand these long-term biological trajectories and the environmental factors that shape them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n