Research

From genomes to organisms, EMBL is exploring the secrets of life

EMBL’s diverse research programme is pushing the limits of biological knowledge, with our researchers developing innovative techniques and technologies as part of the process.

Research Units

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory is made up of many independent groups of research scientists, who work on a wide range of biological topics. EMBL categorises these groups by area of scientific interest into nine research units. This structure helps EMBL scientists working on similar scientific questions to leverage common tools and experimental apparatus.

EMBL Programme

Pushing boundaries in research, services, training and technology


Learn more about EMBL research

EMBL Faculty

Explore how EMBL research groups collaborate with partners

Publications

Explore EMBL’s full list of scientific publications and preprints which go back as far as 1979

Cross-cutting research topics

From exploring the molecular components inside a cell to studying whole populations and ecosystems, EMBL scientists will explore these different scales through research themes that foster collaborative, multidisciplinary research.

EMBL maintains close cooperative affiliations with organisations of comparable standard, vision and international orientation.

These institutional collaborations are based on shared goals and scientific synergy or complementarity. The aim is to create a network of institutions that enhance molecular life science in Europe and around the world.


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Mechanical Design Engineer (CAD)

Technology in Grenoble, France

These are exciting times at EMBL Grenoble. We are looking to strengthen our development team with an enthusiastic CAD Engineer. The Instrumentation Team develops high-precision instruments dedicated to Macromolecular X-ray Crystallography (MX), Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), and Cryo-Electron...

Closes on 10th August. Posted 9th July 2026

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Research Technician (Osterman Group – Metabolism-driven immunity)

Technology in Hamburg, Germany

EMBL Hamburg / CSSBThe European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is Europe’s flagship life sciences organization, with more than 110 independent research groups across Heidelberg, Hamburg, Grenoble, Rome, Barcelona, and Cambridge. EMBL performs fundamental research in molecular biology, develops...

Closes on 24th July. Posted 9th July 2026

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Scientific Database Curator

Technology in EMBL-EBI Hinxton

Your role We are looking to recruit an expert structural biologist with an experimental background to join the EMDB as a biocurator within the EMBL-EBI OneDep data curation team.High-quality curation of new data depositions is essential for EMDB and PDB to remain the authoritative global sources of...

Closes on 3rd August. Posted 6th July 2026

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Research technician/Lab manager

Science, research and training in EMBL Heidelberg

Are you excited by ambitious genome engineering experiments and by the opportunity to help build a new lab from the ground up?The Koeppel lab is looking for a highly skilled experimental scientist to help establish and drive a new research programme at the interface of genome engineering, functional...

Closes on 24th July. Posted 2nd July 2026

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With support from more than 30 countries, laboratories at six sites across Europe and thousands of scientists and engineers working together, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is a powerhouse of biological expertise. EMBL is an intergovernmental organisation, headquartered in Heidelberg, and was founded in 1974 with the mission of promoting molecular biology research in Europe, training young scientists, and developing new technologies.

EMBL currently employs more than 1800 people in Barcelona, ​​Grenoble, Hamburg, Heidelberg, EMBL-EBI Hinxton (near Cambridge), and Rome.

Publishing hundreds of research articles and hosting dozens of conferences every year, EMBL is driving visionary fundamental research and training Europe’s future scientific talent.

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