Young and connected: Weizmann’s new EMBO members

This year two outstanding Weizmann scientists were selected to join the prestigious EMBO Young Investigator Programme—Dr. Ori Avinoam from the Department ofBiomolecular  Sciences and Dr. Yonatan Stelzer from the Department of Molecular Cell Biology. Members of this international group receive financial support, benefit from valuable training and networking opportunities, and have access to the core facilities at the European Molecular Biological Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany.

According to Michael N. Hall, Chair of the EMBO Council, the selected researchers “have already demonstrated scientific excellence despite only recently launching Dr. Ori Avinoam and Dr. Yonatan Stelzer  their own laboratories. The EMBO Young Investigator Programme will aid them in taking their career to the next level.”

Dr. Avinoam’s research centers on cellular architecture and membrane remodeling— a process that reshapes cells, allowing them to adapt to different cellular needs and the changing demands of life—which is essential for tissue

development, viral infection and the trafficking of materials in and between cells. His research is being applied in the fields of anti-viral drug discovery and cultivated meat.

Dr. Stelzer’s research focuses on a fundamental, open question in biology: how does cellular diversity arise from cells carrying the same genetic blueprint? His lab combines ideas and expertise from embryonic development, epigenetics, stem cell biology, and single-cell genomics to address this challenge, which could lead to a wide range of potential applications, including stem cell-based efforts for regenerative medicine.