The first Slovak scientist became a member of the elite organization EMBO
Professor Silvia Pastoreková, Director General of the Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, v. v. i., was elected as the first representative of the Slovak scientific community to EMBO, a major international organisation in the field of life sciences, of which nearly one hundred Nobel Prize laureates are or have been members. Membership in this group recognises excellence in research and outstanding achievements in the life sciences.
This year, 120 scientists from 37 countries in Europe and beyond were elected as new EMBO members. They were nominated and elected by existing EMBO members.
The new EMBO Members and Associate Members have been recognized for accomplishments that cover the spectrum of life science research, including work that has advanced understanding of how infectious disease spreads, the intricacies of ocean nutrient cycles, the mysteries of cellular signalling networks, the secrets of how plants survive in desert environments, and the links between the biology of our brains and our emotions.
EMBO Director Fiona Watt said: “The new EMBO Members and Associate Members have made immense contributions to fundamental life science research, and, in many cases, their work has paved the way for innovations that have improved lives and livelihoods around the world. As EMBO marks its 60th anniversary, we celebrate the pivotal roles played by the EMBO Membership in strengthening international life science research and contributing to the EMBO Programmes and activities. I send my warmest congratulations to all those elected.”
Silvia Pastoreková, who in her research work is mainly devoted to the elucidation of the influence of oxygen deficiency in tumour tissue on the development and progression of cancer, sees the election as a great honour and an excellent opportunity to deepen the link between EMBO and Slovak scientists:
“I will use this position to promote EMBO’s capabilities to our young researchers, to spread awareness of Slovak science in Europe, and to inspire the excellent research carried out by the EMBO community.”
EMBO Members guide the execution of the EMBO Programmes and activities, for example by evaluating funding applications, serving on EMBO Council and committees, and contributing to initiatives such as training, policy, outreach and mentorship. New members are nominated and elected by the existing EMBO Membership.
EMBO will formally welcome the new members at a meeting of the EMBO community between 29 October and 1 November 2024 in Heidelberg, Germany.
About Silvia Pastoreková
She has been working at the Institute of Virology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences since 1985, currently as the Director of the Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and senior researcher in the field of experimental oncology and virology.
She is mainly focused on the elucidation of the influence of oxygen deficiency in tumour tissue on the development and progression of cancer. She is the co-discoverer of the gene and protein CA9, a biomarker of aggressive tumors and a promising target for anticancer therapy.
She has authored and co-authored over 300 publications cited more than 17,000 times and international patents on the diagnostic and therapeutic use of CA9.
She is a laureate of the ESET Science Award in the category of Exceptional Personality of Science in Slovakia (2022), winner of the Slovak Academy of Sciences Award for Scientific Research (2003), Slovak Woman of the Year Award in the category of Science and Education (2009) and Crystal Wing Award in the category of Medicine and Science (2005). In 2020, the President of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Čaputová awarded her the state decoration of the Ľudovít Štúr Order of the Second Class for extraordinary merits for the development of science.
About EMBO
The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) was founded in 1964. While it had 169 members then, today it has over two thousand members. Over six decades, 92 Nobel Laureates have been part of it.
EMBO’s main objectives are to support talented researchers at all stages of their careers, to stimulate the exchange of scientific information and to help build a European research environment in which scientists can perform at their best.
An online directory listing all EMBO members and associate members, their affiliations and subject areas is available here.
A full list of newly elected EMBO members and associate members can be found here.
Text: Press release of the BMC SAS
Photo: L. Kisková Bohušová