Every year, EMBO awards the Gold Medal to group leaders in the early stages of their careers for their remarkable contributions to the life sciences in Europe. The process is based on initial nominations by EMBO Members, aiming at celebrating exemplary creativity, quality and impact of independent young scientists.
This year, the EMBO Gold Medal is awarded to two scientists: Tanmay Bharat and David Bikard.
Tanmay Bharat has been awarded the EMBO Gold Medal in recognition of his pioneering work on the prokaryotic S layer, which combines superb research in microbiology and in situ structural biology.
David Bikard has been awarded the EMBO Gold Medal in recognition of his pioneering work on gene editing, including his recent editing of a target bacterial population directly in the gut of mice.
Tanmay A. M. Bharat is a programme leader in the Structural Studies Division of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge, UK. His group uses cryo-electron tomography to study how surface molecules allow microorganisms (bacteria and archaea) to form multicellular communities. Bharat read chemistry at the University of Delhi and biological sciences at the University of Oxford, followed by a PhD at EMBL Heidelberg with John Briggs, and postdoctoral research at the LMB with Jan Löwe. He started his independent career at the Dunn School of Pathology, Oxford, before returning to the LMB in his current role.
David Bikard leads the Synthetic Biology Group at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France. He earned his PhD from Paris Diderot University for work on integron recombination, and completed postdoctoral training at Rockefeller University, New York, US where he began studying CRISPR-Cas systems. His research explores genetic innovation driven by the arms race between bacteria and phages, with a focus on using CRISPR tools to study and control bacterial functions. He co-founded a company that develops CRISPR-based microbiome therapeutics. A recipient of two ERC grants, the EMBO Young Investigator Award, and the Vallery-Radot Prize, he is recognized for pioneering advances in microbial genetics.
For more information about the EMBO Gold Medal, recipients and nomination process, please visit: EMBO Gold Medal
