EMBO has awarded fellowships to six existing science journalists to undertake sabbaticals during 2026 to deepen their knowledge of current life sciences development and techniques.
An additional fellowship was awarded to PhD student Ailie McWhinnie to help transition into full time science journalism.
The Maria Leptin | EMBO Science Journalism Fellowships are funded by a personal donation from former EMBO Director Maria Leptin. They support researchers like McWhinnie to transition into journalism and existing reporters to take sabbaticals within research institutions.
“We are steadily building a strong cohort of Fellows across Europe to help strengthen media knowledge of current advances, issues and technologies in the life sciences,” EMBO Director Fiona Watt said. “By supporting science journalism, we hope to improve engagement of the research community with wider society.”
The 2026 round of seven Fellows join eight existing Fellows from the previous round.
The 2026 Fellows are:
- Dr Yemisi Bokinni (United Kingdom) for a sabbatical to examine the importance of plants to modern medicine and the effects of climate change on plant chemistry.
- Michele Calamaio (Italy) for a sabbatical to study the impact of underwater noise on marine life.
- Marion de Vevey (Switzerland) for a sabbatical to examine the intersection between astrobiology and cognition research.
- Christine Ro (UK) for a sabbatical on research into neglected tropical diseases.
- Dr Alexandra Borissova Saleh (Italy) for a sabbatical to study the intersection between the life sciences and the development of policy and law.
- Dr Ioanna Soufleri (Greece) for a sabbatical to examine the latest developments across the life sciences.
- Ailie McWhinnie (UK) for an internship with a major science news publication.
The Fellowships are awarded annually with a closing date of 30 September. Full terms and conditions are available on the embo.org website.
