MBG Faculty Member Receives EMBO Installation Grant
Dr. Ebru Erbay, assistant prof. in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, has received a 2011 Installation Grant from the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). Dr. Erbay, one of seven life science researchers to receive the honor, will use the award amount to continue her work relating to molecular mechanisms and novel therapeutic targets for cardiometabolic syndrome.
The installation grants are designed to help new researchers set up their research groups in Europe. Dr. Erbay is part of the sixth group of awardees to have received the grants since EMBO introduced the program in 2006. With these newly elected grantees, the number of researchers funded since the inception of the program has increased to 48.
EMBO Installation Grants are awarded annually and aim to strengthen science in selected member states of the EMBC, EMBO's intergovernmental funding body. EMBC member states include Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Portugal and Turkey.
Each scientist receives 50,000 euros annually for three to five years to help her/him establish groups in the European scientific community. Grantees are also integrated into the prestigious EMBO Young Investigator Programme, which provides networking opportunities and a range of career development programs.
Installation Grants Programme Manager and EMBO Deputy Director Gerlind Wallon explains the procedures and objectives of the program as follows: "A committee of EMBO Members selects the successful candidates for the high standard of their research. The EMBO Installation Grants directly support young scientists in countries actively developing fundamental research capacity. The grants benefit not only the talented scientists who receive support but also the countries where they establish laboratories. By helping these talented scientists set up their research laboratories in the participating countries, EMBO hopes to improve the competitiveness of these countries in European science."
Dr. Erbay obtained her MD from the Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, a PhD in cell and structural biology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and postdoctoral training at the Harvard University School of Public Health. Previously, she was the recipient of a prestigious mentored career award from the US National Institutes of Health - National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and a fellowship from the American Heart Association.
Dr. Erbay's research program is currently being funded by three major grants: the Marie Curie Reintegration Grant, the EMBO Installation Grant and a grant from the Intensified Cooperation Program between Germany and Turkey. She has an excellent publication record, with articles in prestigious journals such as Nature Medicine, Nature Reviews, Immunology and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, as well as presentations at numerous conferences, including the Keystone Symposium.