Latest News
UCC researcher receives prestigious recognition in Molecular Biology
Professor Pavel (Pasha) Baranov, a world leading researcher in Biomolecular Informatics in the School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at University College Cork (UCC), has been elected to the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) for his outstanding research contributions to genetic decoding and mRNA (messenger RNA) translation.
To celebrate the EMBO’s 60th anniversary, 120 scientists from across Europe and beyond have been elected to the EMBO Membership. Professor Baranov is one of three Irish scientists to receive this honour that celebrates research excellence and outstanding achievements in the life sciences.
Pasha completed his PhD in 1998 at Lomonosov Moscow State University in collaboration with a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin. During his doctoral studies, Pasha utilised biochemical methods and computer modeling to study the structure of the ribosome, the molecular machine that makes all proteins in a cell.
After completing his PhD, he moved to the United States to join a research group at the University of Utah that studied special mechanisms of genetic decoding collectively termed Recoding. There, leveraging advances in genome sequencing, Pasha pioneered the use of comparative sequence analysis to study Recoding. In 2007, with funding from Science Foundation Ireland, he moved to UCC to start his own research group.
At UCC, Pasha's research discovered extreme variants of genetic codes in some single-celled organisms. His research was also amongst the first to use ribosome profiling, a technique developed in 2009 that tracks the activity of every ribosome in a cell, providing detailed data on the synthesis of all cellular proteins.
Professor Baranov said: “I am honoured and feel welcomed by the EMBO community. Being amongst such truly outstanding scientists is inspiring. I would like to thank all my colleagues and collaborators that I have worked with during my research career, especially those at the School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at UCC.”
The newly elected Members and Associate Members reside in 37 countries/territories. 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.
The first EMBO Members were elected in 1964 – that initial group of 169 life scientists has now grown into a community of more than 2,100 EMBO Members and Associate Members. 92 Nobel laureates are amongst those who have previously been elected to the EMBO Membership.
Fiona Watt, EMBO Director, 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. I send my warmest congratulations to all those elected.”
Professor John Cryan, Vice-President for Research and Innovation at UCC, said: “I would like to congratulate Professor Baranov on this success. It is a well-deserved honour for his continued work in genetic decoding and mRNA translation. These are key research areas that UCC have a strong international reputation in, and Pasha’s work will continue to drive forward UCC’s research ambition in these areas.”
EMBO will formally welcome the new members at a meeting of the EMBO community between 29 October and 1 November 2024 in Heidelberg, Germany.