Virginie Hamel elected EMBO member

Virginie Hamel, Lecturer in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Section of Biology, has been elected a Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), one of the highest distinctions in the life sciences.

EMBO Membership is a lifelong honour that recognizes outstanding research excellence and exceptional achievements in the life sciences. This year, 71 leading scientists from 23 countries have been elected to the EMBO Membership, joining a global community of more than 2,200 distinguished researchers.

Virginie co-leads the Centriole Architecture Laboratory with Prof. Paul Guichard at the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. After completing her PhD at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg in the laboratory of Iain Mattaj, where she investigated the mechanisms of nuclear envelope assembly, she carried out postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Pierre Gönczy at ISREC/EPFL. There, she developed a fascination for centrioles and centrosomes, laying the foundations of her independent research program. In 2015, she and Paul Guichard established their joint laboratory at the University of Geneva.

Her research focuses on the molecular architecture and assembly of centrioles and cilia by combining structural cell biology with innovative imaging approaches. Virginie is internationally recognized as one of the pioneers of Ultrastructural Expansion Microscopy (U-ExM), a groundbreaking imaging technology that enables nanoscale visualization of cellular structures using conventional microscopes. Her work has transformed our understanding of centriole organization and biogenesis and has established important links between defects in centriole architecture and inherited human diseases, particularly retinal disorders. Beyond cell biology, her laboratory applies expansion microscopy to diverse research areas, including cancer immunology, parasitology and marine biology.

This distinction follows several recent recognitions of her scientific achievements, including the Cloëtta Prize (2025) and the Royal Microscopical Society Light Microscopy Award (2026), both shared with Paul Guichard.

The Section of Biology warmly congratulates Virginie on this prestigious recognition and wishes her continued success in her research.

https://www.embo.org/press-releases/seventy-one-leading-scientists-elected-to-the-embo-membership/