Research

From genomes to organisms, EMBL is exploring the secrets of life

EMBL’s diverse research programme is pushing the limits of biological knowledge, with our researchers developing innovative techniques and technologies as part of the process.

Research Units

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory is made up of many independent groups of research scientists, who work on a wide range of biological topics. EMBL categorises these groups by area of scientific interest into nine research units. This structure helps EMBL scientists working on similar scientific questions to leverage common tools and experimental apparatus.

EMBL Programme

Pushing boundaries in research, services, training and technology


Learn more about EMBL research

EMBL Faculty

Explore how EMBL research groups collaborate with partners

Publications

Explore EMBL’s full list of scientific publications and preprints which go back as far as 1979

Cross-cutting research topics

From exploring the molecular components inside a cell to studying whole populations and ecosystems, EMBL scientists will explore these different scales through research themes that foster collaborative, multidisciplinary research.

EMBL maintains close cooperative affiliations with organisations of comparable standard, vision and international orientation.

These institutional collaborations are based on shared goals and scientific synergy or complementarity. The aim is to create a network of institutions that enhance molecular life science in Europe and around the world.


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Scientific Developer (Chemical Biology Resources)

Technology in EMBL-EBI Hinxton

About the team/jobSafety and toxicology concerns remain one of the most persistent challenges in drug discovery. This is an exciting opportunity to join a multi-disciplinary team on a project to develop a comprehensive open source side effect resource for the scientific and pharmaceutical community,...

Closes on 12th October. Posted 14th September 2026

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Research Technician

Science, research and training in Grenoble, France

EMBL Grenoble specializes in fundamental research in structural biology, and in developing state-of-the art instrumentation, methods and services. The site is located on the dynamic European Photon and Neutron science campus (EPN campus), together with other international and French research institu...

Closes on 1st October. Posted 3rd September 2026

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Biological Curator - Chemical Biology Resources

Technology in EMBL-EBI Hinxton

About the Team The Chemical Biology Resources Team at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) is looking for a talented Scientist with a flair for data curation to be responsible for the quality of bioactivity and drug discovery data in the ChEMBL database.ChEMBL is a world-leading chemogen...

Closes on 6th October. Posted 9th September 2026

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Postdoctoral Fellow

Science, research and training in EMBL-EBI Hinxton

Are you interested in studying metagenomic derived protein families and developing methods to interrogate vast collections of proteins, to determine pockets of interesting novel families? Metagenomics is transforming our understanding of the microbial world by uncovering enormous numbers of novel pr...

Closes on 28th September. Posted 8th September 2026

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With support from more than 30 countries, laboratories at six sites across Europe and thousands of scientists and engineers working together, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is a powerhouse of biological expertise. EMBL is an intergovernmental organisation, headquartered in Heidelberg, and was founded in 1974 with the mission of promoting molecular biology research in Europe, training young scientists, and developing new technologies.

EMBL currently employs more than 1800 people in Barcelona, ​​Grenoble, Hamburg, Heidelberg, EMBL-EBI Hinxton (near Cambridge), and Rome.

Publishing hundreds of research articles and hosting dozens of conferences every year, EMBL is driving visionary fundamental research and training Europe’s future scientific talent.

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