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Prof Baden in a neuroscience lab

Tom Baden, Professor of Neuroscience at the School of Life Sciences has been announced today, 4 July 2023, a newly elected member of EMBO. Professor Baden is one of 69 distinguished scientists to join EMBO, an organisation that promotes excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond, comprising a community of more than 2,000 leading researchers.

This year's awardees have been recognised for contributions spanning the spectrum of life science research, including work that has demystified the immune system, advanced understanding of our senses, and facilitated innovative approaches to vaccine development.

Fiona Watt, EMBO Director says: “These remarkable scientists have unravelled molecular secrets of life, deepened our understanding of health and disease, and are paving the way for further discoveries and innovations. Their achievements reinforce the critical role that life science research plays in the lives of citizens across Europe and the world".

Prof Baden is a multi-awarded neuroscientist seeking to understand the function and evolution of neuronal circuits by focusing on early vertebrate vision. In the Baden lab, a team of Sussex Neuroscience researchers explore how visual information is processed by neurons in the retina and brain of diverse animals including fish, frogs and birds, and they work on understanding how different visual systems have evolved in the natural world. Prof Baden also directs the Sussex Centre for Sensory Neuroscience and Computation, a cross-school collaboration that fosters interdisciplinary research with a focus on the senses and their computational basis. Alongside his research, Prof Baden promotes scientific capacity building in Africa and advocates for the use of open-source hardware in science research.

Prof Baden says: “EMBO have been instrumental in getting our lab going over the recent years through the Young Investigator Programme, and I am deeply grateful for their support. I am therefore particularly delighted to be now included as a full member, which is a great honour in itself, but it will also allow me to join EMBO in extending this same support to others”.

The new members and associate members join a community of more than 2,000 leading life science experts. They take their place alongside 91 Nobel laureates who have been elected to EMBO Membership.

Members provide guidance and support for EMBO activities, for example by evaluating funding applications and serving on EMBO Council and Committees.

New members are nominated and elected by the existing EMBO Membership. EMBO will formally welcome the new members at the annual Members’ Meeting in Heidelberg, Germany, between 25-27 October 2023.

An online directory listing all EMBO Members and Associate Members, their affiliations, and subject areas is available here.

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