Edith Heard Elected as HHMI Trustee

Professor Edith Heard, Director General of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, has been elected a Trustee of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), a private biomedical research institution. Her appointment will begin on February 1, 2025. Professor Heard brings to HHMI’s board a wealth of experience and insight. A decorated researcher and gifted scientific leader, Heard’s contributions to epigenetics, especially her work on the process of X-chromosome inactivation in female mammals, have won her international acclaim. Since 2019, she has served as Director General of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Europe’s life sciences laboratory and a prestigious and storied scientific institution. The first woman to hold this position, Professor Heard has harnessed EMBL’s resources and expertise to support the global community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, envisioned ambitious new interdisciplinary programs to apply molecular biology to understanding life in context of its natural environment, and expanded the organization’s leadership in open science. Later this year, she will continue to shape the global future of science as the next Director and Chief Executive of the Francis Crick Institute, succeeding current Director and Chief Executive and fellow HHMI Trustee, Sir Paul Nurse. ###