The TLRCollege kick-off is an open-to-all event designed to introduce both doctoral-, and postdoctoral-track trainees to the programme structure and to each other. The event will include a guest speaker and keynote lecture and post-lecture refreshments and networking.
At this occasion, we are honored to host two expert scientists and leaders in their respective fields: The opening word will be given by Prof. Dr. Werner Seeger, Chair of German Center for Lung Research (Deutsches Zentrum für Lungenforschung, DZL) and the Keynote Lecture will be held by Prof. Dr. Fiona M. Watt, Director-General of European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), who will share her leadership experiences at both medical research and basic science institutions.
Date/Time: 26th March 2025, 17:00 s.t.
Venue: Albert-Fraenkel-Saal, Thoraxklinik, Röntgenstraße 1, Heidelberg
Brief programme:
16:30-17:00 Arrival
17:00-17:15 Prof. Dr. Werner Seeger, who will introduce the German Center for Lung Research
17:15-17:25 Prof. Dr. Rory E. Morty, who will introduce the DZL Academy
17:25-17:35 Dr. Ivana Mižik, who will introduce the TLRCollege
17:35 Prof. Dr. Fiona M. Watt, who will hold the Keynote Lecture
followed by refreshments and networking
Prof. Dr. Fiona M. Watt, PhD
Director General, European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), Heidelberg, Germany
Prof. Watt received her PhD from University of Oxford and later continued her postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA. She established her first laboratory at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in London, United Kingdom; and later relocated to the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) London Research Institute, where she served as a Deputy Director from 2007-2012. Within the same period, she helped to establish the Cambridge Cancer Research UK Institute. In 2012 she became a Director of the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine at King’s College London, UK. From 2018-2022, Dr. Watt served as Executive Chair of the Medical research Council of the United Kingdom. Since 2022, she has served as Director-General of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and a group leader at EMBL Heidelberg. Additionally, she served as an Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cell Science and a Deputy Editor of eLife and currently serves on the advisory editorial boards of EMBO Molecular Medicine, Cell Stem Cell and Current Opinion in Cell Biology, as well as preprint servers bioRxiv and medRxiv. Prof. Watt’s current research interests include human epidermal stem cell renewal and lineage selection and their control by the cellular microenvironment.
Prof. Dr. med Werner Seeger
Chair, German Center for Lung Research (DZL)
Elie-Metchnikoff Professor of Medicine, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
Prof. Seeger received his Dr. med. Degree from the Westfälische-Wilhelms University Münster and the Justus-Liebig University Giessen (JLU). He continued his clinical and research work at the JLU and in 1996 became a Professor of Internal Medicine, Section Head of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Since 2024 he holds the title of Elie-Metchnikoff Professor of Medicine at JLU. Since 2011 he serves as the Chair of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL) and since 2015 as a Member of the Forum for Health Research of the German Ministry for Research and Education. Additionally, he is the past-President of the international Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI) and the Chair of the Institute for Lung Health (ILH) in Giessen, Germany.