Set up in 2007 by the EU, the European Research Council is the
first European funding organisation for frontier research. The ERC
operates according to an 'investigator-driven', or 'bottom-up',
approach, allowing researchers to identify new opportunities in any
field of research, without thematic priorities. Every year, it
selects and funds the very best, creative researchers of any
nationality and age to run five-year projects based in Europe. ERC
grants are designed to support researchers at the stage at which
they are consolidating their own independent research team or
programme, to strengthen independent and excellent new individual
research teams that have been recently created. They are awarded
based on the scientific excellence of the researcher and research
proposal.
Pavel Tolar
Pavel Tolar has been awarded funding for his project "Regulation
of antibody responses by B cell mechanical activity".
Pavel Tolar obtained an MD degree at Charles University, Prague
and a PhD in immunology at the Institute of Molecular Genetics,
Prague, where he studied molecular aspects of activation of mast
cells. In 2003 he joined NIH as a postdoctoral fellow to work with
Susan Pierce on the development and use of imaging technology for
the study of B cell activation and signaling. He moved to NIMR in
2009 to pursue his interest in the structural, molecular and
cellular mechanisms of immune receptor activation. In 2013 Pavel
was chosen to be an EMBO Young Investigator.
James Turner
James Turner has been awarded funding for his project "Functions
of the X chromosome in the mammalian germ line".
James Turner studied Medicine at UCL, during which he also
carried out a PhD in sex chromosome genetics at NIMR with Paul
Burgoyne. He subsequently worked as a junior physician at West
Hertfordshire NHS Trust, before returning to NIMR London to
continue his work on sex chromosome genetics as a postdoc. He spent
some time in the USA, including at Mount Sinai School of Medicine,
before starting his own research group at NIMR and becoming an
honorary research associate at UCL in 2007. His research focuses on
the evolution, cell biology and biochemistry of the sex chromosomes
from a variety of organisms, including mammals, in order to
understand how these chromosomes influence human health and
disease. James was the 2014 Wain Medal recipient.
Mark Wilson
Mark Wilson has been awarded funding for his project "Testing
the role of miRNA-mediated non-cell autonomous gene regulation in
type-2 immunity".
Mark Wilson studied biology and parasitology at King?s
College London and gained his PhD at the University of Edinburgh,
working with Rick Maizels on helminth infection and immune
regulation. He then joined NIH as a postdoctoral fellow, working in
Thomas Wynn?s lab at the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases, on immune-mediated pathologies following
infection and allergic reactions. He joined NIMR in November
2010.