Nurturing the Best: An American in Stockholm

The impact of the relatively new European Research Council (ERC) will be discussed from the perfective of one of its grant winners, Prof Juleen Zierath; A testimonial from an American scientist based in Europe. 

The theme of the symposium, crossing boundaries and opening borders - whether geographical or disciplinary - is highly relevant for the research community in this day and age. Moving between countries and continents is highly enriching for a scientist a research and career perspective, as well as from a personal point of view. It allows one to broaden research horizons and opens the mind to new ideas, cultures and environments, which in turn can spark pioneering ideas, deepen knowledge and instigate fruitful cross-border collaborations.

The theme of crossing boundaries goes hand-in-hand with the European Research Council, which is all about encouraging brilliant ideas beyond the frontiers of knowledge, making Europe attractive to the best researchers in any domain and encouraging brain circulation. The positive impact of this long-awaited "new kid on the block" is strongly felt in the research community and is echoing across the Atlantic. The trust the ERC gives to individual researchers to pursue their ideas, through flexible and substantial grants, allows them to thrive in Europe. The competition the ERC has instigated at a European level and its user-friendly, efficient, and transparent approach is applauded by the research community.

This lecture will consider a personal account of an American living in Europe and her experience of the ERC evaluation procedure compared to other funding organisations. Professor Zierath received degrees from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (B.S.), Ball State University (M.A) and the Karolinska Institutet (Ph.D) and performed post-doctoral research at Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on cellular mechanisms underlying the development of insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetes. She has provided evidence for physiological regulation of insulin signalling pathways and has revealed key steps are impaired in diabetic patients. Using genetically modified experimental models of insulin resistance; she has systematically revealed the contribution of specific genes to whole body and cellular physiology that are relevant for human physiology. Professor Zierath will give some examples of how the ERC funding has helped accelerate her research efforts and she will share views on how this unique funding form can benefit today's research landscape both in Europe and internationally.