Eileen Furlong

Eileen Furlong is a Professor and Senior Faculty member at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany. She serves as Head of the Genome Biology Unit and is a member of the EMBL Directorate. Her research focuses on developmental regulatory genomics, exploring how gene regulation and chromatin dynamics drive embryonic development and cell fate decisions.

Education: Eileen Furlong earned her Ph.D. in 1996 from University College Dublin, Ireland. She conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University, USA (1996–2002) and later at EMBL, Germany (1997–1999), supported by prestigious postdoctoral fellowships.

Research Interests: Her work spans single-cell genomics, genome regulation, developmental biology, and chromatin topology. She investigates how transcriptional networks and enhancers influence embryonic development and cell differentiation, leveraging cutting-edge genomic technologies to map regulatory elements and their roles in developmental processes.

Awards: Notable recognitions include membership in the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina) (2024), an ERC Advanced Investigator Award (DeCryPt, 2019–2023), and election to EMBO and Academia Europaea. She also leads the Drosophila Crete meeting, a key event in developmental biology.

Grants & Leadership: Furlong has secured major grants, including two ERC Advanced Awards, and oversees a lab with interdisciplinary research groups. She mentors postdoctoral researchers and advises on international initiatives, including the Institut Curie Scientific Advisory Board.

Labs & Collaborations: The Furlong Lab at EMBL integrates genomics, computational biology, and developmental biology to advance understanding of gene regulation in embryonic contexts. The lab collaborates globally, contributing to resources like the FlyAtlas project.