Jan Korbel

Dr. Jan Korbel is a Senior Scientist and Group Leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Heidelberg, with a joint appointment at EMBL-EBI. He serves as Interim Head of EMBL Heidelberg since April 2025 and leads the Data Science Centre since 2020. A faculty member of the ELLI Unit and an ERC Investigator since 2014, his research focuses on genomic structural variation, single-cell sequencing, and their roles in cancer and human evolution.

• PhD (2005): EMBL Heidelberg/Humboldt University Berlin
• Postdoctoral research: Yale University

His work bridges computational biology and experimental genomics, with key contributions to long-read sequencing, haplotype-resolved assemblies, and pan-genome references. Recent articles demonstrate expertise in oncogenic structural variants, chromatin architecture, and global data-sharing frameworks like the Federated European Genome-Phenome Archive.

Scientific awards: ERC Investigator status (2014) and leadership roles in major consortia (PCAWG, Human Genome Structural Variation Consortium). He developed tools such as MosaiCatcher, VISOR, and Alfred for structural variant analysis and alignment statistics.