Miroslav Radman

Professor Miroslav Radman is a leading Croatian–French molecular biologist and Professor of Cell Biology at the Medical School Necker–Enfants Malades, Université Paris 5. Since 2004 he has additionally served as Science Adviser to the Prime Minister of Croatia. Earlier he directed the INSERM unit U571 Medical and Evolutionary Molecular Genetics and was Research Director at CNRS Institute Jacques Monod.

Education & Career Timeline:

• 1965–1967 Part-time research assistant, Institute for Philosophy of Science and Peace Research, Zagreb
• 1967–1969 Pre-doctoral fellow, Free University of Brussels
• 1969–1970 Post-doctoral fellow, CNRS Gif-sur-Yvette
• 1970–1973 Post-doctoral fellow, Harvard University (with M. Meselson)
• 1973–1983 Tenured Research Professor & Head of Laboratory of Enzymology of DNA, Free University of Brussels
• 1983–1998 Research Director, CNRS Institute Jacques Monod, University Paris 7
• 1998–present Professor of Cell Biology, Université Paris 5
• 1999–present Director, INSERM U571
• 2004–present Science Adviser to the Prime Minister of Croatia

Research Focus:
Radman's work is rooted in molecular biology and evolutionary genetics, with landmark contributions to our understanding of DNA mismatch repair, the bacterial SOS response, and horizontal gene transfer. His laboratory elucidated how error-correcting enzymes maintain genomic integrity and how their failure can accelerate evolution, carcinogenesis, and bacterial speciation.

More recently, his research has explored the cost–benefit balance of high mutation rates in natural microbial populations and the molecular keys to bacterial speciation, integrating genomics, bioinformatics and experimental evolution.

Scientific Awards & Recognition:

• Antoine Lacassagne Grand Prix (1979)
• Golden Eureka of Innovation (1990)
• Charles Leopold Meyer Grand Prix (1992)
• Medal of Honor – Society for the Encouragement of Progress (1992)
• Spiridion Brusina Medal (1998)
• Leopold Griffuel Grand Prix (1998)
• Richard Lounsbery Grand Prix (2000)
• Science Award – U.S. Environmental Mutagen Society (2000)
• Grand Prix INSERM (2003)
• Leonardo Award for Creativity in Scientific Research (2004)
• FEMS-Lwoff Award (2011)

Memberships:
EMBO (1978), Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (1991), Academia Europaea (1998), French Académie des Sciences (2002).

Research Output:
Over four decades Radman has authored >150 peer-reviewed papers. The 15 most recent (1974–2002) range from foundational studies on the SOS repair hypothesis and mismatch repair to cutting-edge analyses of mutational strategies in bacterial adaptation and cancer predisposition models in mice, reflecting an enduring focus on the intersection of DNA repair fidelity and evolutionary innovation.