Peer Bork

Peer Bork is a Professor at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, where he serves as Strategic Head of Bioinformatics and co-head of the Structural and Computational Biology Unit. He also holds honorary professorships at the University of Würzburg (Germany) and Fudan University (China).

Educational background:

• PhD in Biochemistry (1990)
• Habilitation in Theoretical Biophysics (1995)

Research interests span bioinformatics, systems biology, and microbiome analysis, focusing on functional prediction, comparative genomics, and data integration. His work explores global patterns in microbial communities, including enterotypes, drug-microbiome interactions, and planetary-scale gene fluxes.

Scientific impact includes over 550 publications (70+ in Nature, Science, and Cell) and groundbreaking discoveries like the human gut enterotypes and microbiome-based cancer biomarkers. Key projects include the SPIRE microbiome resource and the TARA Oceans expedition.

Honors and leadership:

• EMBO member (2000)
• Nature Creative Mentoring Award (2008)
• ERC Advanced Investigator Grants (2011, 2015)
• Leopoldina member (2014)
• Honorary doctorate (University of Utrecht, 2017)
• Co-founder of 5 biotech companies

Collaborative networks include partnerships with institutions in Berlin (Max-Delbrück-Center), Würzburg (Germany), and Shanghai (China), as well as global initiatives like the TREC expedition for environmental microbiome analysis.