Sebastian Leidel

Sebastian Leidel is a Full Professor for RNA Biochemistry at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Switzerland, since 2018. He has held significant roles including Max Planck Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine (2010-2019), Lecturer at ETH Zurich (2008-2010), and Postdoctoral Researcher at ETH Zurich (2005-2008). His research focuses on the in vivo roles of tRNA modifications in development and disease, making him a leading figure in this field in Europe.

• Current affiliation: University of Bern
• Previous affiliations: Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, ETH Zurich

His research explores how natural chemical tRNA modifications regulate local translation rates and protein aggregation, particularly in metastable proteins, as demonstrated by his groundbreaking work on tRNA modification mutants. He has contributed to European scientific networks such as COST actions and ERA networks.

Scientific Awards:

• James Heineman Research Award (2016)
• ERC Starting Grant (2012)
• UBS Promedica Fellowship (2009)

He advocates for non-tenured researchers through roles in the Young Academy of Europe (board member since 2015, treasurer 2016-2018) and the Max Planck Leadnet steering committee.