Thomas Gregor

Thomas Gregor is a biophysicist and EMBO member leading the Physics of Biological Functions Unit at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. Previously, he held a faculty position at Princeton University, where he directed a lab focused on quantitative biology. His research bridges physics, mathematics, and biology to understand how physical principles govern biological processes, particularly gene expression and developmental patterning. He was awarded an ERC Synergy Grant for the DynaTrans project, investigating transcription dynamics and chromatin architecture in developing systems.

Gregor's expertise includes applying mathematical models to study cellular differentiation in organisms like fruit flies and mammals. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, leveraging quantitative methods to uncover mechanisms underlying developmental precision. Key contributions include elucidating how positional information is encoded and transmitted during embryogenesis, as well as advancing microscopy techniques to observe single-molecule dynamics.

• Awards: ERC Synergy Grant (2023), EMBO Membership
• Departments: Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Department, Institut Pasteur
• Key Projects: 4D Nucleome Project, Dynamics of Transcription in Pseudo-Embryos

His research environment at Institut Pasteur supports interdisciplinary collaboration, enabling transitions to more complex systems like organoids. Gregor advocates for non-linear career paths in science and emphasizes the value of interdisciplinarity in addressing biological questions.