Chemical engineer by training, I did my PhD in the Systems Biology group of Luis Serrano between 2007 and 2010, studying one of the simplest organisms that exist, Mycoplasma pneumoniae. I came to CRG after starting my thesis in Germany. I always like to proudly explain that the move from a well-established institute such as EMBL in Heidelberg to a more recently-formed one such as CRG did not lead in any way to a reduction in the quality of research. My experience was very satisfactory, as I received support not only from my group but also from the CRG organizational structure. This support was both experiment, from core facilities, and non-experimental, with help in scholarships, technology transfer, communication, among other things.

I am now completing my postdoc in the synthetic biology laboratory of George Church at Harvard, where I have worked on synthesizing a genome that is recoded to create microorganism biocontent, and on the humanization of the pig genome to create compatible tissue. Recently, I have also participated in marketing some of the technologies developed in the laboratory (www.egenesisbio.com, www.sbiomedic.com). The latter, S-Biomedic, was co-founded with Veronika Oudova and Bernhard Paetzold, also CRG alumni and fellow co-workers during my thesis in the Luis Serrano group.

In retrospect, after working in various institutions in the world, I believe that CRG stands out because of its high quality of research and its multidisciplinary and international nature. Additionally, I think that the combination of cutting-edge science with this special location makes it quite unique in the world.
In short, a great place to live, work, and grow as a scientist.

Marc Güell
Wyss Technology Development Fellow
Wyss Institute, Harvard University