Jernej Ule
Dr Jernej Ule is a graduate of the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, where he studied molecular biology.
He gained his doctorate at Rockefeller University in New York, where he then spent two years pursuing post-doctoral training.
In July 2006 he established an independent research group within the Molecular Biology Laboratory at Cambridge in the UK. In April 2013 the group, together with him, moved to the Neurology Institute of UCL at the University of London, where Jernej is professor of molecular neurobiology. In August 2016 the group then moved to the Francis Crick Institute in London.
His research is involved in the contacts between proteins and RNA, and in particular their role in balancing the expression of genes within brain cells.
The results of his research can be followed regularly in scientific magazines such as Nature. One of his more far-reaching research projects looked at the expression of genes on 1,800 brain samples, where it was found that different types of cells change during the ageing process among people.
He also focuses on motor neuron disease (ALS), and the evolution and development of the brain. The result of his successful research is also seen in the fact that twice he has received financial support from the European Research Council and the British Wellcome Trust.
In addition to his research work, Dr Ule is a member of the editorial board of the Biology of Genomes, the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), the EMBO committee for organising European conferences and the expert group for reviewing grants. He has also organised numerous conferences, including the EMBO workshop on the topic “RNP dynamics in development and disease”, which will be held in September 2019 in Ljubljana.