Dr. Basil Greber
Dr. Basil Greber obtained his BSc and MSc in Biology from ETH Zurich, Switzerland. During his MSc thesis work in the laboratory of Prof. Nenad Ban, he determined the structure of the Oxa1 membrane protein insertase bound to a bacterial ribosome using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).
This experience left him with a fascination for large and intricate macromolecular assemblies and a lasting interest in unraveling the molecular mechanisms by which they perform their functions. After a 6-month stay in the laboratory of Prof. Manuel Mendoza at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona to study chromosome segregation and cytokinesis in budding yeast, Dr. Greber returned to the Ban laboratory for his doctoral thesis work to study the structure, function, and evolution of the ribosome.
At that time, the development of high-resolution cryo-EM transformed structural biology, and its application to the ribosomal complexes studied by Dr. Greber resulted in a number of unexpected discoveries, including a built-in architectural tRNA in the mammalian mitochondrial ribosome and a new structural probing mechanism for the ribosomal tunnel during eukaryotic ribosome assembly. Dr Greber was awarded the Scaringe Award of the RNA Society for these studies.
Subsequently, Dr. Greber moved to the laboratory of Prof. Eva Nogales at the University of California, Berkeley as a postdoctoral fellow, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation. There, he determined the complete structure of human transcription factor TFIIH, a multifunctional protein complex that is critical both for transcription initiation and DNA repair throughout eukaryotes.
In summer 2020, he joined the Institute of Cancer Research in London, where he received an MRC Career Development Award to perform structural and functional studies of nucleotide excision repair (NER). Due to its critical cellular role, dysfunction of the NER pathway results in human disease, including cancer. Dr Greber's group aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms by which the pathway operates.
This experience left him with a fascination for large and intricate macromolecular assemblies and a lasting interest in unraveling the molecular mechanisms by which they perform their functions. After a 6-month stay in the laboratory of Prof. Manuel Mendoza at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona to study chromosome segregation and cytokinesis in budding yeast, Dr. Greber returned to the Ban laboratory for his doctoral thesis work to study the structure, function, and evolution of the ribosome.
At that time, the development of high-resolution cryo-EM transformed structural biology, and its application to the ribosomal complexes studied by Dr. Greber resulted in a number of unexpected discoveries, including a built-in architectural tRNA in the mammalian mitochondrial ribosome and a new structural probing mechanism for the ribosomal tunnel during eukaryotic ribosome assembly. Dr Greber was awarded the Scaringe Award of the RNA Society for these studies.
Subsequently, Dr. Greber moved to the laboratory of Prof. Eva Nogales at the University of California, Berkeley as a postdoctoral fellow, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation. There, he determined the complete structure of human transcription factor TFIIH, a multifunctional protein complex that is critical both for transcription initiation and DNA repair throughout eukaryotes.
In summer 2020, he joined the Institute of Cancer Research in London, where he received an MRC Career Development Award to perform structural and functional studies of nucleotide excision repair (NER). Due to its critical cellular role, dysfunction of the NER pathway results in human disease, including cancer. Dr Greber's group aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms by which the pathway operates.
Curriculum Vitae
Since April 2021 |
MCR Career Development Fellow Institute of Cancer Research, Division of Structural Biology, London, UK |
2020-2021 |
ICR Fellow Institute of Cancer Research, Division of Structural Biology, London, UK |
2019-2020 |
Assistant project scientist, Laboratory of Prof. Dr. Eva Nogales, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA |
2015-2019 |
Post-doctoral fellow, Laboratory of Prof. Dr. Eva Nogales, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA |
2013-2015 |
Post-doctoral research scientist, Laboratory of Prof. Dr. Nenad Ban, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Zurich, Switzerland |
2009-2013 |
Doctoral student, Laboratory of Prof. Dr. Nenad Ban, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Zurich, Switzerland |
2008 |
Visiting Student/Research Technician, Laboratory of Dr. Manuel Mendoza, Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Biomedical Research Park Barcelona (PRBB), Barcelona, Spain |
2006-2008 |
MSc ETH in Biology, Major: Biochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Zurich, Switzerland |
2007-2008 |
Undergraduate research (MSc thesis), Laboratory of Prof. Dr. Nenad Ban, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Zurich, Switzerland |
2006-2007 |
Undergraduate research, Laboratory of Prof. Dr. Yves Barral, Institute of Biochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Zurich, Switzerland |
2003-2006 |
BSc ETH in Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Zurich, Switzerland |
Awards
2021 |
MRC Career Development Award awarded by MRC/UKRI |
2020 |
Outstanding Postdoc Award awarded by the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley |
2017 |
Advanced Postdoc.Mobility Fellowship (Extension) awarded by the Swiss National Science Foundation |
2016 |
Scaringe Award awarded by the RNA Society |
2015 |
Advanced Postdoc.Mobility Fellowship awarded by the Swiss National Science Foundation |
2014 |
ETH Medal awarded by Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) |
