Prof. Dudin awarded with Friedrich Miescher Award 2026
Prof. Omaya Dudin, department of Biochemistry has been awarded the Friedrich Miescher Award 2026 for his outstanding achievements in biochemistry.
Prof. Dudin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, whose research explores how unicellular organisms evolved into multicellular life forms. His work combines cell biology, evolutionary biology, and advanced imaging approaches to uncover how cytoskeletal dynamics, polarity, and adhesion shape the earliest steps of multicellularity. He completed his BSc and MSc at the University of Grenoble, where he studied decision-making processes in E. coli. He then earned his PhD at the University of Lausanne, focusing on the cytoskeletal mechanisms underlying cell-to-cell fusion. Supported by an SNSF Early Mobility fellowship and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, he conducted postdoctoral work in the Multicellgenome Lab in Barcelona, investigating the cell biology of holozoan animal relatives.
In 2020, he established his first independent research group at EPFL before moving to the University of Geneva in 2024. His laboratory investigates the developmental strategies of microbial eukaryotes (e.g., chthyosporeans) to dissect how cells coordinate, differentiate, and organize into tissues. The group also pioneers the use of Expansion Microscopy to map the cellular architecture and life cycles of diverse protists, with the intention of building an “Expansion Microscopy Atlas of Microbial Eukaryotes” to illuminate the general principles of multicellular transitions across eukaryotic life.
Prof. Dudin’s achievements have been recognized internationally, including his appointment as an EMBO Young Investigator (2024–2027) and competitive support from the SNSF Ambizione (2020–2024), SNSF Starting Grant (2024–2029), the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (2025–2028), and a FEBS Excellence Fellowship (2025–2027).
The award ceremony and lecture titled “Exploring multicellular developmental diversity at the root of animals & beyond” will take place during the LS2 Annual Meeting 2026: Thursday, February 12th, at 16:10.
17 Dec 2025