Dr. Alan Pacheco awarded a Branco Weiss Fellowship
Postdoctoral researcher Dr. Alan Pacheco, working at the Institute of Microbiology of ETH Zurich, has been awarded a Branco Weiss Fellowship, which is granted by ETH Zurich for outstanding postdoctoral researchers. He can now pursue his research for up to five years at an institute of his choice anywhere in the world.
After a rigorous selection process, seven exceptional young scientists have been selected to receive this year’s Branco Weiss Fellowship – Society in Science. One of them is Dr. Alan Pacheco, who will conduct his research at the Institute of Microbiology of ETH Zurich.
Dr. Alan Pacheco will investigate the complex interactions that characterize plant-associated microbial communities. Through a multidisciplinary approach that combines computational modeling, microbial ecology, and plant science, he will develop tools to understand and modulate these interactions. Dr. Pacheco will generate computational models to propose combinations of microbes that can confer protection against a bacterial pathogen. Specifically, this framework for model-guided design will be applied to modulate crop-associated microbial communities, broadening our understanding of the mechanisms that underly plant health and resilience in an agricultural context.
More information about Dr. Alan Pacheco can be found external pagehere.
The Branco Weiss Fellowship provides postdoctoral scholars from a variety of disciplines, including the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and engineering, with the opportunity to pursue an independently developed research project. It is a requirement that the proposed project is not part of a larger research enterprise. This year’s fellows represent a wide range of research disciplines, including bioengineering, biological physics, cardiology, computer science, engineering, environmental science, microfluidics, neurobiology, neuroscience, and synthetic genomics. They come from Australia, Denmark, Germany, India, Switzerland, and the United States, and currently hold positions at research institutes and universities in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States.
About the Branco Weiss Fellowship – Society in Science
The fellowship was founded in 2002 to provide a platform for researchers in the natural and engineering sciences who want to expand their scientific work to include specific social and cultural issues and perspectives. The Fellowship was initiated and funded by the Swiss entrepreneur Dr. Branco Weiss, who died in 2010. It is hosted by ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich). Professors Detlef Günther, Angelika Steger, and Josef Zeyer oversee the fellowship program and are supported by prominent international scientists from a wide range of disciplines in selecting the fellows. To qualify for the prestigious award, candidates must have a PhD and a record of outstanding scientific achievement.
For more information about the fellowship, visit external pagehttps://brancoweissfellowship.org.
This article is based on a media release by the Branco Weiss Fellowship.