Nektarios Tavernarakis

Nektarios N. Tavernarakis (Greek: Νεκτάριος Ν. Ταβερναράκης) is a Greek bioscientist, who studies Ageing, Cell death, and Neurodegeneration. He is currently Distinguished Professor of Molecular Systems Biology at the Medical School of the University of Crete, in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, and President of the European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC). He is also Distinguished Member of the Foundation for Research and Technology, and the founder and first Director of the Graduate Program in Bioinformatics of the University of Crete Medical School. He has served as Chairman of the board of Directors at the Foundation for Research and Technology, and Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, where he is heading the Neurogenetics and Ageing laboratory. He was elected Vice President of the European Research Council (ERC) in 2020, and Chairman of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) governing board and executive committee in 2022.

Early years Nektarios Tavernarakis was born and grew up in Megali Vrisi, a small village in the municipality of Gortyna, about 30 Km to the south of Heraklion, and graduated with honours from the 1st High School of Heraklion (Kapetanakeio).

Biographical information Nektarios Tavernarakis completed his undergraduate studies at the Department of Biology of the Aristotle University, in Thessaloniki, Greece (graduated with honours in 1989), and obtained his PhD degree from the Department of Biology of the University of Crete, in Heraklion, Greece, having received the best PhD Thesis Award. He trained as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry of Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA. He has made notable contributions relevant to cell death, neurodegeneration and ageing, documented in the scientific literature.

In 2020, Nektarios Tavernarakis was elected vice president of the European Research Council (ERC), the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc), Academia Europaea, the German National Academy of Sciences-Leopoldina and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA). He is also a corresponding member of the Academy of Athens, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

His work has received several prominent awards and scientific prizes, including two European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Investigator grant awards (in 2008 and 2016), a European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept grant award, the EMBO Young Investigator award, the International Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) long-term postdoctoral fellowship, the BioMedical Research Award of the Academy of Athens, the Valergakis Post-Graduate Award of the Hellenic University Club of New York, the Galien Scientific Research Award, the Helmholtz International Fellow Award, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel research award, the Research Excellence award of the Foundation for Research and Technology, and the Empeirikeion Foundation Academic Excellence Prize, among others. He is also the recipient of the Excellence Award, and the Scientific Prize for Medicine and Biology, of the Bodossaki Foundation, which are two of the most competitive scientific distinctions for Greeks, in Greece and abroad. He is the only Greek scientist to have been awarded both these prestigious prizes.

Research and scientific achievements Nektarios Tavernarakis has contributed to the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of necrotic cell death and neurodegeneration, the interplay between cellular metabolism and ageing, the mechanisms of sensory transduction and integration by the nervous system. He has also contributed towards the development of novel genetic tools for biomedical research, including an RNA interference (RNAi) method that allows efficient knockdown of neuronal genes. His PhD Thesis research focused on the expression and function of key stress response transcriptional activators in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and provided original insights on the regulation of these activators by nutrient limitation, and the role of DNA in determining interactions between transcription factors and co-factors. His laboratory at IMBB was the first to commence Caenorhabditis elegans research in Greece. He has published more than 285 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, such as Nature. His work has received more than 63,000 citations, with an h-index of 89. Among the notable discoveries of his team are the sophisticated molecular mechanisms, by which diverse physiological signals are integrated to modulate cellular mitochondrial content, protein synthesis, and energy homeostasis during ageing. These studies revealed intricate signaling pathways that coordinate mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis, to determine the number of mitochondria in cells, under stress and during ageing. Work from his lab implicated autophagy, lysosomal function, endocytosis, intracellular calcium homeostasis and specific proteolytic enzymes as major contributors to necrosis and neurodegeneration. His group developed, for the first time, experimental heat stroke models; and identified mechanisms protecting against heat cytotoxicity and other necrotic insults. He has isolated and characterized specific ion channels, involved in proprioception and coordinated locomotion, in dopaminergic signalling and associative learning. His team was the first to delineate the role of autophagy in the regulation of synaptic plasticity and behaviour under nutrient deprivation and stress. Work in his laboratory also led to the identification of specific nuclear autophagy mediators and the characterization of their role in ageing and germline immortality.

Science advocacy Nektarios Tavernarakis has been active in science policy, research governance and public advocacy for basic research. His public engagement has focused on research funding, scientific governance, international collaboration, and the role of science in economic development and evidence-informed policymaking. He has argued that curiosity-driven, frontier research is the foundation of technological innovation and long-term economic competitiveness.

In a widely publicized, opinion article published in the scientific journal EMBO Reports, he argued that major technological advances arise from decades of investment in fundamental science and cautioned against research policies that prioritize short-term applications at the expense of basic research. He has also commented extensively on the development of the Greek research ecosystem. In interviews with the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), he argued that strengthening research infrastructure, reducing administrative burdens, providing predictable long-term funding and attracting international scientific talent are essential for improving Greece's competitiveness in research and innovation.

Tavernarakis has consistently promoted interdisciplinary research in the life sciences. In interviews published by The FEBS Journal and the FEBS Network, he encouraged molecular and cell biologists to engage with research beyond their immediate specialization, arguing that many important advances emerge at the interface of biology with computational science, engineering and artificial intelligence.

In interviews with the national Greek newspaper To Vima, Tavernarakis has argued that scientific research constitutes an important component of national resilience, technological sovereignty and economic prosperity. He has advocated sustained public investment in research and innovation and emphasized that scientific excellence should be treated as a long-term national strategic priority.

Personal life Nektarios Tavernarakis is married and the father of two daughters. He is a licensed radio amateur, active mainly in the VHF, UHF and SHF radio bands. His callsign is SV9IOR.

Selected awards and distinctions Datta Medal of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Doctor Honoris Causa, Ionian University, Department of Informatics President of the European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC) (2025) Chairman of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Governing Board and Executive Committee (2022) Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2020) Member of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Governing Board and Executive Committee (2020) Member of the German National Academy of Sciences-Leopoldina (2019) Member of the Scientific Council of the European Research Council (ERC) (2016) European Research Council (ERC), Advanced Investigator Grant award (2016) BioMedical Research Excellence Award, Academy of Athens, (2014) Member of Academia Europaea (2014) Member of the Faculty of 1000 in Biology/Medicine, section on Cellular Death & Stress Responses (2006) Bodossaki Foundation, Academic Prize in Medicine and Biology (2005) International Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) fellow (1996–2000) State of New Jersey, Commission on Cancer Research fellow (1996) Hellenic University Club of New York, Frederick Valergakis, Academic achievement award (1996)

Selected publications