PROF. VIJAY TIWARI

My education, training and independent research have spanned seven countries over the last two decades (Denmark, UK, Germany, Switzerland, USA, Sweden and India).  Since 2023, I have been a Professor and Head of Research at the Institute of Molecular Medicine in SDU, Odense, Denmark, focusing on Gene Regulatory Mechanisms underlying Development and its Disruption in diseases. Additionally, I hold an Honorary Professorship at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University, UK where I was previously employed as a Senior Associate Professor since 2018. I obtained an MSc in Molecular & Human Genetics at Banaras Hindu University, a Centre of Excellence in Life Sciences in India. Subsequently, I moved to the epigenetics lab of Prof. Rolf Ohlsson at Uppsala University in Sweden for my doctoral studies. My research continued very successfully as a postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Stephen Baylin at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore (USA) and then with Prof. Dirk Schübeler at FMI in Basel (Switzerland) as a Marie Curie and EMBO Fellow. I started my lab at the Institute of Molecular Biology in Germany as a Group leader before joining Queen’s University Belfast in the UK as a Senior Associate Professor. My research contributions and academic services are recognized by several citations, media coverage and several awards for outstanding biomedical research.  

Since 2023 Professor and Head of Research

Institute of Molecular Medicine, SDU, Odense, Denmark

Topic: Gene Regulatory Mechanisms underlying Development and its Disruption in Diseases

Since 2023 Honorary Professor

The Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen’s University, Belfast, United Kingdom

2018-2023 Senior Associate Professor

The Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen’s University, Belfast, United Kingdom

Topic: Deciphering the Epigenetic Code of Neural Development and Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition

2012-2018 Group Leader 

Institute of Molecular Biology, Mainz, Germany

Topic: Epigenetic Regulation of Neurogenesis and Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition

2016 Habilitation 

Faculty of Biology, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany

Topic: Epigenetic Regulation of Development

2008-2012 Marie-Curie and EMBO Postdoctoral Fellow

Friedrich Miescher Institute (FMI) for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland

Topic: Epigenetic Regulation during Stem Cell Differentiation

Advisor: Prof. Dr. Dirk Schübeler

2006-2008 Johns Hopkins Postdoctoral Fellow

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA

Topic: PcG & DNA methylation-mediated transcriptional silencing in cancer cells

Advisor: Prof. Dr. Stephen B. Baylin

2003-2006 Zoologiska Foundation PhD Student

Department of Development and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

Topic: Epigenetic regulation of gene expression during development

Advisor: Prof. Dr. Rolf Ohlsson

EDUCATION

2000-2002 MSc (Masters of Science)

Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, India

Masters of Science in Molecular and Human Genetics 

AWARDS AND HONORS

2023- Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF) Chair Award 

2023- Danish Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) Chair 

2022- Faculty Member of the Year Award

2018- JLM award at European Biotechnology Conference 

2016- F1000 Faculty Member of the Year Award for the Developmental Biology Faculty

2015- Wilhelm Sander-Stiftung award for outstanding contributions in biomedical research

2013- Bruno Speck Award for outstanding work in the field of stem cell research

2012- EU Young Investigator's RISE1 Award

2008- Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship (IIF) (European Commission)

2008- European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) long-term postdoctoral fellowship

2003- PhD fellowship from Zoologiska foundation

2002- Junior Research Fellowship from Council of Scientific & Industrial Research