Single Cell Symposium

Dr. Geneviève Almouzni is a research director (classe exceptionnelle) at the CNRS. 

Member of Institut Curie since 1994, she has led a research team on Chromatin Dynamics within the Nuclear Dynamics Unit (UMR3664 CNRS/Institut Curie) since 1999. She headed the Institut Curie Research Center from 2013 to 2018 and has been its honorary director since then.

She is a world leader in understanding the organization and function of the genome during development and disease, particularly in cancer. She has combined biochemistry, cell biology, and physical approaches with advanced imaging to explore chromatin dynamics. Her work has led to an understanding of key molecular mechanisms involved in chromatin assembly associated with distinct regions of the genome. In total, G. Almouzni has authored more than 250 publications and filed five patents. Active in the field of epigenetics and European initiatives, she also coordinated the EpiGeneSys network of excellence to advance epigenetics toward systems biology, then the LabEx DEEP (Development, Epigenesis, Epigenetics, and Potential) in France. She has received prestigious grants (ERC Advanced Grants and Proof of Concept) for her research work and has been coordinating the PEPR Cell-ID “cellular identities and destinies” since 2024. 

She has been awarded the distinctions of Officer of the Order of Merit (2017), Knight of the Order of Academic Palms (2021), and Officer of the Legion of Honor (2024). She has received internationally recognized awards including Woman in Sciences FEBS/EMBO (2013), the FRM Grand Prize (2014), and the L'Oréal-UNESCO International Award for Women in Science (2024). 

She has served on the EMBO Council and then on the Scientific Council of the European Research Council (2019-2025), where she chaired the Gender and Diversity Working Group. She also chaired the EU-LIFE alliance, co-chaired the European LifeTime initiative, and is a member of the Human Cell Atlas coordination board. She is also a member of the French Academy of Sciences, a member of EMBO, and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In all her actions, she has sought to promote science, diversity, and the careers of young people and women in our society.

Dr. Marco Marra is a Professor in UBC’s Department of Medical Genetics and the Michael Smith Laboratories. For more than two decades he served as Head of Medical Genetics and Director of Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre. He is internally recognized for his contributions to genomics and precision cancer.

During his postdoctoral fellowship in St. Louis on the Human Genome Project, Marco developed new strategies to generate sequence‑ready maps of the human genome and led the team that produced the map used to organize and fuel human genome sequencing.

Recruited to Vancouver by Nobel Laureate Dr. Michael Smith, Marco went on to lead teams that sequenced model organism genomes and advanced cancer genomics. He has led or co-led major projects uncovering key mutations, biomarkers, and therapeutic targets across ovarian cancer, B‑cell lymphoma, brain and breast cancers, medulloblastoma, leukemia, rhabdoid tumours, and cervical cancer. He currently co-leads the first program to apply whole‑genome and transcriptome sequencing to guide personalized cancer treatment.

A committed educator, Marco co-founded, co-directed and co-funded UBC’s Genome Sciences and Technology (GSAT) Graduate Program, and was a founding member of the Bioinformatics Graduate Program. Together, these programs have graduated hundreds of students, positioning BC as a nexus for advanced genomics and bioinformatics training.

Recognitions granted to Marco include: National Killam Prize in Health Sciences (2025), UBC University Killam Professor (2025), Officer of the Order of Canada (2024), Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (2020), the Don Rix Lifetime Achievement Award (2019), the Outstanding Achievements in Cancer Research Award (2017), the Chew Wei Memorial Prize in Cancer Research (2015), the Terry Fox Medal (2010), the Order of British Columbia (2010) and the Merck Frosst Prize (2007). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2007) and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2009), and holds honorary degrees from Simon Fraser University (2004) and the University of Calgary (2005).