Yves Barral, Theoretical Biology
Schlumberger Chair for Mathematical Sciences
Yves Barral works in biology, guided by the question of the links between mathematics and biology, and why these links remain confused and little explored.
Yves Barral is particularly interested in the idea that mathematics is relevant to biology especially when it is first interesting in itself and when it overhangs physics.
Yves Barral studies the similarities between the genomic structure of hereditary material and the logic of axiomatic theories, with a particular interest in the importance of the logical incompleteness of genetic systems in their interactions with the environment.
The experimental work of his laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH Zürich) focuses on the ability of cells to collect, process, and memorize information allowing them to individualize, explore and adapt to their environment. These studies use yeast as a simplified model system. They explore the molecular mechanisms used by eukaryotic cells to store memory and the links between this storage and the aging of the cell and the organism. In addition, this work has also highlighted the mechanisms by which cells actively “forget” certain information and how these mechanisms contribute to cellular rejuvenation.
ERC Advanced grant (2010)
European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) Young Investigator Award (2003)
Elected member of EMBO (2011)
