The Saxon Minister President Michael Kretschmer and Prof. Dr. Eugene Myers during the awards ceremony of the Saxon Order of Merit. © Katrin Boes / MPI-CBG
The renowned US scientist Eugene Myers has been honored with the Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony. Myers was founding director of the Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD) in 2012 and was director at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG). Under his leadership, the CSBD – an initiative of the Max Planck Society together with the TU Dresden – developed into a world-leading center for systems biology in just a few years. Myers was also involved in academic teaching and research at the TU Dresden, where he was closely involved in one of the clusters of excellence and established the DRESDEN-concept Genome Center, a technology platform in the field of genome research.
Michael Kretschmer, Minister President of Saxony, presented the award to the 70-year-old at the MPI-CBG during a symposium on October 29.
The mathematician is one of the pioneers in the field of bioinformatics, and his scientific work and the BLAST algorithm, which he co-developed, were crucial to the decoding of the human genome.
In his laudatory speech, Kretschmer also referred to Prof. Myers' special achievements in strengthening Saxony as a center of science and research, and in particular the biotechnology cluster in the Free State of Saxony. “You have made groundbreaking achievements and shown outstanding commitment to Saxony as a center of biotechnology.” All of this is invaluable, he said.
The Saxon Order of Merit is the highest state honor in Saxony. With this award, the Free State honors people who have shown outstanding commitment in the political, economic, cultural, social, societal, or voluntary sectors. The order was established in 1996 and first awarded on October 27, 1997. It can be awarded to individuals from Germany and abroad who have made a particular contribution to the Free State of Saxony and the people who live here. So far, the Saxon Order of Merit has been awarded 402 times.
Prof. Dr. Ivo Sbalzarini, Prof. Dr. Stephan Grill, Saxon Science Minister Sebastian Gemkow, Prof. Dr. Heather Harrington, Daphne Myers, Prof. Dr. Eugene Myers, Dr. Anne Grapin-Botton, Saxon Minister President Michael Kretschmer, and Prof. Dr. Anthony Hyman (from left to right) © Katrin Boes / MPI-CBG