In Memory of Peer Bork

A colleague, mentor, and pillar of our scientific community

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Professor Peer Bork, Interim Director General of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), on 16 January 2026. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues worldwide. His loss is felt profoundly across the life sciences community and within the NFDI4Microbiota consortium.

Peer Bork was an exceptional scientist whose pioneering work shaped microbiome research, computational biology, and systems biology over more than three decades. His vision bridged disciplines and helped turn complex data into biological insight.

Within NFDI4Microbiota, Peer Bork was a valued colleague whose ideas and perspectives helped strengthen our shared mission. He believed deeply in collaboration across institutions, disciplines, and borders—values that lie at the heart of our consortium. His work exemplified how data infrastructures, bioinformatics, and microbiology can come together to enable better, more connected science for the entire community. He was also a generous mentor and an inspiring presence for many, whose guidance and scientific curiosity left a lasting impact on our consortium members.

His impact may be best captured in the words of our speaker Konrad Förstner (ZB MED) who shares that “Peer was not only an outstanding scientist who pioneered and shaped several fields, especially microbiome research, but also a wonderful person who guided and inspired countless individuals over the years.”

We are grateful for Peer Bork’s contributions to our field and our community, and will honor his legacy by continuing the collaborative, interdisciplinary science he so strongly believed in.

He will be greatly missed.