Luis Serrano's self-reliant approach in academia has served him well. Rather than simply attend lectures to pass the end-of-year exam, the biology major at the Complutense University of Madrid created and undertook an independent research proposal — a hands-on exercise that convinced him research was his calling. (See CV)

In the early 1980s, Serrano pursued graduate work at the Autonomous University in Madrid, focusing on protein microtubules. It was a wise decision given that protein structure and folding were becoming hot topics. There he learned an important lesson for advancing an academic career: construct experiments with a view towards making a small but valuable stepwise contribution, rather than attempt to solve a bigger, less manageable problem in one attempt. Through his PhD work in cell biology and protein biochemistry, and postdoc work on protein folding at both the Autonomous University and the University of Cambridge, UK, Serrano has been at the leading edge of protein biology research. He ultimately chose to go to EMBL in Heidelberg, Germany, for his first senior research position. “I had the best environment to become fully independent, with all the resources I ever wanted,” he says.

Serrano has also served as the scientific consultant to four different European companies, advising them at their start-up phase regarding the feasibility of an idea. But the corporate world doesn't hold the same allure for him as academia. “What could a company offer me that I don't have at EMBL?” he asks, noting that a company would dictate the path of his research. Given his independent streak, it's not surprising that Serrano advises young scientists not to blindly follow their supervisor, but to challenge themselves to come up with an original idea. “Become a super researcher, not a super technician,” he says.

Now Serrano will direct a new systems-biology unit as part of a joint venture between EMBL and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona. It will be funded in part by the Spanish Ministry for Education and Science. “The partnership with the CRG will lead to greater interaction between EMBL and the Spanish scientific community, which is in a tremendously dynamic phase of its development,” says Iain Mattaj, director-general of EMBL. And as Spain continues to increase spending on new research efforts as part of its National Research and Development Plan, Serrano hopes to use the 'EMBL model' to create a training ground for talented young scientists to become systems biologists.