Unlike many biochemists, Frank Gannon didn't play with chemistry sets as a kid — he was too busy seeking his next intellectual challenge. Interested in law and languages, the University of Galway undergraduate decided to specialize in biochemistry only when a friend mentioned the unfamiliar topic. “When I don't know about something, that's where I want to go,” says Gannon. (See CV)

He continued with a PhD at Leicester, UK, in enzymology, because proteins were in vogue at the time. But for his postdoc, Gannon wanted a change of scenery as well as science. At the University of Wisconsin at Madison, he worked on oestrogen receptors, which were poorly understood at that time. Although offered a job at the Michigan Cancer Foundation, he felt he wasn't yet ready to run his own lab. His journey back to Europe led him to Pierre Chambon's lab in Strasbourg, France — one of Europe's top laboratories.

Eager to prove his own scientific worth, Gannon took on the challenge of creating a successful research programme at the University of Galway without money or resources. “Career-wise, this was not a sensible move,” says Gannon. He wrote a manifesto to guide his career goals: create a world-class lab, bring biotechnology into the education system, and influence Irish industry — all of which he had accomplished by the time he left a dozen years later to lead the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

To help EMBO reach its full potential, Gannon worked to increase communications across countries and create initiatives to promote young-scientist awards as well as researchers in developing countries. These efforts helped spur Europe's restructuring of the research enterprise, including the creation of the European Research Council.

Now Gannon has made yet another career move. Returning to Ireland, he becomes director-general of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) on 1 July. Patrick Fottrell, chair of the SFI board, believes Gannon's leadership and international standing will prove pivotal to Ireland's efforts to recruit and retain world-class scientists, as well as in attracting high-tech corporate research and development. To do so, he plans to maintain scientific quality at Ireland's universities, even as they expand postgraduate offerings.

Gannon gauges his career success by what he calls “the Rip Van Winkle test”. When you move on from a job, is the organization as untouched by your presence as if you'd slept through it, or have you improved it?