Bart Deplancke awarded International Francqui Professor Chair

The International Francqui Professor Chairs are awarded each year by the Francqui Foundation, whose mission is “to promote excellence in fundamental research by fostering higher education and scientific advancement in Belgium.” The Chair “is designed for scholars of exceptional caliber who are globally renown and still active in their sector.”

One of the laureates of the 2026 Chairs is Professor Bart Deplancke at EPFL, who directs the Laboratory of Systems Biology and Genetics.

Deplancke investigates one of biology’s fundamental questions: how do cells acquire their identity, and how does genetic variation make them differ between individuals? His laboratory combines cutting-edge experimental and computational methods—including single-cell and functional genomics—to decipher the genetic and epigenetic programs that control gene activity.

By mapping gene regulatory networks and pinpointing the DNA elements that govern gene expression, the group aims to understand, predict, and ultimately engineer cellular behavior. One important area in which the lab puts these insights into practice is adipose tissue, whose remarkable cellular diversity and adaptability make it central to metabolic health and disease.

As a new Chair, Professor Deplancke will deliver an inaugural lecture at the ‘Palace of the Academies’ in Brussels on 07 September titled: “Reading the Language of Cells: From Discovery to Design.” The lecture will highlight how single-cell technologies are transforming biology by linking molecular activity to cellular behavior and enabling the prediction and engineering of cell properties.