Iain Mattaj, director-general, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany

Frustrated by the slow progress of his work at the beginning of his postgraduate career, Iain Mattaj once considered joining a friend's retail business. But his desire to understand how the world functions at the molecular level won, thanks in part to an influential mentor. In May, the 52-year-old molecular biologist will take the reins of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, one of Europe's premier research institutes. (see CV).

Mattaj's understanding of science was influenced by the enthusiasm and creativity of developmental biologist Eddy de Robertis, his supervisor at the Biocentre Basel in Switzerland: “He taught me to constantly think about the most important question one could ask.”

In 1985, when de Robertis joined the University of California, Los Angeles, the Scotsman Mattaj took the opportunity to set up his own group at EMBL, where a new gene-expression programme had just been started. He never regretted the decision. His research in the late 1980s, one of his most productive periods, resulted in a solid understanding of how macromolecules are trafficked between the nucleus and the cytoplasm.

At the time, Mattaj recalls, things still moved slowly. “Nowadays, researchers live in a whirlwind of information,” he says. He is well aware that the pace has increased pressure, in particular on young scientists in highly competitive fields. Graduates considering a scientific career should therefore think very well about the question they want to have answered, and then carefully chose the right place to go, he says. “It is crucial to learn in a top-quality environment.”

When he starts as EMBL director, Mattaj can rely on long experience in science management. After chairing the gene-expression programme for ten years, he was promoted to be EMBL's scientific director in 1999.

Looking back, he appreciates most that as a young scientist he could do independent research with very little red tape. This was only possible, he says, because senior colleagues were looking after the administration. Now he wants to do the same for the next generation. “I find satisfaction in organizing things for the community,” he says, “even though it is rarely so much fun as doing science.”

But he is keen to stay as closely in touch with research as possible. “We're just beginning to understand how the nucleus is built and organized,” he says. There is a good chance that the almost-retailer will know the answer soon.