Prestigious British organisation The Royal Society has welcomed Greek scientist Dr Vassilis Pachnis on board as a Fellow.

Born and raised in Greece, the scientist was selected for his pioneering work on the nervous systems of mammals. Dr Pachnis’ research has assisted in identifying two molecular components of a signalling pathway that play a key role in the development of the enteric nervous system and the excretory system of mouse embryos.

Dr Pachnis started out at the University of Athens, where he studied medicine. After graduating in 1980 he went on to complete his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania and did a stint in New York at Columbia University where he pursued postdoctoral work, before relocating to the UK.

Residing in London, he is now a Senior Group Leader at the Development and Homeostasis of the Nervous System Laboratory at The Francis Crick Institute.

Selected for The Royal Society through a peer-review process, Dr Pachnis is one of 50 eminent scientists elected as Fellows and 10 new Foreign Members for their exceptional contributions to science.

He joins some 1,600 of Britain and the Commonwealth’s most prominent scientists.

The Royal Society’s origins date back to 1660, and through various initiatives supports excellence in science to ensure the future of the discipline in the UK.