EPFL microbiologist Camille Goemans has received a 2026 Vallee Scholar Award for her research into limiting the spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.The Vallee Scholar Awards provide “flexible, unrestricted funding to exceptional, independent, early-career investigators conducting basic biomedical research.” Each awardee receives $400,000 in funding over four years, giving researchers the flexibility to pursue promising ideas and develop ambitious projects without being limited to a narrowly defined research plan. The Awards were established in 2013 by the Vallee Foundation, which has since invested more than $23 million in Vallee Scholars working across a broad range of biomedical fields.Among the seven recipients of the 2026 Vallee Scholar Award is Professor Camille Goemans at EPFL's School of Life Sciences, where she directs the Laboratory of Drug-Microbiota Interactions at the Global Health Institute. Her research examines how antibiotics and other drugs affect the gut microbiota, with a focus on the mechanisms that shape bacterial responses to treatment and the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Her group combines experimental and computational approaches to study drug–microbiota interactions and identify strategies for improving antimicrobial therapies.The Vallee Scholar Award will support Goemans’ project titled: “Blocking antibiotic resistance spread by targeting horizontal gene transfer”.Read an interview with Camille GoemansGoemans on gut microbiota