Elin Org

Elin Org is professor of microbiomics at the Institute of Genomics of the University of Tartu in Estonia. She earned her PhD in Molecular Biomedicine from the University of Tartu, Estonia. From 2011 to 2015, she conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the laboratory of Professor Aldons J. Lusis. In 2013, she was awarded a prestigious Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship. Upon returning to Estonia in 2015, Elin established a new research group at the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, with support from the EMBO Installation Grant and starting grants from the Estonian Research Council. Her research group focuses on human microbiome research, with particular emphasis on understanding the microbiome's role in human health. She established the Estonian Microbiome Cohort (EstMB), a nationwide initiative that currently includes stool and oral samples from around 3,000 Estonian Biobank participants, complemented by regular linkages to national health registries and hospital databases. By integrating microbiome data with genetic, clinical, and lifestyle information from the Estonian Biobank, they investigate how the microbiome contributes to disease development, drug interactions, and treatment responses. In recognition of her research achievements, Elin Org was awarded the Estonian National Science Prize in 2025.