Claudio Sunkel was born in Chile, studied Biology and Genetics at the University of Sussex (UK) where he obtained his PhD in 1983. Was a postdoc at Imperial College (UK) from 1983 to 1987. In 1988 created the Molecular Genetics Laboratory at the Centro de Citologia Experimental at the University of Porto and later participated in the creation of the Institute for Cell and Molecular (IBMC) where he was vice-director between 1999-2009. In 2009 was elected director of IBMC. Was the head of the Project that resulted in the construction of the Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3s), institution where IBMC is currently integrated. Is currently the Director of i3S. Is director of the Cell Division and Genomic Stability Research Group at i3S where he studies the genetic basis of cancer. Was responsible for the discovery of the Polo-like kinase protein family that is essential for the regulation of proliferation in all eukaryotes. Published more than 100 paper in peer reviewed journals. He is Full professor of Molecular Biology at the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar (ICBAS) at the University of Porto and currently the director of the Department of Molecular Biology at ICBAS. Was elected member of EMBO in 2000 and in 2017 was also elected as member of the EMBO council. Was president of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory council between 2013-2016. In 2007-2009 was national coordinator for the evaluation of Research Units carried out by the Portuguese National Science and Technology foundation (FCT). My laboratory is mostly devoted to the study cell division and of the mechanisms involved in maintaining genomic stability in higher eukaryotes. I started these studies during my posdoctoral work and later continued them in Porto, leading to the identification, cloning and early studies on the Polo-like (Plks) kinase family of essential mitotic regulators. My studies have used a combination of Classical Genetics, Cell Biology and novel tools such as RNAi with special emphasis on advance light microscopy for in vivo studies. The research program explores fundamental aspects of cell division: including the molecular and physical properties of mitotic chromosomes where he has concentrated on the study of condensins; the regulation of progression through mitosis leading to the identification of Polo kinase; the organization and function of the mitotic spindle where he identified the first mutants of ?-tubulin; the genetic and functional analysis of the Mast/Orbit/CLASP family of microtubule-associated proteins; and more recently the study of checkpoints protein like Mad2, BubR1, Bu3 and CENP-E involved in ensuring proper chromosome segregation. Future research aims to further our understanding of the role of chromosome instability in tumorigenesis and the molecular basis for these phenotypes. For this we have created tumor models inDrosophila bases on the promotion of chromosomal instability and aneuploidy. For this we are using both the wirng imaginal disc and the adult mid-gut.