New professorship in Paediatric Infectious and Emerging Diseases Modelling

Burcu Tepekule has been a postdoc in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University since August 2022. There, she investigates how the immune system develops in the intestine during the first years of life. Prior to this, she conducted research into the body’s immune responses to HIV and tuberculosis, as well as the spread of COVID-19, at University Hospital Zurich.

The 34-year-old obtained her doctorate in theoretical biology from ETH Zurich in 2019 and was awarded the ETH medal for her work. She began her studies with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul and gained early professional experience in industry.

Her research combines biology, medicine and mathematics. She develops models to better understand how the interaction between gut bacteria and the immune system in early childhood affects our health. This includes questions such as when the microbiome boosts the body’s defenses and when it becomes a risk. She is also investigating how the microbiome contributes to the development of antibiotic resistance and how probiotic treatments could specifically target this.

The position is one of three structural professorships at the Basel Research Center for Child Health (BRCCH), which is jointly supported by the University of Basel and ETH Zurich. Burcu Tepekule will take up her position as assistant professor with tenure track in the Faculty of Medicine on 1 August 2026.

Promotion in the Department of Social Sciences

The University Council has promoted Prof. Dr. Alain Müller to associate professor, effective 1 February 2026. Alain Müller has been a tenure track Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology and Gender Studies in the Department of Social Sciences in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences since 2020.

New adjunct professorships

The University Council also approved the decision by the Senate to appoint the following adjunct professors:

Faculty of Theology

• Prof. Dr. Regine Munz for systematic theology

Faculty of Medicine

• Prof. Dr. Pasquale Calabrese for experimental neurology and neuropsychology (with simultaneous “Umhabilitation”, transfer of authorization to teach)
• Prof. Dr. Christian Egloff for orthopedics and traumatology of the musculoskeletal system
• Prof. Dr. Ingo Kutschka for cardiac surgery (with simultaneous “Umhabilitation”, transfer of authorization to teach)
• Prof. Dr. Edin Mujagic for vascular surgery
• Prof. Dr. Nadja Rohr for reconstructive dental medicine
• Prof. Dr. Christof Stieger for experimental medicine
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Wolff for surgery