New professorships for cardiac surgery and AI and foundation models
The University Council has appointed Professor Hassina Baraki Clinical Professor of cardiac surgery. At the same time, she will become the chief physician for cardiac surgery at the University Hospital Basel. Professor Ilija Bogunovic will be the new associate professor for AI and foundation models.
30 June 2025
Hassina Baraki received her doctorate from the Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (Hanover Medical School) with a thesis on the “frozen elephant trunk” technique, a surgical procedure for treating complex diseases of the aorta. Baraki studied medicine at the University of Göttingen and completed her practical year at institutions including Tulane University in New Orleans.
After receiving her license to practice medicine in 2003, she worked as an assistant physician and later as an attending physician at the Medizinische Hochschule Hannover. Her career later took her to University Hospital Magdeburg and the University Medical Center Göttingen, where she has been senior physician since 2017. She completed her habilitation in 2017 with a thesis on intramyocardial transplantation of bioartificial tissue. She also completed an MBA and extensive additional medical education at home and abroad.
Hassina Baraki’s research focuses on the development and clinical application of minimally invasive procedures in cardiac surgery. In particular, her research addresses tissue regeneration after myocardial infarction, innovative technologies in heart valve surgery, and the integration of modern imaging and surgical planning.
She was awarded the Dr. Rusche-Forschungspreis (Dr. Rusche Research Award) for her academic work. Her goals for the future of cardiac surgery in Basel are the development of individualized, minimally invasive surgical techniques, close interdisciplinary collaboration, and the funding of translational research. She will take office on October 1, 2025.
Professorship for AI and foundation models
Dr. Ilija Bogunovic studied computer science at ETH Zürich and received his PhD in 2019 from EPFL Lausanne for his thesis on robust adaptive decision making. From 2020 to 2022, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Machine Learning at ETH Zürich. Since 2022, he has been a lecturer in machine learning systems engineering in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at University College London. He has received recognition for his work through a Google Research Scholar Program Award and an EPSRC New Investigator Award.
His research interests include algorithmic questions in generative AI, sequential decision-making, large language models, foundation models, and the role of reinforcement learning in modern AI systems. He is working on new combinations of AI techniques and reinforcement learning methods that are already successfully applied in several current AI domains.
The professorship is a new appointment established as part of the AI initiative launched by the President’s Board in 2023, which will significantly bolster the initiative. Professor Ilja Bogunovic will assume his position in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the Faculty of Science on 1 September 2025.
Promotion of Fabian Schär
The University Council has promoted Professor Fabian Schär to associate professor, effective 1 August 2025. Professor Fabian Schär was appointed tenure track assistant professor of distributed ledger technology/fintech in the Faculty of Business and Economics in 2020, having taken up the position as an assistant professor without tenure track in 2018.
Schär’s research deals with blockchain technology and decentralized financing instruments, focusing on the theoretical aspects of decentralized financial markets as well as on the possible effects of the practical application of blockchain and smart contracts.
New adjunct professorships
The University Council has also approved the Senate’s decision to appoint the following adjunct professors:
Faculty of Law
- PD Dr. Martin Kocher for public procurement law, public procedural law and public finance law
Faculty of Medicine
- Prof. Dr. Nicolas Feltgen for ophthalmology (with simultaneous “Umhabilitation”, transfer of authorization to teach)
- PD Dr. Tobias Johannes Hellmuth Heye for radiology
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Heinz Läubli for medical oncology
- PD Dr. Thomas Menter for pathology
- PD Dr. phil. II Anne Christin Meyer-Gerspach for experimental medicine
- PD Dr. Marc Vogel for adult psychiatry
- PD Tenzin Wangmo, PhD, for medical ethics
Faculty of Science
- PD Dr. Nakul Chitnis for epidemiology
Senate awards Venia docendi
At the request of the Faculties of Medicine, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Psychology, the Senate has awarded 13 individuals the title of Dr habil. and the Venia docendi. This authorizes the researchers to use the title of lecturer (Privatdozent) and the academic degree of Dr. habil.
Faculty of Medicine
- PD Dr. Anna Brandt for medical oncology (with simultaneous “Umhabilitation”, transfer of authorization to teach)
- Dr. Joachim Fladt for neurology
- Dr. Tilemachos Kavvadias for gynecology
- Dr. Joël L. Lavanchy for visceral surgery
- Dr. Claudia Lenz for experimental medicine
- Dr. Timur Liwinski for adult psychiatry
- Dr. Christina Schindera for pediatric hematology and oncology
- Dr. Fiona Streckmann for experimental medicine
- Dr. Jan Vosshenrich for radiology
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Dr. Lisa Marie Borrelli for cultural anthropology
- Dr. Fabian Jonietz for early modern art history
Faculty of Science
- Dr. Helen Mary Prytherch for epidemiology
Faculty of Psychology
- Dr. Martina Studer for psychology
