Three promotions at the University of Basel
The University Council has promoted three professors at the University of Basel. It has also approved an adjunct professorship, while the Senate has granted five researchers the Venia docendi.
27 August 2026
Professor Ralph Weber will be promoted to full professor of european global studies at the Institute for European Global Studies at the University of Basel, where he has worked since 2014. Weber’s research focuses primarily on Chinese politics and China’s influence abroad. He also studies the global history of political ideas and questions of comparative philosophy. The promotion will take effect from the fall semester of 2026.
Professor Andrea Hofmann will also be promoted to associate professor effective from the fall semester of 2026. She was appointed tenure-track assistant professor of experimental quantum computing with semiconductors in the Department of Physics in 2021. Together with her group, she studies the building blocks of future quantum computers, known as qubits. One focus is how individual electrons or holes can be confined and controlled in semiconductors and graphene to develop high-performance quantum devices.
Professor Andreas U. Lanz has been assistant professor with tenure track for digital marketing analytics at the Faculty of Business and Economics since 2023. He will be promoted to associate professor from the fall semester of 2026. His research focuses on influencer marketing and examines the mechanisms underlying successful influencing in large-scale field experiments.
Adjunct professorship at the Faculty of Law
The University Council also approved the Senate’s decision to award Professor Daniela Thurnherr Keller an adjunct professorship in public law. Thurnherr Keller will leave the University of Basel on 1 October 2026 to become an ordinary judge at the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
Senate awards Venia docendi
At the request of two faculties, the Senate has granted the following individuals the degree of Dr. habil. and the Venia docendi. These researchers are thus authorized to use the title of lecturer (Privatdozent) and the academic degree of Dr. habil.
Faculty of Medicine
- Dr. Simon Frey for cardiology
- Dr. Gabriel Fridolin Hess for visceral surgery
- Dr. Guillaume Nicolas for nuclear medicine
- Dr. Julian Süsstrunk for visceral surgery
Faculty of Science
- Dr. Jeffrey Alan Chao for molecular biology
