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Researchers at the University of Basel
The University of Basel is a research institution with regional roots and international networks. As a high-profile full university, it creates optimal research conditions and regards the increasing competition as an incentive to constantly improve and position itself both nationally and internationally. It owes its innovative strength to the achievements of its researchers. Researchers present themselves as representatives of all research groups:
Rui Mata | Risk-taking from a psychological perspective
Is it possible to predict the decisions people make? For example, the risk someone is willing to accept when making financial choices? Thanks to new innovative approaches, psychology professor Rui Mata hopes to get better and better at such predictions.
Sabine Huebner | New Perspectives on the Ancient World
Climate change, family life, pandemics – ancient historian Sabine Huebner investigates the everyday life of people 2000 years ago and is frequently inspired by current events.
Tania Barkat | How does the Brain hear?
If you can't hear properly, you can't communicate properly. The cause of this problem does not always lie in the ear, but also in the brain. Neuroscientist Tania Barkat is therefore investigating how the brain processes sounds, and why this sometimes doesn't work out.
Frank Krysiak | Sustainability from the Perspective of the Economic Sciences
Frank Krysiak explores the question of what exactly sustainability is from an economic perspective. In doing so, he is taking into account uncertainties as well as risks and applies the results to topics like energy and climate policy.
Julia Tischler | Learning from Africa
Knowledge and innovation flow in only one direction – from rich to poor. Julia Tischler, professor for African History at the University of Basel, questions this common notion. She wants to find out what western industrialized nations can learn from Africa, for example in the health sector.
Mihaela Zavolan | Understanding the life trajectory of cells
As an organism develops, a great variety of cells arises, each with its specific shape and function. How does this happen? What goes wrong when the cells become cancerous or as the organism ages? These are the questions that the computer scientist Mihaela Zavolan would like to answer.
Michael N. Hall | The Discovery of TOR: From the Lab to the Clinic
In the early 1990s, the biochemist Michael N. Hall discovered the protein “TOR” in yeast cells. It later emerged that TOR centrally controls cell growth in many organisms and is implicated in many diseases such as diabetes and cancer. The discovery of TOR has led to new therapeutic strategies.
Jelena Klinovaja | Step by Step to a Quantum Computer
As a theoretical physicist, Jelena Klinovaja is constantly developing new ideas and calculating whether they can be put into practice - for example for the construction of a powerful quantum computer.
Silvia Arber | The Development of Neuronal Circuits in Mind
Silvia Arber is one of the most successful biologists in Switzerland. The neurobiologist studies the establishment and function of neuronal circuits controlling motor behavior.
Dominik Zumbühl | Quantum Computer Revolution
The Qubit, like the transistor, will revolutionize our society. Nobody knows exactly when, but Dominik Zumbühl is convinced the time is approaching. He and his research group are working on producing stable and scalable qubits. These qubits will enable the quantum computer to achieve a computing power many times greater than that of today's supercomputers.
Cornelia Palivan | Innovation in Miniature Format
In her search for novel applications, physicist Cornelia Palivan combines artificial materials with biological substances. Among other things, this results in tiny molecular factories for the therapy and diagnosis of diseases.
Florina Ciorba | Supercomputers for Improving Lives
High-performance computers have revolutionized science and industry. Computer scientist Professor Florina Ciorba looks at ways of optimizing the interactions between machines. In her work, she also encounters numerous parallels with the real world.
Patrick Maletinsky | Unravelling the Mysteries of Nanophysics with Spins and Diamonds
In a lab full of futuristic looking devices, Professor Patrick Maletinsky is working on transforming theoretical quantum mechanics concepts into technical applications.
Ralph Ubl | Doing Research Surrounded by Museums
Basel offers ideal conditions for studying art history: In one of the richest museum landscapes in Europe, the discipline provides a distinctly art-oriented education. Thus, the study of the visual arts is one of the main areas of research at the University of Basel, and it is here that Eikones is located, the Center for the Theory and History of the Image.
Ansgar Kahmen | How plants respond to global changes
Ansgar Kahmen, head of the Physiological Plant Ecology Group at the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Basel, is investigating how plants react to environmental changes and what consequences this has for us.
Martino Poggio | A High Resolution Nano World
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become an integral and indispensable part of medical diagnostics. Inflammations, injuries as well as tumors can be detected using MRI without exposing the patient to high levels of radiation. Using MRI to study tiny nanometer scale objects is, however, a research field that only opened up recently. Martino Poggio is one of the pioneers trying new ways to image the nanoscale world with ever better resolution.
Markus H. Heim | Interferon Efficacy Under Scrutiny
Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus is one of the most common causes of liver disease and can even lead to cirrhosis or cancer of the liver. The current treatment option – using pegylated interferons in combination with ribavirin – can take up to twelve months and often puts great stress on the patient.
Madeleine Herren-Oesch | The Global Context of Europe
The Institute for European and Global Studies at the University of Basel was founded in 1993 in reaction to the failed accession to the EEA. Prof. Madeleine Herren-Oesch has been in charge of the research institute since 2013. The historian, whose focus is on European history and the history of international organizations, previously taught at the University of Heidelberg, where she headed an Asian studies research project.
Roderick Lim | Tissue Analysis Using Nanotechnology
Cancer cells can metastasize and spread quickly, forming secondary tumors in various organs of the body. This is why people suffering from cancer depend on quick diagnostic results. A fast and reliable diagnosis of the tumor’s aggressiveness would thus be a decisive advantage in the fight against cancer.
Thomas Vetter | Mechanic Analysis of Images
«More and more things are becoming possible in the field of intelligent image analysis», says Professor Thomas Vetter, a professor for computer science with a research focus on image sciences. His research group studies the recognition and analysis of images using methods of machine learning and computer graphics.
Laurent Goetschel | What Connects Foreign with Peace Policy
Professor Laurent Goetschel is a prominent media figure and a popular policy and public authority consultant. He is a recognized expert in issues surrounding peace policy and Swiss foreign policy. He began teaching and researching at the University of Basel in 2000.
Richard J. Warburton | Quantum Physics in a Semiconductor
Semiconductor technologies such as those used in semiconductor circuits or semiconductor lasers are the building blocks of our computers and the foundation of high-speed data communications on the Internet. To speed them up, ever faster components have to be developed to pack a larger number of transistors onto the surface of a semiconductor chip. Nanoscale components developed in recent years and the resulting nanostructuring of semiconductors are not only a breakthrough for conventional electronics, but for quantum science as well.
Jörg Huwyler | Tiny Trojan Horses as Drug Carriers
At the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the pharmacists, engineers and biologists in the Division of Pharmaceutical Technology are passionate about developing innovative drug formulations. With particular dosage forms, medicines can be delivered to the body in an efficient and controlled fashion. Drugs can therefore be guided across cellular barriers and directed to diseased tissues or organs within the body.
