Patrick Aebischer (born 22 November 1954 in Fribourg, Switzerland) was the president of the

École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (, EPFL) is a public university, public research university in Lausanne, Switzerland, founded in 1969 with the mission to "train talented engineers in Switzerland". Like its sister institution E ...

(EPFL) from 17 March 2000 to 31 December 2016. He is a professor in

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, ...

and head of the Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory at the EPFL.

Education

Aebischer was trained as an MD (1980) and a neuroscientist (Dr. Med., 1983) at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

and

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (; ) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius founded the Collège Saint-Michel in the City of Fribourg ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Academic career

From 1984 to 1992, he worked at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

in Providence (

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

), as Research Scientist, Assistant and then associate professor of Medical Sciences. In 1991, he became the chairman of the Section of Artificial Organs, Biomaterials and Cellular Technology of the Division of Biology and Medicine of Brown University. In autumn 1992, he returned to Switzerland as a professor and director of the Surgical Research Division and Gene Therapy Center at the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV) in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

. In 1999, Aebischer was nominated President of the

(EPFL), one of the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology, by the

Swiss Federal Council The Federal Council is the federal cabinet of the Swiss Confederation. Its seven members also serve as the collective head of state and government of Switzerland. Since World War II, the Federal Council is by convention a permanent grand co ...

. He took office as president in March 2000 and was reelected to this position in 2004 and 2008. He has decided to leave this position at the end of 2016. Since 1 January 2017, the president of the EPFL is

Martin Vetterli Martin Vetterli is a professor of engineering of École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, and was the former president of EPFL between 2017 and 2024. He was also formerly the president of the National Research Council ...

. His current research focuses on the development of cell and gene transfer approaches for the treatment of

neurodegenerative diseases A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Neuronal damage may also ultimately result in their death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, mul ...

. Aebischer was influenced and inspired by the "American model" of university management, which he describes as a meritocratic system that encourages innovation. Daniel Sagara
"Il ne faut jamais faire de promesses inconsidérées"
'' Horizons'', magazine of the

Swiss National Science Foundation The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF, German: , SNF; French: , FNS; Italian: ) is a science research support organisation mandated by the Swiss Federal Government. The Swiss National Science Foundation was established under private law b ...

and of the

Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences The Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences is a Swiss organization that supports and networks the sciences at a regional, national and international level. They are designated by the Federal Act to Promote Research and Innovation to promote resea ...

, number 109, pages 29-31, June 2016. Some employees and observers criticised the mutation from a European model to an American model (with values such as money, competition and rankings). Nicolas Dufour, "« Les universités cèdent à la logique de mode »", ''

Le Temps ' (, ) is a Swiss French-language daily newspaper published in Berliner format in Geneva by Le Temps SA. The paper was launched in 1998, formed out of the merger of two other newspapers, and (the former being a merger of two other papers), ...

'', Tuesday 9 March 2010, page 14. Aebischer is a founder of three start-ups: CytoTherapeutics Inc. (1989), Modex Therapeutics Inc. (1996) and Amazentis SA (2007). He sits on the boards of Nestle Health Science (since 2011) and

Lonza Group Lonza Group AG is a Swiss multinational manufacturing company for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and nutrition sectors, headquartered in Basel, with major facilities in Europe, North America and South Asia. Lonza was established under that name ...

(since 2008).

Personal life

The parents of Aebischer are artists , known as Yoki, and Joan, born O'Boyle. He is married and the father of two children.

Honours

* Fellowship of the

(1984–1986). * Kolff Award, young investigator award of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, New York, 1987. * Robert Bing Award of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (1994). * Pfizer Foundation award for clinical neurosciences (1997). * Fellow of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (since 1998). * Fellow of the

American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is a non-profit organization founded in 1991, and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It represents 50,000 medical and Biomedical engineering, biomedical engineers, and academic i ...

(since 2000). * Fellow of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) (since 2009).

Education

Academic career

Personal life

Honours

References

See also

Bibliography

External links