After completing my graduate chemistry studies at the Philipps-University in Marburg, Germany, I received my PhD at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, where I carried out research on cause and mechanisms of mitochondrial diseases employing in vitro cell models. This was followed by postdoctoral studies in Physiology departments of the Universities of Heidelberg and Cologne on mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial disease.

With my move to Empa in 2002 my scientific and research interests focussed on biomaterials, biointerfaces, surface modification, cell scaffold materials and most importantly, the characterization of the biological response to materials. For this predictive in vitro models for mammalian cell response and models for bacterial response are being developed.

Since March 2018 I am affiliated with ETH Zürich as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Technology.

In August 2018 I chaired the Biointerfaces International 2018, Zurich - a conference on science, technology and translation. For information on this successful conference see BIC 2018.

Teaching

• Lecturer of the master course “Principles in Tissue Engineering” (each spring semester) D-HEST, ETH Zürich: Zürich, CH.
• Lecturer of the bachelor/master course “Biocompatible Materials” (each autumn semester) D-HEST, ETH Zürich: Zürich, CH.
   

Memberships in national and international organizations

• Past president and honorary lifetime member of Swiss Society for Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, SSB+RM
• Member TERMIS
• Member of the European Society for Biomaterials, ESB
• Member of Dechema

   

Memberships in national and international organizations

• Associate Editor Biointerphases (since 2015)