Alex Schier

Prof. Dr. Alex Schier is a Swiss/US scientist and Director of the Biozentrum, University of Basel, where he leads research on vertebrate development and sleep regulation. He previously served as the Leo Erikson Life Sciences Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University (2005–2019) and held academic roles at NYU School of Medicine (1996–2005).

• Research Focus: Embryonic development, sleep/wakefulness mechanisms, single-cell lineage tracing, and Nodal signaling in morphogenesis.
• Methods: Genetic, genomic, biophysical, and microscopic approaches in zebrafish and mice.

Scientific Leadership: He is a member of EMBO, served on editorial boards (Science, Developmental Cell), and directed the Allan Discovery Center for Cell Lineage Tracing. Recent awards include an ERC Advanced Grant (2020–2024) and NIH MERIT/Pioneer Awards.

Publications highlight advances in single-cell technologies, sleep-related neuropeptides, and evolutionary developmental biology. His lab collaborates on projects like brain-wide transcriptomics and optogenetic signaling control.