Felix Naef

Prof. Felix Naef is a Full Professor at EPFL's School of Life Sciences (SV), leading the Laboratory of Computational and Systems Biology within the Institute of Bioengineering (IBI). His research focuses on quantitative systems biology, integrating theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches to study circadian rhythms, gene regulation, and cellular dynamics. He holds additional roles in teaching and administration, including membership in the Doctoral Program Committee for Computational and Quantitative Biology and the CDS Office.

Education:

• PhD in Physics, EPFL (2000)
• Postdoctoral training at Rockefeller University (2000-2004)

Research Interests:

• Circadian gene regulatory networks and liver chronobiology
• Single-cell analysis of transcriptional bursting and noise
• Systems biology of developmental patterning and metabolic pathways
• Integration of multi-omics data to model biological oscillators

Key Contributions:

• Pioneered methods to infer circadian time from omics data
• Discovered space-time interactions in liver zonation and gene expression
• Advanced understanding of ribosome dynamics and translation elongation

Awards:

• EMBO Member (2020)
• SNSF Sinergia Grant (2022)

Advising & Grants:

• Supervised over 30 PhD students and postdocs
• Funded by SNSF, EU Horizon 2020, and industry collaborations

Laboratory: The Naef Lab is part of EPFL's IBI, collaborating globally to address fundamental questions in systems biology and chronobiology.