Cyril Zipfel

Cyril Zipfel is Professor and Head of the Molecular and Cellular Plant Physiology group at the University of Zurich's Department of Plant and Microbial Biology. His research investigates plant immune recognition mechanisms with applications in crop disease resistance.

Research Focus: The Zipfel lab studies how plants perceive environmental threats through cell surface-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Research combines molecular genetics, biochemistry, and synthetic biology to understand receptor kinase signaling in plant immunity. Current projects include receptor engineering for improved disease resistance, evolution of immune receptors, and identification of microbial patterns.

Funding: Research supported by projects including DyHealthNet (exploring CHRIS cohort data) and Temporal RDBMS (PostgreSQL extensions for temporal queries).

Teaching: Supervises PhD students in plant-microbe interactions and teaches plant immune signaling concepts.