Ernst Hafen

Ernst Hafen is a Full Professor of Developmental Genetics at the Institute for Molecular Systems Biology (IMSB), ETH Zurich. He previously served as Director of ETH Zurich (2005-2006) and Director of the Zoological Institute. He held a Full Professorship at the University of Zurich (1997-2005) and earlier roles as Assistant/Associate Professor there (1987-1992). His research focuses on genetics, signal transduction pathways in Drosophila, insulin signaling, cell growth, and nutrition.

Education & Early Career:

• Postdoctoral Research Assistant with G.M. Rubin at U.C. Berkeley (1984–1986)
• Research Assistant with W.J. Gehring at Biocenter Basel (1983)

Research Interests: His work explores molecular mechanisms governing cell growth and organismal size regulation, particularly in Drosophila models. Key areas include insulin/IGF signaling, nutrient sensing pathways, and their implications for human diseases like cancer and metabolic disorders. Experimental approaches combine genetics, cell biology, and systems biology.

Awards & Affiliations:

• 1991 Friedrich-Miescher Prize
• 1999 Prix Mondiale Nessim-Habif
• EMBO Member since 1999
• Academia Europaea Member

Labs/Teams: Leads research groups at the IMSB focused on systems biology and developmental genetics.