Samuel Philip Nobs

Samuel Philip Nobs is a Group Leader at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) in Bellinzona, Switzerland, affiliated with the University of Italian Switzerland, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Zurich. He leads the Immune Microbiome Interactions laboratory, focusing on host-microbe interactions in respiratory and inflammatory diseases using systems immunology approaches.

His academic journey includes:

• Bachelor of Biomedical Science, Victoria University of Wellington (2007-2010)
• Master of Immunology and Microbiology, ETH Zurich (2012)
• PhD in Immunology, ETH Zurich (2017)

Nobs' research centers on how metabolism and the microbiome regulate immune responses, particularly in lung diseases. His work has uncovered mechanisms linking diabetes to respiratory infection susceptibility and identified novel pathways in allergic inflammation. He employs gnotobiotic models, metagenomics, and immunological assays to dissect host-microbe crosstalk in health and disease.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals dominant themes in microbiome-immune regulation across respiratory diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, and metabolic disorders. Key trends include phage-based microbiome editing, circadian-microbiome interactions, and dietary interventions for immune modulation, with strong translational emphasis on therapeutic applications.

His scientific recognition includes:

• ETH Silver Medal for doctoral thesis
• Doctoral thesis prize in Allergology (European Federation of Immunological Societies)
• Sidney and Joan Pestka Postgraduate Award
• Weizmann Institute Prize for Outstanding Postdoctoral Achievements
• EMBO and SNSF Postdoctoral Fellowships
• SNSF Starting Grant (2024)

Nobs secured the prestigious SNSF Starting Grant in 2024 to launch his independent research program, currently mentoring students and postdoctoral fellows. His laboratory develops innovative approaches to target microbiome-immune interactions for treating chronic inflammatory conditions.

The Immune Microbiome Interactions laboratory at IRB integrates systems immunology, microbiome analysis, and metabolic profiling to investigate host-microbe dynamics in respiratory diseases, with active collaborations across European research networks and clinical partners.