Susan Gasser

Susan Gasser is a Full Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Basel and has served as Director of the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research since 2004. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Basel in 1982 and has held academic positions at the University of Geneva (2001-2004) and ISREC (1986-2001). Her research focuses on chromatin dynamics, nuclear organization, and genome integrity, with a particular emphasis on RecQ helicases, DNA repair pathways, and telomere positioning.

• PhD: University of Basel (1982), Biochemistry
• B.A.: University of Chicago (1979), Biological Sciences (Biophysics)

Her laboratory employs live fluorescence microscopy and genetic models to study chromatin's role in differentiation and degenerative diseases. Recent publications highlight mechanisms of nucleosome positioning, DNA methylation, and transcription factor interactions. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the National Latsis Prize, EMBO/FEBS Women in Science Award, and the Weizmann Institute Women in Science Award. Gasser has advised multiple PhD students and leads a team at the FMI.

Scientific awards include:

• National Latsis Prize (1991)
• EMBO election (1993)
• Friedrich Miescher Prize (1994)
• Academia Europaea (1998)
• Gregor Mendal Medal (2006)
• European Research Council Advanced Grant (2015)

Her work bridges molecular genetics and epigenetics, with a focus on nuclear architecture and its impact on gene expression and DNA repair.