Martin Fussenegger is a Professor of Biotechnology and Bioengineering at both the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) of ETH Zurich in Basel and the University of Basel. He is a leading expert in synthetic biology, mammalian cell engineering, and metabolic disorder correction through designer cell implants. Education: Graduated under Werner Arber at the University of Basel (1992) Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology (1994) with Volkmar Braun at the Max Planck Institute of Biology in Tübingen Postdoctoral studies on host-pathogen interactions with Thomas F. Meyer at the Max Planck Institute of Infection Biology in Berlin (1995) His research focuses on designing synthetic gene circuits that implement complex control and closed-loop expression logic, as well as developing theranostic designer cell implants that interface with host metabolism to correct metabolic disorders like diabetes, obesity, and neurodegenerative diseases. Recent work emphasizes electrogenetics and synthetic immunology. Scientific Awards: Swiss National Science Foundation Professor Award (2002) Gaden Award (2003) ERC Advanced Grants (2012, 2018) James E. Bailey Award (2015) Medal of the European Society for Animal Cell Technology (ESACT) (2015) Fussenegger has served in leadership roles including Chairman of ETH Zurich's Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (2009-2010) and Director of Studies for the ETH Zurich Biotechnology Curriculum (2005-2013). He is a member of AIMBE, EMBO, SATW, and the US National Academy of Engineering.










