Patrick Aebischer
Patrick Aebischer has been the president of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne from 17 March 2000 to 31 December 2016. He is also a professor in neuroscience and head of the Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory at the EPFL.
Biography
Education
Patrick Aebischer was trained as an MD and a neuroscientist at the University of Geneva and University of Fribourg in Switzerland.Academic career
From 1984 to 1992, he worked at Brown University in Providence, as Research Scientist, Assistant and then Associate Professor of Medical Sciences. In 1991, he became the chairman of the Section of Artificial Organs, Biomaterials and Cellular Technology of the Division of Biology and Medicine of Brown University.In autumn 1992, he returned to Switzerland as a professor and director of the Surgical Research Division and Gene Therapy Center at the University Hospital of Lausanne in Lausanne.
In 1999, Aebischer was nominated President of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, one of the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology, by the Swiss Federal Council. He took office as President on March 2000 and was reelected to this position in 2004 and 2008. He has decided to leave this position at the end of 2016. Since 1 January 2017, the president of the EPFL is Martin Vetterli.
His current research focuses on the development of cell and gene transfer approaches for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Presidency of the EPFL
Since his arrival as president of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne in 2000, Aebischer has made the following changes to the university:- Integration of the "hard science" sections from the neighbouring University of Lausanne;
- Reorganisation of the university into five faculties, each managing its own budget;
- Creation of the School of Life Sciences
- Creation of a Doctoral School
- Creation of a College for Management of Technology and Finance
- Development of an "Innovation Square" on the campus to favour industry partnerships;
- Development of the campus by initiating the construction of the Rolex Learning Center, lodging for students, a hotel for academic guests and the Swiss Tech Convention Center.
| École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne | 2000 | 2015 |
| Total number of students | 4,899 | 10,124 |
| Doctoral students | 702 | 2,077 |
| Post-doctoral researchers | 100 | 825 |
| Professors | 180 | 380 |
| Start-ups founded in five years | 52 | 81 |
| Start-ups funding in five years | 100 million | 700 million |
Aebischer was influenced and inspired by the "American model" of university management, which he describes as a meritocratic system that encourages innovation. Some employees and observers criticised the mutation from a European model to an American model.
In companies
Aebischer is a founder of three start-ups: CytoTherapeutics Inc., Modex Therapeutics Inc. and Amazentis SA. He sits on the boards of Nestle Health Science and Lonza Group.Personal
The parents of Patrick Aebischer are artists, known as Yoki, and Joan, born O'Boyle. He is married and the father of two children.Honours
- Fellowship of the Swiss National Science Foundation
- Kolff Award, young investigator award of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, New York, 1987.
- Robert Bing Award of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences.
- Pfizer Foundation award for clinical neurosciences.
- Fellow of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences.
- Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
- Fellow of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences .