This is an annually recurring seminar
Life sciences are one of the most innovative and fast changing fields of the 21st century. Advances in Molecular Biology, Systems Biology and Sequencing Technologies are gaining more and more impact on our personal lives – our health, the economy and the environment. The goal of this seminar is to give you an overview of the life sciences field and to enable you to engage in future debates on related topics.
In the introductory seminar “Life Sciences”, we go through some fundamentals and examples of Molecular Biology, DNA Sequencing, Organoids, Bacterial Antibiotic Resistance, Phage Therapy and Biological Physics. The program includes practical courses in Molecular Biology as well as guided tours through lab facilities at ETH. We will extract and analyse our own DNA, experience what biosafety means in practice and learn how life sciences research is done. Furthermore, Prof. Martin Lössner will share his insights on tackling bacterial pathogenesis, antimicrobial resistance and phage therapy.
The goal of this seminar is to give you an overview of the life sciences field and to enable you to engage in future debates on related topics. This introductory seminar is specifically tailored to people with no previous background in the field but may also be interesting for students studying life sciences.
Keynote speaker:
Prof. Martin Lössner, ETH
Professor Martin Lössner is Full Professor at the Department of Health Sciences and Technology running the laboratory of food microbiology. The laboratory’s key competence is the detection and control of foodborne pathogens, the analysis of complex microflora, and the molecular mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis and the corresponding bacteriophages.
Instructors:
Ester Simkova, Doctoral Candidate, Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, EPFL
Dea Müller, Doctoral Candidate, Microbiology, EPFL
Rya Riedweg, Doctoral Candidate, Roche’s Institute of Human Biology, Basel
Kathrin Laxhuber, Doctoral Candidate, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden
Location:
ETH Zentrum, building LFV
University of Zurich, Irchel Campus
Working Language: English
Reader: A manageable reader will be sent in advance
Coordination: Luca Spreyermann (Swiss Study Foundation)
Administration: Nathalie Ellington (Swiss Study Foundation)
Participants: max. 20 participants
Deadline: Sunday, 9 August 2026
