New Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Basel

Professor Maria Hondele will start as new assistant professor for biochemistry with tenure-track at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, as of 1 September 2020. She is currently working as postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Biochemistry at ETH Zurich.

The scientist, born in 1981, first studied medicine for two years and then biochemistry at the University of Regensburg. After completing her PhD at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg and the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich in 2013, she joined a research group at ETH Zurich. Hondele has already been awarded several prizes and fellowships, including a long-term postdoctoral fellowship from the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

Hondele's research focuses on the fate of messenger RNAs (mRNAs), copies of the cell’s genetic material that serve as matrices for protein production. These mRNA molecules are transported, altered, stored, repressed or degraded by certain proteins. Hondele’s main topic of interest are membraneless organelles which are suspected to control the fate of mRNA molecules. In the future, she wants to investigate the assembly and regulation of membraneless organelles and dissect their cellular function, with a focus on mRNA fate.

Four promotions

The University Council promoted Professor Nicola Gess (*1973), associate professor of German studies in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences since 2015, to full professor. She was appointed assistant professor with tenure-track at the University of Basel in 2010.

Professor Martino Poggio (*1978) was also promoted to full professor. In 2009, he was appointed assistant professor with tenure-track and since 2014, he has been associate professor for nanotechnology at the Department of Physics in the Faculty of Science.

Professor Rainer Greifeneder (*1977) from the Faculty of Psychology was also promoted to full professor; he has been teaching and researching there as associate professor of social psychology since 2012.

Professor Sarah Lein (*1979) from the Faculty of Business and Economics was promoted to associate professor; she has been a tenure-track assistant professor for macroeconomics since 2015.

New adjunct professor

Furthermore, the University Council has approved the Senate’s resolution to award an adjunct professorship of analytical chemistry at the Faculty of Science to Professor Daniel Häussinger from the Department of Chemistry.

The University Council has also authorized the following approval at the Faculty of Medicine: a clinical professorship of «Clinical Epidemiology».

Further information

Reto Caluori, University of Basel, Communications, phone +41 61 207 24 95, email: reto.caluori@unibas.ch

Image 

A photo of the newly elected professor can be found in the media database.