Vice President Torsten Schwede appointed as new President of the SNSF Research Council

Torsten Schwede, a current member of the President’s Board of the University, is set to lead one of Switzerland's most important academic bodies. The chemist heads a research group for structural bioinformatics at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel and has been Vice President for Research at the University of Basel since 2018.

“We are proud that Vice President Torsten Schwede, a member of the President’s Board of the University of Basel and a successful researcher, has been elected to this important position,” says President Prof. Andrea Schenker-Wicki. “I am convinced that Torsten Schwede can provide important impetus in Bern.”

Torsten Schwede has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Foundation Council since 2019. As part of the total revision of the statutes, the governance and organization of the SNSF Research Council will also be restructured. Torsten Schwede will, therefore, already be involved in the process during a transition phase from 2024.

He is expected to step down from his position as Vice President for Research at the end of the spring semester of 2024. He will continue to work with his research group at the Biozentrum but with a reduced workload due to his new role.

The election of Torsten Schwede as President of the SNSF Research Council means that a new head of the Vice President’s Office for Research has to be appointed. This matter will now be tackled immediately by the Senate.