Patrick Aebischer

Patrick Aebischer
Patrick Aebischer
Born	22 November 1954; Fribourg (Switzerland)
Nationality	Swiss
Alma mater	University of Geneva; Brown University; École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
Known for	President of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (2000-2016)

Patrick Aebischer (born 22 November 1954 in Fribourg, Switzerland) has been the president of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) from 17 March 2000 to 31 December 2016.[1] 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 (1980) and a neuroscientist (Dr. Med., 1983) at the University of Geneva and University of Fribourg in Switzerland.

Academic career

From 1984 to 1992, he worked at Brown University in Providence (Rhode Island, United States), 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 (CHUV) in Lausanne.

In 1999, Aebischer was nominated President of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 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.[2] Since 1 January 2017, the president of the EPFL is Martin Vetterli.[3]

His current research focuses on the development of cell and gene transfer approaches for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Presidency of the EPFL

Patrick Aebischer was president of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne between 2000 and 2016.

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 (mathematics, physics, chemistry) from the neighbouring University of Lausanne;
Reorganisation of the university into five faculties ('schools'), 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;[4] (alter integrated in the Swiss Innovation Park)
Development of the campus by initiating the construction of the Rolex Learning Center (2010),[5] lodging for students (2010 and 2013), a hotel for academic guests (2010) and the Swiss Tech Convention Center[6] (2013).

Presidency of Patrick Aebischer in numbers[7]
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 (2000-2004)	81 (2011-2015)
Start-ups funding in five years	100 million (2000-2004)	700 million (2011-2015)

Aebischer was influenced and inspired by the "American model" of university management, which he describes as a meritocratic system that encourages innovation.[7] Some employees and observers criticised the mutation from a European model to an American model (with values such as money, competition and rankings).[8][9]

In companies

Aebischer is a founder of three start-ups: CytoTherapeutics Inc. (1989), Modex Therapeutics Inc. (1996) and Amazentis SA (2007). He sits on the boards of Nestle Health Science (since 2011) and Lonza Group (since 2008).

Personal

The parents of Patrick Aebischer are artists Émile Aebischer, 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 (1984-1986)
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 (1994).
Pfizer Foundation award for clinical neurosciences (1997).
Fellow of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (since 1998).
Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (since 2000).
Fellow of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) (since 2009).

References

(in French) "Patrick Aebischer for president !", L'Hebdo, 16 March 2000.
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
"Federal Council appoints Martin Vetterli President of EPFL", press release of the Swiss Federal Council, 24 February 2016.
http://www.business-leader.ch/actualites/84-formation/3987-linnovation-prend-ses-quartiers-a-lepfl.html%5B%5D
Architectural record: SANAA Designs Artificial Landscape, retrieved 11 March 2010
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 April 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
(in French) Daniel Sagara, "Il ne faut jamais faire de promesses inconsidérées", Horizons, magazine of the Swiss National Science Foundation and of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, number 109, pages 29-31, June 2016.
(in French) Libero Zuppiroli [professor at the EPFL], La bulle universitaire. Faut-il poursuivre le rêve américain ? [The academic bubble. Should we pursue the American dream?], Éditions d'en bas, 2010, 176 pages (ISBN 978-2-8290-0385-1). The first part, entitled "Le parcours exemplaire du Swiss Institute of Technology Lausanne" [The exemplary path of the Swiss Institute of Technology in Lausanne], is about the change of the EPFL after the appointment of Patrick Aebischer as its presidency.
(in French) Nicolas Dufour, "« Les universités cèdent à la logique de mode »", Le Temps, Tuesday 9 March 2010, page 14.