Research

Research in the Department of Biology

The department includes five institutes and five independent chairs; the member institutes and professorships are engaged in a wide-ranging program of basic research encompassing topics in biochemistry, biophysics, molecular and cellular biology, microbiology, systems biology and plant sciences. A great number of experimental systems are used to address fundamental questions in biology. Investigation of the role of the structure-function relationship on all levels of biological complexity represents the central theme. This includes e.g. interactions of biomolecules and ligands, of biomolecules and cell structures, the recognition processes between cells and tissues and the functioning of entire organisms as well.

Excellent reputation

In the past decade the department has gained an excellent reputation, as was concluded during a critical evaluation in 2010 by an external committee consisting of authoritative international scientists. The former head of the department, Prof. Dr. Kurt Wüthrich, received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002 for his pioneering work to solve three-dimensional structures of biomolecules in solution.