Davide Robbiani appointed new Director of IRB and Professor at USI

The Board of Trustees of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Bellinzona and the the University Council of Università della Svizzera italiana have appointed Prof. Davide Robbiani as the new Director of IRB and Full Professor of USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences. Prof. Robbiani will succeed Prof. Antonio Lanzavecchia as of August 1, 2020. 

Born in Ticino, after studying medicine in Bern, Robbiani earned his PhD in Immunology at Cornell University. He has been active at Rockefeller University, New York, where he is currently Research Associate Professor and Group Leader. He is back in Ticino after a brilliant academic career in the US, with a load of experience to share and help the Bellinzona Institute grow.

In the words of USI Rector Boas Erez: “We are particularly pleased to have chosen a high international profile in the field of science. Bringing back home such high skills also adds symbolic value to Ticino. I am certain that Prof. Robbiani will be able to give a lot to IRB and to the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences as a whole”.

The Institute will still be under the guidance of Prof. Antonio Lanzavecchia until 31 July 2020. According to Gabriele Genodotti, President of IRB Foundation:” Prof. Lanzavecchia has been a true charismatic driving force for IRB, allowing the Institute to achieve excellent scientific results on an international scale. He deserves the recognition of the Institute and of our entire community for having contributed to positioning the Swiss Italian-speaking region on the map of cutting-edge research in this sector of primary importance, not only for science”.