Prisca Liberali, a senior group leader at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), joins the Basel-based Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) of ETH Zurich as a Professor of Multicellular Systems. While continuing her appointment at the FMI, Liberali will advance her groundbreaking research on the collective properties of developmental and regenerative systems in her new role. This work is crucial for understanding fundamental biological processes such as cell reprogramming, development, and tissue regeneration.
Since starting her research laboratory at the FMI in 2015, Liberali has made significant contributions to several scientific disciplines, ranging from fundamental chemistry to in vivo tissue regeneration. Her research team has developed innovative experimental, quantitative, and statistical methods to decode the principles of tissue organization, earning Liberali international recognition.
Beginning in June 2024, Liberali will hold dual positions as a senior group leader at the FMI and as a Professor of Multicellular Systems at ETH Zurich’s Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) in Basel. She will maintain her laboratory at the FMI, ensuring continuity in her research efforts while contributing to the institute’s vibrant scientific community. Her team will continue investigating cellular heterogeneity during collective cell behavior using advanced techniques such as quantitative imaging and intestinal organoids.
"This is an exciting opportunity to further our understanding of how multicellular systems function and organize themselves, and intensify my longstanding collaborations with D-BSSE and ETH Zurich, contributing with my groups’ expertise in organoid’s automation and imaging to study fundamental questions in development biology and in the emergence of human pathological conditions. Above all, I believe that this opportunity will enhance collaboration among institutions in Basel, which is quickly becoming a remarkable scientific hub," she says. "Our work aims to uncover the mechanisms underlying complex biological processes in health and disease, which is essential for advancing regenerative medicine and developing new treatments. These are also important research foci at D-BSSE and FMI."
Liberali’s research achievements have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Friedrich Miescher Prize in 2020 and the Gold Medal of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2022, along with the coveted EMBO Membership.
About Prisca Liberali
Prisca Liberali studied chemistry at the Sapienza University of Rome and completed a PhD in physical chemistry at the Mario Negri Sud Foundation in Chieti, Italy. She conducted postdoctoral research at ETH Zurich. In 2015, she became an assistant professor at the University of Basel and was appointed a group leader at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) in Basel. Starting June 2024, Liberali will have a double appointment as a senior group leader at the FMI and as a Professor of Multicellular Systems at ETH Zurich’s D-BSSE, also in Basel.
