Did you know?

The Faculty of Sciences is among the top ten European universities recognized for the impact of their research in various fields, according to both national and international analyses.

In 1954, the Faculty of Sciences was the birthplace of Cern. Since then, the two institutions have continued to work closely together. The physics professors and their students are participating in the Atlas project on the future LHC particle accelerator.

In 1978, Professor Arber received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. His research in Geneva during the 1960s laid the foundations for modern genetics and knowledge of the human genome. He went on to found the Biocenter of the University of Basel.

In 2001, the Faculty of Sciences distinguished itself by welcoming the headquarters of two National Centers of Competence in Research, one in biology and the other in physics.The Center “Frontiers in Genetics”, directed by Professor Denis Duboule, has placed Geneva and the Lake Geneva region at the forefront of research in genetics. The Center “MaNEP”, directed by Professor Øystein Fischer, is the nucleus of research on the electronic materials of the future. The prestige of these two centers of excellence reaches well beyond Geneva and Switzerland, helping to make the Faculty of Sciences a leader in the fields of the life sciences and the physical sciences.

In 2004, Professor Gisin and the Faculty of Science's research on quantum optics received high praise from Time magazine and the MIT Technology Review. The latter hailed these works as one of the 10 discoveries most likely to dramatically alter our modes of living and working. The implementation of his research makes it possible to transmit information in a completely secure manner by exploiting the “magical” properties of quantum mechanics.

In 2006, Professor Mayor and his colleagues from our Faculty’s Observatory discovered a new solar system. In 1995, the same team discovered the first known planet outside of the solar system. These discoveries were front-page news all over the world and changed our perception of the universe.

In 2006, the magazine Newsweek ranked Geneva third among European global universities. The ranking is based on scientific prestige and international presence.