A Word from the Dean

The Faculty of Science of the University of Geneva cultivates excellence with top-quality programs and the latest in research in numerous fields including biology, chemistry, computer science, physics and astrophysics, mathematics, pharmaceutical sciences, and Earth and environmental sciences.

Our institution is a founding member of the League of European Research Universities and, for a number of years now, the institution of higher learning which has received the most grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation, which are distributed based on competitions. Ranked among the best in the world and in Switzerland by various international rankings (Shanghai, QS, Times, Leiden), the Faculty of Science excels in various fields, from life sciences to physical sciences. We house three National Centers of Competence in Research (NCCRs): one in chemistry / biochemistry, « Chemical Biology – Visualisation and Control of Biological Processes Using Chemistry », one in astrophysics, « PlanetS – The origin, evolution and characterisation of planets inside and outside the solar system » and the third « SwissMAP – The Mathematics of Physics » in mathematics.

The Faculty is internationally recognized for its excellence in research, and our many graduate and post-graduate students help to ensure top-quality teaching in the most advanced fields and in an international environment. These characteristics also benefit undergraduate students, who receive high-quality and personalized supervision from educators in the forefront of their field who share with their undergrads not only indispensable basic knowledge and skills, but also their enthusiasm for research and an awareness of the scientific challenges of the present and the future.

The new team of the Dean’s Office and Vice-Deans Costanza Bonadonna, Martin Gander, Christoph Renner and Jean-Luc Wolfender look forward to continuing their hard work to cultivate excellence in research and teaching, and to constantly improve working conditions, advising and supervision, and more generally the well-being of students and academics. The institution will also persevere in its efforts to further develop relations with secondary schools in Geneva, French-speaking Switzerland, and France, as well as with HES (specialized graduate institutes), and to share with young people our passion for science. Finally, one of the key missions of the Dean’s Office is to continue developing relations with our city to enhance awareness of our Faculty and of the scientific challenges of our times.

 

Jérome LACOUR