Décanat: meet the Vice Deans
Guiding the Faculty of Science towards its future ambitions, Prof. Costanza Bonadonna has assembled a cadre of vice-deans, each distinguished in their specific domain. Christoph Renner spearheads initiatives in innovation and infrastructure; Jonas Latt is the stalwart for educational standards and student well-being; Jean-Luc Wolfender oversees both advanced training and dynamic research; while Enrica Bordignon bridges the Faculty’s invaluable internal and external relationships. This collective ensures that the Faculty remains at the forefront of academic and societal evolution.
Prof. Enrica Bordignon
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“I decided to engage myself as vice dean to help the Faculty pursue scientific excellence in research and education through a creative, inclusive and multicultural environment – as proposed by our new Dean. My tasks are related to internal and external relations. First actions: valorize the strategic importance of our technical and administrative personnel and introduce Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in our courses and research practice.” |
Enrica Bordignon is Full Professor of physical chemistry at University of Geneva. Her group applies electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) methods to study structure and dynamics of proteins in vitro and in cells. She obtained her PhD in 2003 at the University of Padova in Italy and then moved as a post doc to the group of Prof. Steinhoff at the University of Osnabrueck, Germany. From 2008 to 2013 she worked as senior post doc in the group of Prof. Jeschke at ETH Zurich, from 2013 to 2021 she was associate professor at the Free University Berlin and at Ruhr University Bochum
Prof. Jonas Latt
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“My work as a Vice Dean aims to provide our students with optimal conditions for their education, combining the rigor of the academic framework with an openness to diversity and the unique paths of each individual.” |
Jonas Lätt, Associate Professor in Computer Science, holds a degree in Physics and a PhD from UNIGE. After PostDocs at Tufts University (MA, USA) and EPFL, as well as entrepreneurial initiatives in digital simulation, he has returned to UNIGE. His research focuses on computational fluid dynamics and parallel computing. Committed to an interdisciplinary approach, he collaborates both within and outside the institute to apply digital modeling in geophysics and biomedicine.
Prof. Jean-Luc Wolfender
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“At the Dean's Office, I will focus on improving the quality of teaching and on promoting the professional development of doctoral students, notably through the PSLS doctoral program and through initiatives related to innovation / careers.” |
Jean-Luc Wolfender leads the laboratory of phytochemistry of bioactive natural products within the pharmaceutical sciences section. His group is dedicated to the development of pioneering metabolomic methodologies using Mass Spectrometry (MS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to study the chemical composition of plants and microorganisms on a large scale. Combined with collaborative biological activity testing, their research aims to identify molecules with therapeutic potential and defense markers. Furthermore, they seek to study the molecular mode of action of evidence-based herbal medicines.
Prof. Christoph Renner
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“My commitment as Vice Dean is to provide high-quality research facilities for the entire Faculty of sciences and to promote innovation through technology transfer.” |
Christoph Renner is Professor of Physics at the University of Geneva, specializing in quantum matter. Leading a team on correlated electronic systems, he has investigated in particular high-temperature superconductivity, for which he has received several awards. Prof Renner is also dedicated to public outreach, as a founding member and director of the Physiscope and the Scienscope. He is also involved in technology transfer and collaborations with industry, founding and directing the Laboratory for Advanced Technology. He has been Vice Dean for Infrastructures and Innovation since 2014. He is passionate about aviation, travel and cooking.