Inaugural Lectures SV - Markus Jeschek, Yoon Kim
Event details
| Date | 18.11.2026 |
| Hour | 16:15 › 18:30 |
| Speaker |
Prof. Markus Jeschek Prof. Yoon Kim |
| Location | |
| Category | Inaugural lectures - Honorary Lecture |
| Event Language | English |
Date: Wednesday November 18, 2026
Program:
Registration: Click here
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Prof. Markus Jeschek
From sequence to function and back – Data-driven engineering of synthetic microbes for sustainable biotechnology
Abstract
Due to their versatile metabolism, microbes offer attractive solutions to critical problems of our time. They can grow on renewables or waste materials, and are able to sustainably produce various industrial chemicals, which are otherwise derived petrochemically.
In our research, we genetically engineer microbes to render them fit for new industrial applications. This hinges critically on a central question: “How do we need to change the genetic makeup of microbes to achieve desired functional improvements?” To answer this question, we develop high-throughput technology to experimentally assess the effect of millions of mutations on key functional properties of microbes. The resulting data is then mined using machine learning to model the relationship between genetic sequence and resulting biological function in a data-driven approach. The goal is to exploit the synergy between experiment and computer to enable the design of synthetic microbes with tailored functions “á la carte”.
About the speaker
Markus Jeschek studied at TU Munich and received his PhD from ETH Zurich in 2016 under Sven Panke. After a brief Postdoc, he became Junior Group Leader at ETH Zurich in 2017, and was an SNSF-funded guest scientist at Northwestern University, USA in 2019 (with Michael C. Jewett). In 2022, he was appointed W2-Professor of Synthetic Microbiology at the University of Regensburg, Germany. He joined EPFL as Lonza Chair of Sustainable Biosynthesis in 2025, where he heads the Laboratory of Synthetic and Applied Microbiology (LSAM). His work was awarded with different honors such as the ETH Medal (2016) and the Chorafas Award (2017) for outstanding doctoral theses, and an ERC Starting Grant in 2023.
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Prof. Yoon Kim
Decoding and Engineering Signaling Across Excitable Membranes
Abstract
Cell membranes are not passive barriers; they are active signaling platforms that sense the environment and control how cells behave. My research investigates how membrane proteins convert physical and chemical cues into electrical and biochemical signals, and how these processes can be engineered to understand and treat disease. We study ion channels and other membrane proteins that regulate cellular excitability, mechanosensing, and communication between cells. By combining structural biology, protein engineering, neuroscience, and cancer biology, we define the molecular principles that govern membrane signaling and use them to build new tools for controlling cell activity. We are particularly interested in how these mechanisms shape interactions between neurons and cancer cells. Ultimately, this work aims to establish general rules for membrane signaling and translate them into new technologies and therapeutic strategies.
About the speaker
Dr. Yoon Seok Kim is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at EPFL, where his laboratory investigates how membrane proteins, cellular mechanics, and bioelectric signaling shape nervous-system function and disease. His research has established structural principles governing ion selectivity, enabled molecular and optogenetic strategies for controlling cellular activity, and uncovered mechanotransduction pathways through which neuronal signals promote glioma growth. He completed his Ph.D. at Stanford University with Karl Deisseroth and Brian Kobilka, and his postdoctoral training with Michelle Monje, developing a program spanning bioengineering, neuroscience, and cancer biology.
Program:
- 16:15 - 16:25 Introduction by the Dean and ISIC Director
- 16:25 - 16:55 Prof. Markus Jeschek
- 17:00 - 17:05 Introduction by IBI Director
- 18:05 - 18:35 Prof. Yoon Kim
- 17:40 - 17:45 Closure
- 17:45 Apéritif in SV Hall
Registration: Click here
============================================
Prof. Markus Jeschek
From sequence to function and back – Data-driven engineering of synthetic microbes for sustainable biotechnology
Abstract
Due to their versatile metabolism, microbes offer attractive solutions to critical problems of our time. They can grow on renewables or waste materials, and are able to sustainably produce various industrial chemicals, which are otherwise derived petrochemically.
In our research, we genetically engineer microbes to render them fit for new industrial applications. This hinges critically on a central question: “How do we need to change the genetic makeup of microbes to achieve desired functional improvements?” To answer this question, we develop high-throughput technology to experimentally assess the effect of millions of mutations on key functional properties of microbes. The resulting data is then mined using machine learning to model the relationship between genetic sequence and resulting biological function in a data-driven approach. The goal is to exploit the synergy between experiment and computer to enable the design of synthetic microbes with tailored functions “á la carte”.
About the speaker
Markus Jeschek studied at TU Munich and received his PhD from ETH Zurich in 2016 under Sven Panke. After a brief Postdoc, he became Junior Group Leader at ETH Zurich in 2017, and was an SNSF-funded guest scientist at Northwestern University, USA in 2019 (with Michael C. Jewett). In 2022, he was appointed W2-Professor of Synthetic Microbiology at the University of Regensburg, Germany. He joined EPFL as Lonza Chair of Sustainable Biosynthesis in 2025, where he heads the Laboratory of Synthetic and Applied Microbiology (LSAM). His work was awarded with different honors such as the ETH Medal (2016) and the Chorafas Award (2017) for outstanding doctoral theses, and an ERC Starting Grant in 2023.
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Prof. Yoon Kim
Decoding and Engineering Signaling Across Excitable Membranes
Abstract
Cell membranes are not passive barriers; they are active signaling platforms that sense the environment and control how cells behave. My research investigates how membrane proteins convert physical and chemical cues into electrical and biochemical signals, and how these processes can be engineered to understand and treat disease. We study ion channels and other membrane proteins that regulate cellular excitability, mechanosensing, and communication between cells. By combining structural biology, protein engineering, neuroscience, and cancer biology, we define the molecular principles that govern membrane signaling and use them to build new tools for controlling cell activity. We are particularly interested in how these mechanisms shape interactions between neurons and cancer cells. Ultimately, this work aims to establish general rules for membrane signaling and translate them into new technologies and therapeutic strategies.
About the speaker
Dr. Yoon Seok Kim is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at EPFL, where his laboratory investigates how membrane proteins, cellular mechanics, and bioelectric signaling shape nervous-system function and disease. His research has established structural principles governing ion selectivity, enabled molecular and optogenetic strategies for controlling cellular activity, and uncovered mechanotransduction pathways through which neuronal signals promote glioma growth. He completed his Ph.D. at Stanford University with Karl Deisseroth and Brian Kobilka, and his postdoctoral training with Michelle Monje, developing a program spanning bioengineering, neuroscience, and cancer biology.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Organizer
- SV-DO