Dear colleagues and interested parties, The second year of COVID-19’s reign over our world is nearing its end. During that time, we have become accustomed to many things and even learned to embrace the silver linings. Working from home can be more relaxed and productive, and some meetings are more efficient when held over Zoom. […]

Chemical reactions accelerated by a catalyst play a fundamental role in our lives. Professor Thomas Ward, who heads the NCCR Molecular Systems Engineering and has been an active SNI member for many years, leads a team that combines different types of catalysis. The researchers’ goal is to find new synthetic pathways that ensure effective, safe […]

Simone Pengue has won the 2021 “Prix Média Newcomer” from the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences for his documentary on lost data. Simone is a PhD student in the research group of Argovia professor Roderick Lim. In addition to his own research, he is passionate about explaining science in a vivid and entertaining way. […]

Heidi and Patrick Potts both began their careers as students of the nanosciences at the University of Basel. After finishing their doctoral dissertations in Lausanne and Geneva, respectively, and completing postdoctoral work in Sweden, they have returned to Basel. Heidi moved into the private sector and is very satisfied in her position as application scientist […]

Many thanks for your participation and congratulations to the winners!

Dr. Peter Reimann, a long-time employee of the Department of Physics and member of the SNI, passed away unexpectedly on 1 November 2021. For over 37 years, Peter had been employed at the Department of Physics at the University of Basel, where he headed the Technology & Safety Group. He was an enthusiastic researcher and […]

The staff of the SNI Nano Imaging Lab (NI Lab) have commissioned a new scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), which is prized for its high resolution and magnification. Dr. Marcus Wyss is currently conducting the inaugural research projects using the device and is looking forward to taking on new tasks and challenges. In fall of […]

The Swiss Science Center Technorama in Winterthur has recently acquired a scanning electron microscope (SEM), which can be used to view tiny surface structures in fine detail. With this new device, seemingly smooth surfaces become wild mountain ranges and dust mites and ants are transformed into terrifying monsters. This purchase was made possible by a […]

Last year, the two most important events in the SNI network – the Annual Event and the Nano Tech Apéro – were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As both events hinge not only on the pure exchange of information, but also on personal introductions, discussions and networking, the SNI management decided against holding either […]

This year, we were finally able to hold an apéro to celebrate the graduation of our master’s nanosciences students from the past two years. In November, the Study Coordination team led by Dr. Anja Car and Simone Chambers invited over 30 master’s graduates to attend a party held at the Wildt’sche Haus. The trio of […]