Dear colleagues and interested parties, When we wrote the last edition of SNI INSight, in December 2021, we were hopeful that our world would have returned to normal by summer 2022 and that we would once again be able to devote ourselves fully to our nanoscience research. Sadly, this wish was only partly fulfilled. At […]

From August 2022, Argovia Professor Martino Poggio from the Department of Physics of the University of Basel will be the new director of the Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI). For 16 years, Professor Christian Schönenberger has worked to build up the SNI and turn it into what it is today: the center of excellence for nanosciences […]

The SNI is a diverse institute, and Argovia Professor Martino Poggio is also characterized by his diverse background — whether it be as a passionate researcher and visionary research manager or in terms of his cultural origins. He came to the University of Basel from the USA in 2009 as an Argovia Assistant Professor and […]

Patrick Maletinsky joined the University of Basel 10 years ago as the Georg H. Endress Foundation Professor of Experimental Physics. When he takes over as vice director of the SNI in August, he will be tasked with supporting and deputizing for the new director, Martino Poggio, as well as being responsible for the SNI’s applied […]

The composition of the SNI Executive Committee will also change as of 1 August. Some of the tasks previously performed by Christian Schönenberger as director will then be taken over by members of the SNI management. We would like to thank all former members of the SNI Executive Committee for their commitment and hope that […]

On 25 January 2022, Professor Wolfgang Meier passed away much too early in the presence of his family after a long illness. With his passing, we have lost an excellent, innovative scientist who was constantly developing new ideas and, above all, a wonderful person who impressed us with his serenity and composure. Wolfgang became a […]

Given the enormous advances in nanosciences and nanotechnology over recent years, it is increasingly important to ensure the professional and efficient production of nanostructures. This summer, the Swiss Nanoscience Institute will therefore begin operating a Nano Fabrication Lab (NF Lab) that brings together various existing activities in order to make nanofabrication in Basel fit for […]

Vera Weibel wrote her prizewinning master’s thesis at EPFL under Professor Pasquale Scarlino, having studied a superconducting metamaterial — an artificial material with properties that do not occur in nature. A material of this kind could potentially be used to prevent losses in quantum systems. Researchers around the world are searching for artificial materials with […]

For his prizewinning master’s project in Professor Martino Poggio’s group at the Department of Physics of the University of Basel, Mathias Claus developed a torsion rocker that can be used to study the magnetization of tiny magnets in precise detail. His project was so successful that he began a doctoral dissertation immediately after his master’s […]

In the Nano Argovia project B7H3 Nanobody PC, researchers are developing an innovative nanobody-polymer conjugate — a combination of a cell-specific nanobody and a polymer substrate that can be loaded with different active substances. This is intended for use in the fight against cancer, where the aim is for the nanobody-polymer conjugate to be able […]