Mihaela Zavolan is Associate Professor in the Computational and Systems Biology Core Program of the Biozentrum, University of Basel, and she leads a group at the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics SIB-ISB. Through a combination of computational and experimental approaches, her group aims to understand the impact of miRNAs and RNA-binding proteins on the expression of target genes. These factors have been shown to play important roles in cell division and differentiation, development, metabolism, and immune responses. She will replace Prof. Susan Gasser from the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel who served on the Scientific Executive Board for two years.

Melody Swartz is Associate Professor in the Institutes of Bioengineering and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering at the EPF Lausanne. Her research concentrates on lymphatic bioengineering, integrating physiology, transport functions, and biology of the lymphatic system with interdisciplinary approaches. The two key foci areas are cancer metastasis and immune cell trafficking. Swartz holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering and has been a professor at EPFL since 2003. She will replace Prof. Demetri Psaltis of EPF Lausanne. (AK)