Matthias is Co-Director and Head of Translational Bioengineering at IHB and leads the Multi-Tissue Systems Engineering group.
An internationally recognized leader in stem cell technology and tissue engineering, Matthias’ research focuses on developing advanced bioengineering strategies to create next-generation organoids with enhanced reproducibility and physiological relevance. These innovations have significant implications for basic research, drug discovery, and precision medicine. His team has pioneered state-of-the-art technologies, including shape-guided organoid development, organoids-on-a-chip, and organoid bioprinting.
Before joining the IHB, Matthias served as the Scientific Director of the Roche Institute for Translational Bioengineering, the predecessor to the IHB. He is also currently a Full Professor at the Institute of Bioengineering and Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, a position he has held since 2018 after founding his own laboratory in 2007.
Trained as a Materials Engineer at ETH Zurich, where his PhD studies earned him an ETH medal, Matthias pursued postdoctoral research in Stem Cell Biology at Stanford University. He later served as Director of EPFL’s Institute of Bioengineering from 2014 to 2018.
During his career, he has co-founded two biotech start-ups focused on the commercialisation of innovative tools for research, drug discovery and diagnostic applications. He has been granted two dozen patent families in the fields of biomaterials, tissue engineering and organoid technology, many of which have been licensed to companies.
Matthias has received several prestigious awards, including the European Young Investigator (EURYI) Award from the European Science Foundation, and he is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).
