John P. Donoghue is taking the Lead of the Wyss Center
© Sylvie Fournier / UNIGE
EPFL and the University of Geneva (UNIGE) are pleased to announce the appointment of John P. Donoghue. The American neuroscientist is to head the Wyss Center at Campus Biotech in Geneva.
The new Wyss Center for Bio- and Neuro-Engineering, located on Campus Biotech in Geneva, has named as its director one of the most internationally recognised neuroscientists. John P. Donoghue, founder of Brown University’s Institute for Brain Science, has been appointed adjunct professor at EPFL and visiting professor at the University of Geneva. He is best known for having developed innovative brain-computer interfaces for people with paralysis.
Professor of neuroscience and engineering at Brown University (Rhode Island, USA) and holder of the Henry Merritt Wriston chair, John P. Donoghue is one of the founding fathers of the merger between neuroscience and cybernetics, now called neuroprosthetics.
The new Wyss Center for Bio-and Neuro-Engineering is currently being implemented on the Campus Biotech site in Geneva, on the former site of Merck Serono. Campus Biotech will host more than a dozen new laboratories devoted to research in areas such as neuro-engineering and regenerative engineering. The Wyss Center will provide research platforms and innovative funding to translate technology to new medical devices. The Center is funded by the Wyss Foundation, founded by Swiss entrepreneur Hansjoerg Wyss. The Wyss Centre is expected to attract scientists and engineers worldwide to Campus Biotech.
“The Wyss Center will promote collaboration among the world’s leading scientific minds and also provide access to the financial and business expertise that can translate cutting-edge research into viable treatments. John Donoghue’s leadership in neuroscience and entrepreneurial spirit have proven that he is a global thought leader and the ideal candidate to lead the Center”, declares Hansjoerg Wyss, President of the Wyss Foundation.
John P. Donoghue is the founding Chairman of the Department of Neuroscience at Brown, and directs the Brown Institute for Brain Science in Rhode Island USA (http://brainscience.brown.edu). He will take a one year sabbatical from Brown in 2015 during which he will be devoted to his position as Head of the Wyss Center.
“The biotechnology and life sciences industry is entering a tremendous phase of growth with new discoveries beginning to make their impact globally for human health and well being. The vision of the Campus and the principles on which the Center is founded create a unique opportunity to help contribute to, and reshape, how we think about biotechnology and life sciences, in the context of modern science, business and sustainable development. I am excited to be part of this new initiative, to maximize collaboration, and to join other teams at Campus Biotech to revolutionize the sector.” said John P. Donoghue.
John P. Donoghue is one of the most recognised researchers in the neuroengineering field. He has won numerous awards, such as the 2007 KJ Zülch Prize, the highest European distinction for neurological research. He skilfully combines the qualities of a scientist, engineer and manager, for example by coordinating the multidisciplinary team behind the groundbreaking prototype neural interface known as BrainGate.