Prof. Burkhard Becher is a Professor and Chair of the Institute of Experimental Immunology at the University of Zurich, where he leads the Unit for Inflammation Research.

He earned his undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Cologne in Germany, with a focus on Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry. For his doctoral training, he joined the lab of Jack Antel at the Montreal Neurological Institute of McGill University, Canada, where he investigated the role of microglial cells as brain-resident myeloid cells in autoimmune neuroinflammation. His graduate work helped shape our understanding of how self-reactive T cells are influenced within the central nervous system.

In 1999, Prof. Becher moved to Dartmouth Medical School in the United States to conduct postdoctoral work in the lab of Randy Noelle. There, he developed innovative in vivo tools to manipulate microglia during inflammation, furthering insights into CNS immunity and transgenic modelling.

He was recruited in 2003 as Assistant Professor at the University Hospital of Zurich (Switzerland) and, in 2008, was appointed full Professor and Chair of the Institute of Experimental Immunology. His research focuses on the cytokine-mediated communication networks that govern immune cell function in inflammation, with particular relevance to neuroinflammatory disorders and cancer immunotherapy.

Prof. Becher’s work has led to paradigm-shifting insights into the interplay between myeloid cells, lymphocytes, and cytokines such as GM-CSF, IL-12, and IL-23. His group employs high-dimensional immunoprofiling, in vivo disease models, and advanced transcriptomics to dissect the immune circuits driving pathology and repair.

He has been recognised with numerous scientific honours, including being named a Highly Cited Researcher (Clarivate Analytics) annually since 2018, and he is a recipient of the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant in 2019.