Werner Arber * Curriculum Vitae#


1953 Diploma in Natural Sciences at the Swiss Polytechnical School, Zürich

Born: June 3, 1929 in Gränichen, Switzerland
Nationality: Swiss
Married to: Antonia, born Braun / two daughters
Address work: Dept. of Microbiology, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Klingelbergstr. 70, CH*4056 Basel, Switzerland, Phone: 061 267 2130, Fax: 061 267 2118

  • 1949/53 Undergraduate studies in natural sciences (major branches physics and chemistry) at the Swiss Polytechnical School, Zurich
  • 1953 Graduation dipl. sc. nat. ETH (research work in nuclear physics)
  • 1953/58 Assistant for electron microscopy and biophysics at the Biophysics Laboratory, University of Geneva, Ph.D. studies
  • 1958 Dr. ès. sc. biol., University of Geneva, Thesis: "Transduction des caractères gal par le bactériophage Lambda" (Profs. J. Weigle, F. Chodat and E. Kellenberger)
  • 1958/59 Research associate at the Department for Medical Microbiology (Prof. G. Bertani) University of Southern California Medical School, Los Angeles, USA
  • 1959 Short stages (4 to 6 weeks each) of research at:
    • Virus Laboratory (Prof. G. Stent), University of California, Berkeley, USA
    • Dept. of Genetics (Prof. J. Lederberg), Stanford University Medical School, Palo Alto, Calif. ,USA
    • Dept. of Biology (Prof. S. Luria), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., USA
  • 1960/63 Research associate at the Biophysics Laboratory (Prof. E. Kellenberger), University of Geneva
  • 1962 Privat docent University of Geneva. Habilitation thesis: "Les spécificités biologiques de l'acide désoxyribonucléique"
  • 1963 Lecturer in Virology, Virus Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA (2 months)
  • 1963/65 Chargé de cours (assistant professor) for molecular genetics, University of Geneva
  • 1963/64/66 Teacher at the summer courses on the genetics and physiology of bacterial viruses, International Laboratory of Genetics and Biophysics, Naples, Italy
  • 1965/70 Professeur extraordinaire (associate professor) for molecular genetics, University of Geneva, on the basis of an ad personam professorship of the Swiss National Science Foundation
  • 1970/71 Visiting Miller Research Professor at the Department of Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA (one year)
  • 1971*1996 Full professor of molecular microbiology at the Department of Microbio*logy, Biozentrum, University of Basel
  • 1980*1983 Chairman of the conference of group leaders of the Biozentrum, Univer*sity of Basel
  • 1984/85 Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Basel
  • 1984/86 Rector designatus, University of Basel
  • 1986/88 Rector, University of Basel
  • 1988/90 Prorector, University of Basel
  • since 1996 Professor emeritus, University of Basel

Honors
  • 1962 Prix Plantamour*Prévost of the University of Geneva
  • 1978 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology (jointly with Daniel Nathans and Hamilton O. Smith) for the discovery of restriction enzymes and their application to problems of molecular genetics.
  • 1986 Dr. sc. h.c., University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
  • 1988 Dr. h.c. University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France
  • 1992 "Preis für herausragende Leistungen in der internationalen Hochschulzusammenarbeit", verliehen von der deutschen Hochschulrektorenkonferenz, zusammen mit Proff. C. Beck, W. Stahl und J.F. Lefèvre für den gemeinsamen Aufbau und die Entwicklung des trinationalen Studienganges Biotechnologie
  • 1996 Dr. h.c. medical sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
  • 2000 Diplôme d’honneur de l’Institut Universitaire Kurt Bösch, Sion (Switzer*land), for merits in inter* and transdisciplinary teaching
  • Ramón y Cajal medal, University of Barcelona, Medical School, Barcelona, Spain
  • 2001 Mittelkreuz des Verdienstordens der Republik Ungarn (in Anerkenung der Bemühungen um die Vertiefung der Zusammenarbeit der Wissen*schaftler in der Welt sowie um die Nutzung der Ergebnisse der Wissen*schaften für die Menschen)
  • 2002 Brazilian National Order of Scientific Merit "Gra Cruz"
  • 2003 Prix Bartholdi for initiating the trinational curriculum Biotechnology
  • 2007 Gold Medal of the "Stazione Zoologica", Naples, Italy
  • 2009 Lennart Bernadotte Medal, Meetings of Nobel Laureates, Lindau, Germany

Memberships and Honorary Memberships of Academies
  • Member of the EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization ) (since its foundation in 1963)
  • Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (since 1981), member of Council of the Academy (since 1996)
  • Member of the European Academy of Arts, Sciences and Humanities (since 1981)
  • Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences, USA (since 1984)
  • Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (since 1984)
  • Member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (since 1988)
  • Member of Academia Europaea (since 1989)
  • Honorary Member of the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences (since 1995)
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (since 1996)
  • Honorary Foreign Member of the Korean Academy of Sciences and Technology (KAST) (since 1996)
  • Associate Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), later renamed as: The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (since 1997)
  • Honorary Member of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (since 1999)
  • Corresponding Member of the Spanish Academy of Engineering (since 2001)
  • Honorary Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (since 2001)
  • Honorary Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (since 2007)
  • Titular Member of the Académie Internationale de Philosophie des Sciences (A.I.P.S.) (since 2007)

Honorary Memberships of Scientific Societies
  • Société de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de Genève (since 1982)
  • Schweizerische Mikrobiologische Gesellschaft (since 1986)
  • Aargauische Naturforschende Gesellschaft (since 1986)
  • Basler Naturforschende Gesellschaft (since 1986)
  • International Society of Molecular Evolution (ISME) (since 1993)

Memberships of National Scientific Societies
  • Schweizerische Naturforschende Gesellschaft (Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences)
  • Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Zellbiologie, Molekularbiologie und Genetik (ZMG)
  • Union of Swiss Societies of Experimental Biology (USGEB)
  • Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Optik und Elektronenmikroskopie
  • Gesellschaft Ehemaliger Studierender der Eidg. Technischen Hochschule, Zürich (GEP)
  • Vereinigung ehemaliger Studierender der Naturwissenschaften an der ETH Zürich (VeN), was transformed in 2002 into: ETH Alumni Naturwissenschaften (EANW)

Membership and Functions in National Organisms of Science Politics
  • President of the Swiss Committee of the International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics (1961 to 1972)
  • Executive Secretary of the Swiss Commission for Molecular Biology (1971 to 1978)
  • President of the Commission for Experimental Genetics of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (1975 to 1986)
  • Member of the Interdisciplinary Swiss Commission for Biological Safety in Research and Technology (SKBS) (1986 to 1991)
  • Council member of the Swiss Foundation for Social Ethics (1983 to 1990)
  • Member of the Schweiz. Hochschulrektorenkonferenz (1986 to 1988)
  • Member (and member of the executive committee) of the Swiss Science Council (1989 to 2000)
  • President of the directory committee for academic education of the Swiss Science Council (1993 to 2000)
  • Vice President of the Swiss Science Council (1995 to 2000)
  • Member of the Board of Trustees and President of the Scientific Council of the Foundation Kurt Bösch Institute, Sion (1989 to 2001)
  • Member of the Aargauische Kommission für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung (1989 to 1997)
  • Member of the Conseil Académique, University of Geneva (1998 to 2003)
  • Member of the Council for the Departement Klinisch*biologische Wissenschaften (DKBW), University of Basel (2000 to 2007)
  • Member of the scientific committee of the Geneva International Academic Network (GIAN) (2001 to 2004)
  • Member of the External Scientific Advisory Board (ESAB), Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva (since 2002)
  • Member of the Beirat der Stiftung "Science et Cité" (since 2003)
  • Member of the Stiftungsrat Pro UKBB (Universitäts*Kinderspital beider Basel) (2004 to 2008).

Membership and Functions in International Organisms of Science Politics
  • Member of the ICRO (International Cell Research Organization) (since 1966)
  • Member of the Liaison Committee on Recombinant DNA research of the European Science Foundation (1976 to 1981)
  • Member of the IUPAB Commission on molecular biophysics (1964 to 1969) and of the IUPAB Commission of subcellular biophysics (1969 to 1975)
  • Member of the EMBO Course Committee (1977 to 1980)
  • Member of COGENE, Committee on Genetic Experimentation of ICSU (1982 to 1997)
  • Member of the Board of Trustees, Institut de la Vie (1986 to 2007)
  • Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) (since 1987)
  • Founding member and member of the Council of the World Institute of Science (since 1991)
  • Member of the Kuratorium für die Tagungen der Nobelpreisträger in Lindau (since 1991)
  • Chairman of the Board of Scientific Trustees, European Association for Higher Education in Biotechnology (since 1994)
  • President of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), renamed in 1998 to: ICSU, The International Council for Science (1996 to 1999)
  • Past President and member of the Executive Board of ICSU (1999 to 2001)
  • President of the International Scientific Advisory Board of UNESCO (1996 to 2000)
  • President of the Scientific Partnership Committee (SPC) of the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (2000 to 2001)
  • Member of UNESCO Council on the Future (since 2001)
  • Member of the Advisory Board for the project "Continuing Education for European Biology Teachers" (CEETB) (2003)
  • Member of the Distinguished Programme Development Committee (DPDC) of the STOQ Project (Science, Religion and the Ontological Quest) established by the Pontifical Council for Culture (since 2003)
  • Member of the International Scientific Board for the World Knowledge Dialogue (2004 to 2008)
  • Member and Co*Chair of the Steering Committee for the World Science Forum, Budapest (since 2006).

Membership of editorial boards of Scientific Journals
  • Current Topics of Microbiology and Immunology (1967 to 1978)
  • Molecular and General Genetics (1967 to 2004)
  • Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics (1968 to 1975)
  • The EMBO Journal (1981 to 1985)
  • Molecular Microbiology (1986 to 1996)
  • The Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology, VCH Publishers (since 1991)
  • Consulting editor of European Review (since 1997)
  • IUBMB Life (since 1999)
  • Honorary editor of Cellular and Molecular Biology (since 2000)

Other Memberships
  • Member of the Board of Swiss Consultants, Basel Institute of Immunology (1978 to 1983)
  • Member of the Scientific Council of Board of Trustees, Basel Institute of Immuno*logy (1980 to 1994)
  • Member of the Scientific and of the Administrative Councils, Ecole Supérieure de Biotechnologie, Strasbourg, France (since 1988)
  • President of the Scientific Council, Pôle Universitaire de Strasbourg, France (1991 to 1993)
  • Member of the Board of Trustees, Fondation Maurice E. Müller, Bern, Switzerland (since 1992)
  • Member of the Board of Governors, Friedrich Miescher Institute, Basel (1995 to 2001)
  • Member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Science Museum Principe Felipe, Valencia, Spain (since 1999)
  • Member of several juries for prizes for scientific accomplishments.
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