The Cloud Chaser

Portrait of a Climate Scientist

Franziska Aemisegger spent hours flying beneath the clouds over the North Atlantic. In this portrait, she explains what her goal was and why she owes her research career to a famous French author.

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University and studies

All articles about university and studies

University

New Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation elected

The Cantonal Government of Bern has elected a new Vice-Rector to the University Executive Board. Nadia Mercader Huber will take over as Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation on January 1, 2027.

From the executive board

New academic code of conduct

The University of Bern now has an academic code of conduct that builds on existing UniBE directives and guidelines. Heike Mayer, Vice-Rector Quality and Sustainable Development, explains the reasons for its introduction.

Equal Opportunities

“Visibility Is Important in Everyday University Life”

To mark “IDAHOBIT” on May 17, uniAKTUELL introduces the newly founded Queer UniBE network. A conversation about visibility and what an inclusive university actually means in everyday life.

Quality assurance

The recipe against operational blindness

Reto Zimmermann is head of the UniBE sports program. Unisport was one of the first organizational units in the central area to undergo a peer review process. Zimmermann sees the process as an opportunity to gain an outside perspective.

New Internationalization Strategy

Internationalization: Much more than a “nice-to-have”

The University Executive Board has adopted a new Internationalization Strategy. Andrew Chan, Vice-Rector for International and Academic Careers, initiated and led the broad-based strategic process behind it. In this interview, he discusses the strategy’s background and objectives.

10 years Prix Lux

Celebrating 10 years of equal opportunity

For the past 10 years, the Prix Lux has recognized initiatives at the University of Bern that promote equal opportunities or work to combat discrimination based on racism, gender, social background, disability or sexual orientation. In an interview, Claudia Willen and Heike Mayer explain the significance of the prize.

University

"Justice and fairness are core values for me"

Christoph Pappa has shaped the University of Bern for 21 years as Secretary General and Head of Legal Services – as a legal framework provider, political guide and first point of contact in crises. Now he is stepping down – but will remain connected to the university.

Sustain-
ability

All articles about sustainability

Research is not a luxury

For a sustainable future

Maddy Thakur studies how climate change impacts biodiversity. In the video, he explains that his work is essential for gaining knowledge, taking preventive measures, and ensuring a livable future.

Profile of a climate scientist

The Cloud Chaser

Franziska Aemisegger, a climate scientist from Bern, spent hours flying in a propeller plane beneath the clouds over the North Atlantic. In this profile, she explains what she hopes to discover and why she owes her research career to a famous French author.

Bern’s Largest Housing Development Project

The Viererfeld Becomes a Living Laboratory

Within the next twenty years, 3,000 people are expected to move into Bern’s Viererfeld district. Researchers at the University of Bern’s Institute of Geography have launched a wide range of projects to study the transformation of this area of land in the north of the city into a new urban neighbourhood.

Rubbish or resource?

Let’s talk rubbish

Talking about waste is usually a necessary evil. But the way we refer to it and talk about unwanted waste also determines how we deal with it. A project at the Department of English at the University of Bern is looking for new ways to approach the grubby pariah linguistically.

Health and medicine

All articles about health and medicine

Biomedical Engineering

ARTORG Center: From Idea to Product

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bern is home to one of the University's strategic centers: the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research. For 18 years, clinical practice, research and technology have been converging here to improve patient care.

New endowed lectureship

Gut microbiome in obesity and diabetes

Thanks to the support of the Diabetes Center Berne (DCB), the University of Bern is establishing a new endowed lectureship at the Institute of Infectious Diseases (IFIK). Its aim is to investigate the role of the gut microbiome in metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and related diseases and to develop new approaches to prevention and treatment.

Medicine

How abdominal immune cells "remotely control" the healing of wounds

Immune cells in the abdomen can accelerate the healing of skin wounds, even in distant parts of the body. This has been shown by an international research team led by Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and the University of Bern.

Biosafety

"The next pandemic hopefully won't come from a laboratory in Bern"

Kathrin Summermatter, Head of the Bern Biosafety Center, was part of an expert panel on the origins of Covid. In the interview, she talks about the difficult collaboration with China and the importance of the University of Bern's commitment to the WHO.

Medical hub Bern

Successful Bern Medtech Agreement Extended

Since 2023, the Insel Gruppe, the University of Bern, and the CSEM Technology Innovation Center have been pooling their medical and technological expertise in joint research and development projects. The successful collaboration is now being extended.

Veterinary medicine

Rearing conditions influence the immune system of brown trout

Bernese researchers have for the first time studied the immune system of brown trout at the single-cell level. The study shows the diversity of the immune system of this ecologically important fish species and demonstrates that rearing conditions leave traces in immune cells.

One Health

Domestic cat may hold the key to understanding breast cancer

A study with participation from University of Bern shows genetic parallels between feline tumors and human cancers. This opens up new possibilities for targeted therapeutic approaches.

Politics and administration

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Between desire and exclusivity

Why we spend the money on luxury

Luxury promises status, a sense of belonging and a feeling of uniqueness. But when is it that we reach for the expensive brands, and how do companies succeed in making themselves seem more desirable? A look behind the psychology of luxury consumption.

A question for Jonas Weber

How can language help us convict criminals?

Jonas Weber is a professor of criminal law and criminology and explains what language analysis can do in criminal prosecution.

Political science

Pre-franked voting envelopes as a nudge

Voting by post is a popular choice, and pre-paid postage makes it even more convenient. However, a study by Alina Zumbrunn and Pierre Lüssi from the Institute of Political Science at the University of Bern shows that having enough letterboxes is just as important.

Satire under pressure

Between freedom of expression and censorship

Geneva-based cartoonist Patrick Chappatte and Bern-based media lawyer Franz Zeller discuss the limits of freedom of expression and the role of political satire at a time when traditional media are coming under increasing pressure.

Matter and universe

All articles on matter and universe

Research is not a luxury

“Research is a long-term investment.”

Andrea Fortier, an astrophysicist and manager of the CHEOPS space mission, studies distant planets. In the video, she explains why research is an investment in the future that ultimately benefits everyone.

Planetology

How a collapse could create planets

Oliver Schib has developed a new model for planet formation. His computer simulations show how the gas and dust disks around young stars develop and how instabilities can lead directly to the formation of giant planets.

Carl-Zeiss-Humboldt Research Award

Dancing with the elementary particles

Thomas Becher deals with "short distances and high energies": What happens when protons collide with each other at almost the speed of light? In search of answers, the physicist has moved from Bern to the USA – and back again.

Space Science and Astronomy

New Space Master builds on Bernese Space Heritage

The University of Bern’s newly established Master’s program “Space Sciences and Astronomy” begins in the Fall of 2026. Director of Studies Andrea Fortier talks about Bernese space heritage, what students can expect from the new program, and why it matters.

Plant Science

Succulents as role models: new opportunities for plants under drought?

Researchers at the University of Bern have decoded how an inconspicuous succulent plant regulates its CO₂ uptake via the leaf surface so that it receives enough of it for photosynthesis without losing too much water.

FOKUS

What do we really need?

In Focus

Is Luxury Superfluous or Necessary?

How has our understanding of luxury changed over the course of history, and how do we view it today? Can the desire for luxury be reconciled with efforts toward more sustainability?

Intercultural knowledge

All articles about intercultural knowledge

From the inkwell to the keyboard

Writing as a reflection of society

Language without writing? Hard to imagine. In this interview, Hanne Griessmann and Roland Reichen explain how writing emerged, why it still shapes us today and why handwriting will probably stay with us for some time to come.

On identity and exclusion

Language as an instrument of power

Language is never neutral; it is always political. It shapes national identity, fosters a sense of belonging and establishes boundaries. In this article, sociolinguist Erez Levon uses examples from Israel and Switzerland to explain these dynamics.

Equal opportunities

Thinking together about racism at universities

Racism affects the whole of society – including universities. At a conference at the University of Bern, scholars took a critical look at research and teaching in academia and provided some strategies for combatting racism.

The influence of WhatsApp and other messaging apps

“Communication is more flexible in the digital world”

Digital technologies have opened up new possibilities that also influence how we use language. Sociolinguist Florian Busch explains how smartphones are changing our everyday communication and giving rise to new forms of language.

Communication in the workplace

More than small talk: Communicating better at work

Speak clearly, listen attentively, defuse conflicts: Eva Schürch from the Institute of Psychology teaches conversation management and gives in the video tips and tricks for good communication in everyday working life.

Linguistics

The scientist at the "Matteänglisch-Höck" get-together

"Mattenenglisch" is an old secret language of Bern's Matte neighborhood that combines Bernese German words in new ways. To better understand the linguistic processes behind Bernese German, linguist Florian Matter is taking this phenomenon under the microscope.

Psychology

Media Content and Misogyny

A comprehensive meta-study led by Christa Nater examines how misogynistic content in the media influences people’s attitudes. While people of all genders react similarly to subtle hostility, men exhibit stronger negative reactions to explicit violence.