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Institute of Virology

About us

The Institute of Virology was founded in 1967 by Prof. Robert Wyler (1924 - 2013). At first, the Institute was provisionally housed in the rooms of the Institute of Medical Microbiology on Gloriastrasse. In 1973, it was possible to move to the prefabricated building, which was also intended as a provisional facility, at Winterthurerstrasse 266a. Under the direction of Prof. Wyler, the institute developed into a modern research institute dealing with various viruses relevant to veterinary and human medicine. In 1990, Prof. Wyler retired.

In the same year, Prof. Mathias Ackermann was appointed full professor of virology at the University of Zurich and elected director of the institute. The name was changed from "Institute of Virology" to "Virological Institute" in 1992 to avoid confusion with the Institute of Medical Virology. In 1993 the extension and renovation of the then 20-year-old temporary building took place. Under the direction of Prof. Ackermann the 3 research areas Veterinary Virology, Experimental Virology and Immunology were established.

After the retirement of Prof. Ackermann in January 2017, the University of Zurich elected Prof. Cornel Fraefel as his successor. Under his leadership, a partial reorientation of the Institute took place: in addition to Experimental Virology and Veterinary Virology, Environmental Virology was established as a third research group and the Immunology group was separated from the Virological Institute.

The Virological Institute is intended to provide students and scientists with a stimulating learning and research environment to promote knowledge in virology and other biomedical disciplines.

Organisation of the Institute of Virology

Organigramm 31.12.2023