Jennifer Keiser Appointed Full Professor at the University of Basel

Jennifer Keiser has been Associate Professor of Neglected Tropical Diseases at Swiss TPH since 2017. Her research focuses on infections caused by parasitic worms and the development of new drugs, specifically the repurposing and optimisation of existing and the development of new drugs to combat neglected tropical diseases.

“My heartfelt congratulations to Jennifer for her promotion to full professor at the Faculty of Science!” said Jürg Utzinger, Director of Swiss TPH. “Jennifer is a global leader in her field, spanning the entire value chain from basic research in drug discovery to the clinical testing in endemic countries. Moreover, Jennifer leads international consortia and fosters transnational partnerships. Her promotion reinforces our leading position in the discovery and development of more effective anthelminthics to reduce the global burden of helminth infections in vulnerable populations. Given the scarce drug pipeline and threat of drug resistance, new treatments and strategies are urgently needed.”

Jennifer Keiser holds an M.Sc. in Pharmacy and a PhD in Zoology from the University of Basel. Prior to joining Swiss TPH, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton University in the USA. Research objectives of Jennifer Keiser and her team include in vitro and in vivo evaluation of compounds, assay development, preclinical studies such as pharmacokinetics and metabolism, work on the microbiome and clinical trials in helminthiasis-endemic countries, particularly in Côte d’Ivoire, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Tanzania.