Prof. Dr. Simone Schürle

Prof. Dr. Simone Schürle‑Finke, born in Ulm, Germany in 1985, is a pioneering biomedical engineer and associate professor at ETH Zürich’s Department of Health Sciences and Technology, where she leads the Responsive Biomedical Systems Laboratory SNSF Datenportal+9Wikipedia+9Wikipedia+9. After earning her diploma in industrial engineering and management at KIT with research experiences in New Zealand and Japan, she completed her PhD at ETH Zürich in 2013, specializing in microrobotics and magnetic manipulation—the work earned her the ETH medal.

From 2014 to 2017, Simone conducted postdoctoral research at MIT’s Koch Institute, developing nanosensors for in vivo tumor profiling and wireless drug transport systems. In 2017 she returned to ETH Zürich as the principal investigator of the Responsive Biomedical Systems Lab, focusing on pioneering nano‑ and microscale diagnostic and therapeutic devices capable of smart responses to disease‑specific biochemical cues and external stimuli like magnetic fields.

Her innovative contributions to the field include founding the spin‑off MagnebotiX, which develops electromagnetic control systems for wireless micromanipulation, and receiving notable accolades such as the Prix Zonta for Women in Science and recognition as a “Young Scientist” by the World Economic Forum. Her lab’s interdisciplinary work bridges chemistry, synthetic biology, nanofabrication, and control engineering to build minimally invasive diagnostics and therapeutic tools that activate precisely at disease sites.

Today, Prof. Schürle‑Finke’s research combines fundamental insight with translational impact, advancing microrobotics toward real‑world clinical applications in cancer and infectious disease. Her responsiveness in device design—allowing systems to react to local pH, enzymes, or magnetic triggers—represents a bold leap in precision medicine.