Dr. Tracy Laabs named Director; Prof. Dr. Erwin Böttinger honored for his transformative leadership

The Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Tracy Laabs as Director, effective July 1^st 2026. Dr. Laabs succeeds Prof. Dr. Erwin Böttinger, who leaves behind a fundamentally transformed organization: one that no longer just pursues breakthrough science but systematically turns it into ventures that reach patients.

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Dr. Tracy Laabs, incoming Director, Wyss Center Geneva

Since joining the Wyss Center as Director in April 2023, Prof. Böttinger brought a bold vision: to evolve the Center from a portfolio of promising projects into a disciplined engine for venture creation. Under his leadership, the Center spun off six companies in two years (including ABILITY Neurotech SA and Clee Medical SA in 2025) while simultaneously building a robust pipeline of next-generation programs in AI-guided neuromodulation and minimally invasive neurotechnology. He forged deep partnerships across the Geneva ecosystem, with EPFL, the University of Geneva, the University Hospitals of Geneva, and the Canton of Geneva, culminating in the launch of the AI Hub in December 2025, a milestone that positions the Center at the heart of Geneva's brain health innovation future.

“Leading the Wyss Center has been one of the great privileges of my career. What we built together — the ventures, the partnerships, the people — reflects the remarkable talent and dedication of this entire team. I leave knowing the Center is in exceptional hands, and I look forward to watching what comes next.”
— Prof. Dr. Erwin Böttinger, outgoing Director, Wyss Center

Dr. Tracy Laabs is one of the Wyss Center’s founding figures. As Founding Deputy Director from 2015, and subsequently as Chief Development Officer and Head of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, she has spent over a decade building the institution from the ground up — shaping its innovation pipeline, forging its key partnerships, and guiding its spin-off companies as a board observer. With a PhD in Clinical Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge and almost 20 years of experience spanning academia, DARPA-funded research, and translational neurotechnology, Dr. Laabs does not need to learn the Wyss Center’s culture. She has built and lived it.

“I am deeply honored to step into this role at such an exciting moment for the Center. Erwin leaves behind a transformed organization, more focused, more entrepreneurial, and more connected to clinical reality than ever before. Our pipeline is strong, our partnerships are thriving, and I am energized by what we will build together in the years ahead.”
— Dr. Tracy Laabs, incoming Director, Wyss Center

The Wyss Center enters this new chapter carrying the momentum of Erwin Böttinger's transformative tenure, and with a clear focus: accelerating innovation and therapeutic neurotechnology from research to patient impact. With a seasoned leader at the helm, a world-class team, and a growing portfolio of ventures and partnerships, the future of the Wyss Center has never looked brighter.

About the Wyss Center Geneva
The Wyss Center is an independent, non-profit research organization based at Campus Biotech in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 2014 through a generous gift from Swiss entrepreneur and philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss, it accelerates the translation of neurotechnology and bioengineering innovations into transformative therapies and clinical solutions. wysscenter.ch

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Aldonza Gübeli | media@wysscenter.ch

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