LS2 Section Physiology

How life works - exploring life through function

Physiology is one of the pillars of biomedical research, as its own discipline but also as one of the basic disciplines in medical science. Physiology helps us understand the principles of how the body functions.

Physiology extends our knowledge of the interaction of cells and organs to the level of the entire organism, with the complex interactions among all its components. In other words, physiology follows a holistic approach which is indispensable for understanding our body.

Understanding the physiological situation also means that we get a better understanding of dysfunction of cells, tissues, organs and of the entire metabolism. Eventually, this will enable us to identify novel therapeutic targets for prevention and treatment of diseases. 

The Swiss Physiological Society was founded in 1969 and merged with LS2 in 2016 as a section.
This section has the following goals:

  • to promote physiology in research and teaching
  • to support promising young researchers 
  • to strengthen physiology worldwide

 

Section Board

President

Thomas Lutz
University of Zurich
tomlutz@vetphys.uzh.ch 

Vice-President

David Hoogewijs
University of Fribourg
david.hoogewijs@unifr.ch  

Past-President

Christine Peinelt
University of Bern
christine.peinelt@unibe.ch 

Board Member

Marc Chanson
University of Geneva
marc.chanson@unige.ch 

Board Member

Nicolas Demaurex
University of Geneva
nicolas.demaurex@unige.ch 

Board Member

Zhihong Yang 
University of Fribourg
zhihong.yang@unifr.ch 

Board Member

Nina Ullrich
University of Bern
nina.ullrich@unibe.ch 

News and Events:

15th Symposium of the Young Physiologists

Mark your calendars: the 15ᵗʰ Symposium of the Young Physiologists (JP2026) will take place from 8 to 10 April 2026 in Berlin. The program includes multiple oral sessions, a plenary lecture, poster session, and networking opportunities.

The symposium welcomes early-career researchers in physiology and related fields. Accepted contributions will be featured in either oral sessions (21 presentations across 7 sessions) or one of two poster sessions. There will be prizes for outstanding presentations. Travel grants are also available.  

The registration is free!
Submit your abstract and register by 31.01.2025!

Swiss Physiology Meeting 2025

We had a fantastic day at the Swiss Physiology Meeting 2025! 

We were thrilled to welcome an inspiring community of scientists, sharing cutting-edge research and fresh insights in their fields. Thomas Nevian and Timo Müller delivered great plenary talks, 14 ECRs competed for YIA prizes and everyone got to attend a great industry exhibition. See meeting pictures HERE.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, and special appreciation to our amazing organizing team: Thomas, Nina, and David. Moreover, this event would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. 

Congratulations to all Young Investigator Award winners: 

PhD students:

Masaba Sayor Baroi (UNIBE) - Best oral presentation
Océane Derivaz (UNIFR) - 2nd best oral presentation
Sophie Ebert (UNIBAS) - Best poster flash talk

Postdocs:

Carina Osterhof (UNIFR) - Best oral presentation 
Shannon Cox (UZH) - 2nd best oral presentation
Thomas Forro (UNIBE) - Best poster flash talk

We are especially grateful to the Stiftung für Physiologie and Ernst Niggli for making these awards possible. 

Congrats also to Oleg Mikhajlov for winning the Best Poster Award, sponsored by Nikon.

Looking forward to see you all next year!

International Affiliation

International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS)

European Affiliation

Federation of European Physiological Societies (FEPS)