The Group Leader at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) in Bellinzona is among the new members elected in 2026 to the prestigious Italian scientific academy.
Prof. Federica Sallusto, Group Leader of the Cellular Immunology Laboratory at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), affiliated with Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), has been elected a Foreign Fellow of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, in the Class of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, category of Biological Sciences and Applications.
The election, officially announced by the Academy on 14 September 2026, represents an important recognition of Prof. Sallusto’s scientific contributions to the field of immunology.
At IRB since 2000, Federica Sallusto leads the Cellular Immunology Laboratory, where she investigates the mechanisms underlying human immune responses, with a particular focus on T-cell differentiation and function, immunological memory, and the role of immune cells in infectious and autoimmune diseases.
A Full Professor of Medical Immunology at ETH Zurich and USI, Federica Sallusto has received numerous international distinctions. She has been a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina since 2009, the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) since 2011, and the US National Academy of Sciences since 2022. From 2022 to 2024, she also served as President of the European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS).
Founded in 1603, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei is one of the world’s oldest scientific institutions. It promotes the advancement and dissemination of knowledge by recognising scientific and cultural excellence.
IRB warmly congratulates Prof. Sallusto on this prestigious recognition, which reflects the significance of her contributions to international immunological research.
