Tracy Laabs Appointed Director of the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering
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The Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering, one of the 17 academic institution partners of BioAlps since 2024, has announced a leadership transition. From 1st July 2026, Dr. Tracy Laabs will become the Center’s new Director, succeeding Prof. Dr. Erwin Böttinger, who is stepping down after more than three years at the helm.
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 building a robust pipeline of next-generation programs in AI-guided neuromodulation and minimally invasive neurotechnology.
He also forged deep partnerships across the Geneva ecosystem, working with EPFL, the University of Geneva, the University Hospitals of Geneva, and the Canton of Geneva. These efforts culminated 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,” said Prof. Böttinger. “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.”
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. She holds a PhD in Clinical Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge and brings almost 20 years of experience spanning academia, DARPA-funded research, and translational neurotechnology.
“I am deeply honored to step into this role at such an exciting moment for the Center,” said Dr. Laabs. “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.”
The Wyss Center enters this new chapter carrying the momentum of Erwin Böttinger’s transformative tenure, with a clear focus on 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.
➡️ Source: Wyss Center Press Release | 📸 Dr. Tracy Laabs, Director of Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering. © Wyss Geneva┃Jonathan Imhof