Niklaus (Niggi) A. Weiss, Deputy Director and Head of Department of Medical Parasitology & Infection Biology was retired after 35 years of continuous service with and for the Swiss Tropical Institute.

In 1970, Niggi Weiss caught great interest in laboratory and field work and even before finishing his PhD undertook major field work in Madagascar on the control of schistosomiasis. After having graduated with a PhD on filariasis, using the rodent model of Dipetalonema vitae (now Acanthocheilonema vitae), as medical parasitologist he pursued postdoctoral studies by extending his field to immunoparasitology and basic immunology with postgraduate courses at the University of Zurich and a successful stay at the newly opened Basel Institute of Immunology.

Rejoining STI in 1973, he brought immunology to STI and successfully developed the diagnostic approaches for parasites which accompanied and strengthened the development of the medical department and hence the medical services at STI. New challenges came with his nomination as Head of the Department of Medical Parasitology & Infection Biology and Deputy Director in 1997.

Carried by his great commitment for STI he not only stimulated many departmental developments, but mainly also headed STI's new developments in teaching and training and e-based learning and knowledge management resulting in a new approach on how STI's specialties were introduced at the University of Basel and the process of the Bologna reform. Niggi Weiss not only led the restructuring of the BSc block courses in biology of infection and epidemiology but also set up the MSc course with majors in biology of infection and epidemiology.

In addition, he was the key coordinator of STI's infrastructural developments during decades. Many renovations and new investments carry his imprint and roots. We are deeply grateful to his many contributions over these 35 years at the scientific level and for the understanding and controlling the "wormy world" as well as for teaching, training and keeping our structural development matched with our goals and visions.

We warmly acknowledge his great commitment to the goals of STI and his loyalty to the institutions and the teams he led and developed. We wish him the very best for his future and a wonderful time in retirement, as he is certainly only retired but not tired. We look forward to seeing him regularly at STI when he will assist us in the major renovations of our buildings in the next years to come.

Prof. Dr. Marcel Tanner, Director

The pictures below show Niggi Weiss at his farewell lecture in the crowded lecture room at the STI on 18th February 2008.

 

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