Welcome to PSI, the largest research institute for natural and engineering sciences in Switzerland.
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Filming a vitamin B12 photoreceptor in action
SwissFEL shows the molecular events that occur when a vitamin B12 photoreceptor absorbs light
PSI Founder Fellowship for AI platform and solid-state batteries
PSI researchers Mohsen Sadr and Mohammadhossein Montazerian are receiving financial support and guidance for their business ideas through the PSI technology transfer team.
Surgery for quantum bits
Researchers show how quantum operations can be carried out while actively correcting errors – a key step toward reliable quantum computers.
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Current upgrade projects and research initiatives
Together with industry to innovation
PSI and NUKEM Sign Memorandum of Understanding
The Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and NUKEM Technologies Engineering Services GmbH (NUKEM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a close research and development collaboration focused on advanced nuclear fuel and reactor technologies.
Swiss PIC technology transfer centre is inaugurated
Jointly founded by scientific and industrial partners with PSI researchers: the Swiss Photonics Integration Center celebrated its inauguration on 24 November 2025.
Advancing nuclear technologies
NUKEM and Paul Scherrer Institute Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Advance Nuclear Research and Collaboration.
The people at PSI
Engineering skill and perseverance
Credit for the on-time completion of the major SLS 2.0 upgrade project is due in part to a team of dedicated electrical engineers.
PSI’s cement whisperer
John Provis has dedicated his research career to a building material that is far more exciting than you might think.
Creating circuit diagrams of the brain
Adrian Wanner aims to map the brain’s architecture. Doing this will allow us to better understand neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
PSI on social media
A step toward therapies with fewer side-effects: Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have observed how a drug for high blood pressure changes in a flash.
💡 💊❤️ Through irradiation with…
A research institute or a small city? 👀 PSI’s unique campus is home to five large scale research facilities, alongside many laboratories and offices where around 2,300 employees work.
But it also…
X-ray light from the Swiss Light Source SLS sheds new light on how the body manages copper and fights oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress, an imbalance between reactive oxygen species and cellular…
⏱️Time has puzzled philosophers and physicists for thousands of years.
Quantum mechanics has not simplified the problem.
How can we time quantum events that unfold within mere tens of attoseconds? …
Citizen Science is at the heart of Pollen Watch!
Help us map the “Biisse” & the “Hatschi” 🤧
Curious about pollen, climate change, or just want to try something new?
Join our info event or reach out…
Heat the malt with water, release sugars, extract hops for aroma and bitterness, let the yeast do its job – and finally control the maturation. Brewing beer is chemistry – and at the same time an art…
For the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11, women researchers from Empa, Eawag, and PSI Paul Scherrer Institute share what drew them to science.
Curiosity. Motivation…
🎉 Ein besonderer Meilenstein für unsere zukünftigen Lernenden und Praktikant:innen: Am Dienstag, 22. Januar 2026, unterzeichneten sie gemeinsam mit ihren Eltern auf dem PSI-Campus feierlich ihre Lehr…
💥 At CERN near Geneva, colossal detectors measure particle decays. One 15-metre giant is the CMS detector. The PSI research group led by Lea Caminada contributes to its continuous development.
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🎉 A consortium led by PSI Paul Scherrer Institute and the University of Zurich has been awarded funding: President Parmelin has approved the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR)…
🔬 With the upgrade project IMPACT, PSI is massively expanding perspectives in research with muons. For many years, the muon facility of the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI has been delivering the world’s…
🔧 Success through perseverence: Lorenz Moser and the SLS 2.0 upgrade
How do you bring a large research facility into the 21st century? Electrical engineer Lorenz Moser made a crucial measuring…
🌫️ Why the air in Sarajevo is so bad in winter? Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI investigated air pollution in Sarajevo using their mobile laboratory. The measurement campaign reveals…
Longer battery life. Faster, thinner laptops. More efficient data centres. These everyday benefits are powered by semiconductor microchips and by the scientists who work on them like PSI researcher…
🎤 PhD Thesis Presentation Slam
Congratulations to Lisa Stefanie Fankhauser, winner of the first PhD Thesis Presentation Slam at PSI, for her engaging presentation on her work at the Center for…
Congratulations to Corinna Burri on receiving the 🏆 PSI Thesis Medal 2026.
The award recognises her outstanding PhD research at PSI on novel materials for faster and more energy-efficient…
#Hazel catkins are growing and will soon release #pollen. High humidity, like fog, can make pollen grains burst and release the substances that cause allergies.
#Climatechange, heat waves and…
The year at PSI starts with our New Year’s Information Event — a moment to reflect on the past year, share updates on key initiatives, and look ahead.
This year, PSI Director Christian Rüegg…
New X-ray breakthrough at SwissFEL, published in Nature! Scientists at SwissFEL have realised a long-pursued experimental goal in physics: to show how electrons interact using a technique known as X…
Gemeinsam die Berufsbildung stärken.🌱 An der Berufsbildungstagung im ETH-Bereich stand der Austausch zwischen den Institutionen im Zentrum – mit dem Ziel, die Berufsbildung gemeinsam…
🔬 E-mobility in Africa: economically viable sooner than expected
Electric vehicles could catch on in many African countries much sooner than previously assumed. A new study by researchers at ETH…
🔬 Exciting Opportunity for Future Scientists! 🌟
The Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, Switzerland's largest research institute for natural and engi-neering sciences, is offering a Summer Student…
📸High-resolution images of the inside of biological materials in record time!
Biological materials are masterpieces of nature. Inside, they consist of different structures across very different…
Make way for the next generation of batteries
🔋⚡1,500 charge cycles – 75% capacity remaining. PSI researchers Mario El Kazzi and Jinsong Zhang have developed a production process that improves…
Researchers at PSI have now demonstrated a new approach to synchronise ultrashort X-ray pulses at SwissFEL. This improved control supports experiments that probe the fastest processes in atoms,…
PSI in numbers
2300
Employees at PSI are working on the world of tomorrow.
5
PSI operates five particle accelerator-based large research facilities.
64
In a total of 64 centres, labs and groups, we conduct research into pressing societal issues.
3000
Every year, around 3000 researchers from all over the world carry out experiments at our facilities.