The Department of oncology UNIL CHUV congratulates Ping-Chih Ho on his appointment as Associate Professor since August 1st, 2019.
Specialised in immune engineering, Pr Ho heads up the department’s immunometabolic regulation laboratory, and is Ludwig Adjunct Scientist within the Lausanne branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. His work focuses on the manner by which chemical compounds enter into molecular dialogue with the immune system and the tissues they control. Being able to decipher this process affords major influence on tumour progression and on the efficacy of treatments, notably immunotherapies.
What does this nomination represent for you in the context of your career so far ?
This nomination provides me stability to pursue risky, but ground-breaking, works in my field. Most important, it also provides me the opportunity to further develop novel cancer immunotherapeis with sustained supports.
What are the challenges you’ll be facing in your new responsibilities ?
Cultivating young generation of scientists and creating a research environment which can attract more talented scientist to join DOF.
What are your long-term professional perspectives & objectives ?
I envision to become a leading scientist in immunometabolism field and exploit what we identify in lab to develop therapeutic tools for cancer patients.
Who are the mentors in your professional environment that have supported you and which help you would like to recognize today ?
I really appreciate the training I received from my postdoc mentor, Susan Kaech. Of course, I also appreciate the advice and guidance provided by Pedro Romero, Daniel Spieser, Johanna Joyce and George Coukos. What they provided me makes everything possible for me.
Which leadership role would you like to play with your colleagues & team ?
I would like to take the responsibility to create a more friendly and creative research environment for my team and colleagues. Most importantly, I would like to bridge our expertise to my strong colleagues to tackle the challenging, but exciting, development of cancer immunology and immunotherapy.