David P. Wolfer has been Associate Professor of Anatomy at the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Zurich and at the Institute Human Movement Sciences at ETH Zurich since 2005.



David P. Wolfer was born on May 8, 1960 in Zurich. He studied medicine at the University of Zurich and got his doctorate in 1988 with a neuroanatomical study on lifelong synapse formation in the guinea pig brain. After postdoctoral studies at the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at the University of Rochester NY he returned to the University of Zurich where he established a research group at the Institute of Anatomy. In 1998 he obtained the venia legendi (habilitation) in anatomy.



The research group of David P. Wolfer investigates the biological basis of cognitive functions, in particular the role of the hippocampus in memory and the control of behavior. The group works with genetically modified mouse lines as well as with classical lesion studies. In the context of this research new methods of behavioral analysis are developed, allowing to measure cognitive functions more efficiently and reliably. The teaching activities of David P. Wolfer cover the whole microscopic and macroscopic human anatomy with special emphasis on neuroanatomy and the musculoskeletal system. At the advanced level, his teaching reflects the scientific interests and concentrates mainly on the topics of neuroanatomy and genetics of behavior.