Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Uschi Backes-Gellner

Business Address:

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Uschi Backes-Gellner
University of Zurich
Department of Business Administration
Plattenstrasse 14, CH - 8032 Zürich
E-Mail: backes-gellner[at]business.uzh.ch

Office hours: Please arrange an appointment through Christa Palffy (christa.palffy[at]business.uzh.ch).
(Please notice: The meeting hours are only intended for questions concerning the lectures)

CV (PDF, 1 MB)

Publications (PDF, 423 KB)

Academic Position

• Full Professor, University of Zurich (2002 to present) 
• Deputy Dean, Faculty for Business, Economics and Informatics (2008 to 2024)
• Director of Swiss Leading House VPET-Economics, funded by State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (since July 2021)
• Director of Swiss Leading House on Economics of Education: Firm Behaviour and Training Policies (2005 to 2021)
• President, Institute for Small and Medium Size Enterprises (1998 - 2006)
• Full Professor, University of Cologne (1995 – 2002)
• Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Labor Law and Industrial Relations in the European Community (1991 – 1996)
• Research Fellow, University of Trier (1987 - 1991)
• Research Fellow, German National Science Foundation-Project (1985 –1987)

Visiting Positions

• Stanford University, Stanford Graduate School of Education (Sept. 2023 – Jan. 2024)
• Harvard University, Graduate School of Education (Sept. 2018 – Jan. 2019)
• Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Sept. 2015 – Jan. 2016)
• UC Berkeley, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (Sept. 2009 – Jan. 2010)
• Cornell University, New York State School of Industrial and Labour Relations (Mar. – Aug. 2000)
• Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, USA (Oct. 1999)
• UC Berkeley, Institute of Industrial Relations (Mar. – Aug. 1990)
• Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Mar. – Aug. 1988)

Education

• Habilitation/Venia Legendi, Business Economics, University of Trier (1995)
• Dr.rer.pol, Business Economics, University of Trier (1987)
• Diploma, Economics, University of Trier (1984)

Honors and Awards

• "Top Cited Article-Award" of the Journal "Industrial Relations" awarded in 2025 for papers between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023
• Associate Fellow of Collegium Helveticum (2022)
• Nominee for Doctoral Student Mentoring Award of UZH (2021)
• Honorary Doctoral Degree, awarded by University of Tuebingen, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences (2021)
• Research Fellow, BIBB, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, Bonn (2020)
• Ranked among Top 100 Most Successful Women in Switzerland, Women in Business 2017
• Ranked among Top 100 Most Successful Women in Switzerland, Women in Business 2016 and among Top 200 prominent people in Zurich by WW Zurich 2016.
• Ranked in Swiss „Handelszeitung“ among top 100 Business Women in Switzerland (2015)
• Ranked among Top 100 Most Successful Women in Switzerland, Women in Business 2014
• Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings (2008)
• Albertus Magnus Teaching Award, University of Cologne (1998)
• Best Dissertation Award, University of Trier (1988)

Boards and Scientific Expert Committees

• Member of the Advisory Board of “Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft für Betriebswirtschaft” (2024 to 2028)
• Member of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation (2017 to 2025)
• Member of External Review Panel for the Research Evaluation of the Department of Business Development and Technology at Aarhus BSS (2024)
• Member of the Nomination Committee of the Academic Board of the Swiss National Science Foundation (2024)
• Member of “Gründungskommission Deutsche Agentur für Transfer und Innovation - DATI” (2023-2024) (Founding Committee of the German Agency for Transfer and Innovation) and of “Subkommission zur Findung der Geschäftsführer“ (2024) (Sub-Committee for hiring of scientific and adminstrative director)
• Member of the Nomination Committee for the selection of a new President of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation (2023)
• President of the Postdoc-Mobility Evaluation Committee, Domain Social Sciences (2018 to 2024)
• Member of the Executive Council of “Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft für Betriebswirtschaft” (2008 to 2023)
• Scientific Board “Centre for European Economic Research, ZEW Mannheim” (2007 to 2023)
• Member of "Rat der Arbeitswelt" of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Germany (2020 to March 2021)
• Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation advising German Federal Government (EFI), Berlin (2011 to 2019)
• Member of the Executive Council of the German Economic Association (Verein für Socialpolitik) (2017 to 2018)
• Scientific Board “Institute for Employment Research, IAB Nürnberg” (2009 to 2018)
• Member of the Commission of Experts “Hochschulzukunftsprogramm Rheinland-Pfalz” (2017 to May 2018)
• Scientific Board “Handelshochschule Leipzig HHL” (2015 to 2017)
• Vice Chairwoman of the German Economic Association (Verein für Socialpolitik) (2015 to 2016)
• Swiss Federal Committee on “Vocational Education”, Bern (2004 to 2015)
• Steering Committee on Continuing Training Law of Swiss Federal Government, Bern (2008 to 2013)
• Working Group of Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina, on „Ageing Societies and the World of Work“ (2004 to 2009)