Since 2002, Matthias Egger has been doing research and teaching at the University of Bern, where he is a professor of epidemiology and public health. Until 2016, he headed the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine based at the university. He was elected President of the National Research Council of the SNSF in 2017. Between April and July 2020, he led the scientific task force advising the Swiss government on the COVID-19 pandemic.