In 1989, Keller returned to Switzerland and founded a plant biotechnology group at the Swiss Federal Research Station for Agronomy (today Agroscope).
The group, which specialized in cereal genetics, disease resistance and molecular markers, was headed by Keller until 1997.
[1] From 2000 to 2006, Keller was Vice President of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) and is codirector of the research program "Evolution in Action".
Beat Keller's research focuses on the molecular basis of disease resistance in the cereals wheat, maize, barley and rye.
[10][11] Modified resistance genes were tested in field trials (www.protectedsite.ch) in transgenic wheat and barley plants.