ETH News

The coloured Cube has been around for 50 years. Its inventor, Ernő Rubik, celebrated his 80th birthday this year. At the invitation of the ETH Department of Mathematics, he spent some time in Zurich to discuss the fascination of the Rubik’s Cube with researchers, students and children.

Four researchers from ETH Zurich have successfully applied for Consolidator Grants funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

When the Earth’s ice masses melt, the way the planet rotates also changes. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now been able to show how climate change is altering the Earth’s axis of rotation and the length of the day. The speed of rotation, which was hitherto mainly influenced by the moon, will now also depend much more on the climate.

Rasmus Kyng has written the near-perfect algorithm. It computes the maximum transport flow at minimum cost for any kind of network – be it rail, road or electricity – at a speed that is, mathematically speaking, impossible to beat.

Experts from ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich, and the University Hospital Zurich have used machine learning to jointly create an innovative method. This new approach can predict how individual cells react to specific treatments, offering hope for more accurate diagnoses and therapeutics.

The first woman mathematics professor at ETH Zurich, Sara van de Geer, is retiring after 18 years at the university. For the moment, not a lot will change for the Dutch researcher – and she is fine with that.

Every year at ETH Zurich, hundreds of students learn the fundamentals of mathematics through lectures and exercises. Now, their lecturers are also setting them practise sequences on the computer. This interview highlights the potential of a new method.

Mathematician Siddhartha Mishra has been awarded this year's Rössler Prize for his research on solutions for highly complex flow and wave phenomena. He is being recognised for his contributions to faster and more accurate predictions of weather, climate and tsunamis, and for the computer simulations that enable them.

Using applied mathematics, Yunan Yang finds solutions to the inverse problems that arise in seismology, weather forecasts, and machine learning. The key to her success is something called optimal transport.

John von Neumann was one of the most important mathematicians and computer pioneers of the 20th century – and an ETH alumnus. He began his studies in chemistry here one hundred years ago. ETH Professor Benjamin Sudakov pays tribute to a mathematical legacy at a symposium.

It doesn’t have to be a hurricane or a tsunami — even a simple running water tap induces a shock wave upon impact with the sink. Now, with the help of the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre's (CSCS) supercomputer “Piz Daint”, mathematician Siddhartha Mishra of ETH Zurich is working to overcome current barriers to simulating and comprehending highly turbulent flows.

Are we witnessing the rise of a different, adaptive artificial intelligence (AI) that works with humans and supports them with smart decisions? Computer scientist Niao He is investigating how this kind of AI can be theoretically underpinned so that it really does provide benefits.

How does water seep through porous rock? Investigating this question with a mathematical model was the starting point for Barbara Dembin’s research. The mathematician is generating new insights in what is known as percolation theory.

He investigates the mysteries of shapes and curvature in higher dimensions: mathematician Alessandro Carlotto will receive the 2022 ETH Zurich Latsis Prize for his original research at the frontier of mathematics and physics.

Mathematician and biostatistician Tanja Stadler will receive this year’s Rössler Prize for her achievements. Worth 200,000 Swiss francs, it is ETH Zurich’s most generous research award.

At its heart, is mathematics an aesthetic discipline? Or what does it mean if someone finds a proof “beautiful”? And what does mathematical beauty say about physical connections?

Philippe Kahn, a technology innovator and entrepreneur who studied mathematics at ETH Zurich, is credited with creating the first camera phone solution.

In her research as a number theorist, Sarah Zerbes focuses on one of the oldest – but also most topical – branches of mathematics. Her work is closely tied to one of the great open mathematical problems, the solution for which carries a prize of one million dollars.  

Albert Einstein was a student and a professor at ETH Zurich. This year marks the 100th anniversary of his Nobel Prize in Physics. But how much ETH was there really in Einstein? And how much Einstein is there in ETH?

For mathematician Joaquim Serra, sketches are a gateway to insight. Sketching out geometric relationships helps him unlock the abstract reasonings required to prove his theorems. On Sunday, he is being honoured for his research into partial differential equations.

We look for certainty in uncertain times. But that is not something statistics can necessarily provide. Tanja Stadler explains why it is important to consider statistical uncertainty through describing the COVID-19 R value estimation which she performs for Switzerland.

An extraordinary year is drawing to a close. ETH News takes a look back at the highlights that emerged amidst difficult and unsettling times, at ingenious ideas, fascinating science and solidarity in action during – and despite – the coronavirus pandemic.

Why is gravity the most mysterious force of nature? Lavinia Heisenberg studies how the universe was formed, and how it is changing. She has now been awarded the ETH Zurich Latsis Prize for her outstanding achievements in the field of theoretical physics.

ETH has once again been highly successful in the awarding of this year’s ERC Starting Grants for young researchers, with the European Research Council (ERC) approving a total of CHF 21.4 million in funding for 12 ETH project submissions.

The fact that there are many different types of infinities is one of the big puzzles in mathematics. One mathematician who enjoys investigating which infinities can actually occur is Saharon Shelah, the guest speaker at this year’s Paul Bernays Lectures.

The Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems has established itself as an address for AI research and the promotion of young scientists. "We answer pressing questions that arise today," says its co-director Thomas Hoffmann.

ETH researchers are using a new mathematical model to calculate a possible second wave of the pandemic in Switzerland. Even though such a wave would probably grow more slowly than the first without overloading hospitals, its death toll may turn out to be significantly higher.

An international research collaboration led by ETH Zurich and MIT has developed a mathematical method that can speed up search and rescue operations at sea. The new algorithm accurately predicts locations to which objects and people floating in water will drift.

400 secondary school students visited the winner of the 2018 Fields Medal, Alessio Figalli. You don't have to be a genius to do mathematics, said Figalli.

Julia Wysling combines a flair for numbers with social engagement to help society progress. The mathematician and former VSETH president simulates and optimises pedestrian flows.

At the sixth Times Higher Education (THE) World Academic Summit, experts from the research community and higher education explored and reflected on how digitalisation is changing higher education and on nurturing of talent. ETH Zurich hosted the conference.

Bernhard Schölkopf, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and Affiliated Professor at ETH Zurich, today received the Körber European Science Prize for his research in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Alessio Figalli’s life has changed since he was awarded the Fields Medal one year ago. There’s now more intensive contact to schools and public life, and he has taken on new tasks in research. He masters them with a joyful outlook and optimism.

Are there limits to what computers are actually able to compute, and do quantum computers really solve more problems than conventional computers? Computer scientist Scott Aaronson will discuss these kinds of fundamental questions during the Paul Bernays Lectures 2019.

Time is a fundamental dimension of human existence and comes in many forms. Using a comparative approach, philosopher and physicist Norman Sieroka looks at what distinguishes them, using time travel and music.

Viruses, crime, and many other problems spread through networks. ETH researchers have now developed a new method of protecting them cost-effectively. When budget matters, networks are best dismantled starting with some middle nodes.

What do liquid chocolate and the movements of satellites have in common? Jagna Wiśniewska is intrigued by such mathematical puzzles. Together with seven other women, she will show in the goMATH series of events at ETH Zurich why she is fascinated by mathematics.

Intelligent data science approaches are changing science, the economy and society. In a new interdisciplinary initiative, ETH researchers from the fields of mathematics, computer science and information technology are therefore increasingly dedicating themselves to the foundations of data science.  

ETH technology that flew to Mars, rubber duckies that travelled around Duckietown in self-driving taxis and moles that warn of tumours – for ETH, 2018 was marked by innovative flair and extraordinary research. We take a look back.

What can computers do better than people? Fields Medal winner Timothy Gowers is one of the leading mathematicians of our time. He doesn't avoid the big questions. On Wednesday, he will deliver the Wolfgang Pauli Lecture entitled “Why isn't mathematical research impossible?”

Nature is a source of inspiration for the mathematician. That was a key message of the Fields Medal winner Alessio Figalli's honorary lecture on Monday. ETH Zurich celebrated the Italian's outstanding achievement with his PhD supervisors Luigi Ambrosio and Cédric Villani in attendance and held a debate about the growing scientific and economic significance of mathematics.

Siddhartha Mishra is the winner of the 2019 ICIAM Collatz Prize which is one of the most prestigious prizes awarded in applied mathematics.

Harvard mathematician Barry Mazur will talk about the unity and scope of mathematics on 11 September in his Paul Bernays Lectures at ETH Zurich. Variety enriches mathematics. This is why it is intriguing to enquire about a unification that combines different mathematical theories and methods.  

Alessio Figalli, Professor of Mathematics at ETH Zurich, was awarded the Fields Medal today for his outstanding contribution to mathematical research. The medal is to mathematics what the Nobel Prize is to natural sciences.

Alessio Figalli is a recipient of the Fields Medal for his research into optimal transport theory. Who is this individual? What characterises his research? In what way is mathematics a creative thought process? How are clouds, soap bubbles and crystals related to transport costs? The portrait of a mathematician who has made problem-solving his profession.

Avalanches, tsunamis, solar storms: Siddhartha Mishra is captivated by unstable and turbulent flows. He combines mathematics with scientific computing in a bid to understand their common causes. Helping him in his quest are equations, first written down by the Swiss mathematician, Leonhard Euler.

For the first time, ETH Zurich invited the 100 best school girls from the Mathematical Kangaroo competition.

After 29 years of service, Paul Embrechts of the Department of Mathematics at ETH Zurich is being conferred emeritus status. What was his time at ETH like and what does he have planned for his retirement? ETH News presents a portrait of a researcher who has dedicated his life to studying risk.

Richard M. Schoen is a bridge-builder between physics and mathematics, and has enriched the theory of relativity with his proofs and geometric methods. On Monday, ETH Zurich will award him the Heinz Hopf Prize 2017.

What do the smallest particles locked up in protons have to tell us about how the universe began and how it will end? This week, physics Nobel laureate David Gross will present three public lectures at ETH Zurich on the theme “A Century of Quantum Physics – from Nuclear Physics to String Theory and Beyond”.

Özlem Imamoglu has been fascinated by the hidden properties of numbers since she was a child. The ETH professor is also committed to helping more women pursue careers in mathematics.

Data collection and analysis is becoming increasingly important in today’s world. This is particularly true for the economic and societal development of poorer nations. That’s why mathematical education in these countries is in urgent need of improvement, as was shown at Wednesday’s Science and Development Forum.

Three ETH Zurich researchers have received ERC Consolidator Grants from the European Research Council (ERC). Their projects will each receive approximately 2 million Swiss francs in funding.

In Nymphenburg on Friday, the ETH probabilist Wendelin Werner was awarded the Heinz Gumin Prize, the highest-value mathematics prize in Germany. But what does this have to do with a journey, a public transport map, and human emotions?

Unsolvable problems, the nature of the infinite and the question of whether and how mathematics can be definitively substantiated – these issues are the focus of the Bernays Lectures 2016. The speaker for this year’s honorary lectures at ETH Zurich is W. Hugh Woodin, Professor of Philosophy and Mathematics at Harvard University.

Upon application of ETH President Lino Guzzella the ETH Board appointed a total of eight professors and awarded the title of professor to one individual.

A principle may be simple, but in mathematics it can be the key to the solution of challenging problems. The pigeonhole principle is a good starting point for students who want to get to know the creative side of proofs.

Founded in 2015, the new Turing Centre at ETH Zurich brings together researchers and students of science, engineering and humanities. In an interview with ETH News, Managing Director Giovanni Sommaruga and his New Zealand co-directors Diane Proudfoot and Jack Copeland explain why the Centre inspires blue skies research and what it all has to do with ‘child machines’.

In the field of research into algebraic geometry, French mathematician Claire Voisin is something of a legend: in recognition of her scientific breakthroughs, the Department of Mathematics at ETH Zurich will be awarding her the Heinz Hopf Prize on 2 November 2015.

At this year’s Pauli Lectures, mathematics professor Ingrid Daubechies will offer an insight into her research on wavelets and digital signal processing. Among other applications, she uses these two fields to unequivocally identify forged Van Goghs.

At its meeting of 8/9 July 2015, the ETH Board appointed six professors at ETH Zurich in accordance with the application submitted by ETH Zurich President Lino Guzzella.

At its meeting of 20/21 March 2015, the ETH Board appointed 12 professors at ETH Zurich in accordance with the application submitted by ETH President Lino Guzzella.  

The ETH Board appointed six professors at ETH Zurich as part of its meeting of 4/5 March 2015, in accordance with the application submitted by ETH Zurich President Lino Guzzella.

The ETH Institute for Theoretical Studies (ETH-ITS) has really picked up speed since this summer, with six fellows devoting themselves to researching fundamental theories as guests of ETH Zurich. We paid them a visit.