ETH News

Marco Mazzotti will be conferred emeritus status at the end of January 2025. A good reason for a portrait of this dedicated process engineer, who came to his field of research quite unexpectedly.

EPFL and ETH Zurich Presidents Martin Vetterli and Joël Mesot consider high tuition fees as in the English-speaking world to be the wrong approach to improving the financial situation of the two universities. Students should be seen as success factors for our country and not as cash cows.

Where is generative AI already proving its worth in teaching and what are its limits? Will avatars soon replace lecturers? In this interview, Jan Vermant, Vice Rector for Curriculum Development, talks about trends at ETH and his own experiences.

The first edition of the CAS ETH Machine Learning in Finance and Insurance course is coming to an end. Participants particularly value the programme’s combination of technology, ethics and practice with a view to making responsible use of artificial intelligence at their companies.

When Kiril Vasilev started his Master's in Data Science at ETH Zurich, he was taken aback by the intensity of the workload. In the latest episode of the "Student Stories" series, he shares how he adapted to this demanding new routine.

ETH doctoral student Rolf Imseng comes from a working class family. Together with ETH Vice-President Julia Dannath and ETH Professor Ursula Renold, he talks about the hurdles that his background brings with it. A conversation about social mobility in Switzerland.

Michelle Halbheer started her studies at ETH feeling uncertain. In a video from the "Student Stories" series, she shares how she overcame her initial doubts and reflects on what she would change if she could start over.

Challenges and setbacks can strengthen students’ resilience and are an important aspect of learning. This is why the Student Project House adopts the “fail-forward” approach. An essay by Moritz Mussgnug about mistakes and failure.

At its meeting of 18 and 19 September 2024 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed fifteen professors. The Board also awarded the title of "Professor of Practice" once.

Fatima Ali Ebrahim struggled during her first year at ETH Zurich, finding lectures difficult and knowing hardly anyone. She even considered dropping out. In the video series "Student Stories," she shares what helped her turn things around and why she now loves studying at ETH.

On 16 September, ETH Zurich will welcome about 27,000 students for the Autumn Semester, according to provisional figures. The growth in student numbers continues apace.

Machine learning, AI and new technologies are rapidly changing industry. The CAS ETH in AI and Software Development is aimed at managers who want to make better informed decisions for their companies. It is part of the new MAS in AI and Digital Technology.

The Department of Earth Sciences at ETH Zurich has been renamed the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, abbreviated to D-EAPS, effective 1 August. Head of Department Johan Robertsson explains why the renaming was both logical and necessary.

At its meeting of 11 and 12 July 2024 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed six professors. The Board also awarded the title of "Professor" two times and the title of "Professor of Practice" once.

Start-up URBNC 3 produces sustainable and personalised sandals with the aid of digital technology. The start-up took its first steps at the Student Project House of ETH Zurich.

ETH Zurich maintains its excellent ranking from the previous year in the QS rankings just published. Alongside top scores for its academic reputation and international outlook, the university’s efforts in the area of sustainability have also helped it to retain seventh place. The faculty-student ratio remains the indicator in which the university scores lowest.

Since 2003, when Joachim Buhmann became an ETH professor, he has helped shape the explosive development of machine learning. It is not technical progress that worries him, but how society deals with it. Shortly before his retirement, he looks back on his academic career.

ETH Zurich announces its expedition towards climate neutrality today with pop-up events by students and the first Net Zero Day. The "ETH Net Zero" programme supports the reduction of emissions by 2030 and offers people plenty of ways to get involved.

Paolo Ermanni researched novel composite materials at ETH for over a quarter of a century. His enthusiasm for materials was rivalled only by his passion for teaching. He will also go down in ETH history as the first Vice Rector for Continuing Education. To mark his retirement, we take a look back at his storied career.

At its meeting of 22 and 23 May 2024 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed twelve professors. The Board also awarded the title of "Professor" four times and the title of "Professor of Practice" three times.

Walter Thurnherr was Chancellor and Chief of Staff of the Swiss Federal Council for eight years. With effect from October 2024, he will be a professor at ETH Zurich, where he will support the establishment of a School of Public Policy and contribute to a better understanding between academia and politics.

Racing cars, robots, aircraft: Bachelor’s students in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering spend two semesters working on a project in teams. They will be presenting their results on 28 May 2024.

Medical students at ETH Zurich build a gripper hand for elbow exoskeletons in a crash course lasting just one week. This course has now been honoured with the 2024 Kite Award, the ETH prize for particularly innovative teaching.

Juraj Hromkovic has been Professor of Information Technology at ETH Zurich for the past 20 years. During this time, he has been a leading advocate of teaching computer science in schools. He’s now giving his farewell lecture.

Studying at ETH Zurich is demanding, and all students have their own personal hurdles to overcome. This video series portrays ETH students.

At its meeting of 6 and 7 March 2024 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed nine professors. The Board also awarded the title of "Professor" three times and the title of "Professor of Practice" once.

Christoph Schär is one of the Swiss climate scientists who have shaped high-resolution climate modelling. He is now retiring after more than 35 years at ETH Zurich. In this portrait, he explains why he himself never tires of researching climate change.

Studying at ETH Zurich is demanding, and all students have their own personal hurdles to overcome. This video series portrays ETH students.

Studying at ETH Zurich is demanding, and all students have their own personal hurdles to overcome. This video series portrays ETH students.

Newly elected members of the Swiss National Council are often confronted with a bewildering array of complex issues. ETH Zurich organised a special two-day seminar to equip them with scientific expertise in key policy areas.

What began as a venture quickly proved its worth: The ETH Bachelor in Human Medicine is well received by graduates and has helped to establish ETH Zurich in the Swiss medical education landscape. In a video, five graduates talk about what makes studying medicine at ETH so special.

A new Master’s degree programme in Space Systems will be launched at ETH Zurich in autumn 2024. Interested parties can start applying in April.

At its meeting of 6 and 7 December 2023 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed twelve professors and awarded the title "Professor of Practice" once.  

Mohammed Said is in his third semester of the Bachelor of Human Medicine at ETH Zurich. He plans to work abroad as a doctor and researcher one day and put his knowledge into practice in countries where people are not as fortunate as in Switzerland.

Clara Ehrenzeller studied human medicine at ETH Zurich. Aspects of her course that she will never forget were her six-week research internship at a children’s hospital in Canada and her deployment at the Kantonsspital Baden. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Ticino.

ETH student Luca Hasler has developed a new set of handlebars for parathlete Flurina Rigling. After clinching two world championship titles, she now aims to qualify for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

ETH is offering a new continuing education programme in the serviceability and repairability of buildings and products. The CAS is backed by an architect, a product developer and a production technologist.

Günther Vogt is one of the most sought-after landscape architects of our time. He has opened the eyes of an entire generation of architects to public space. After 18 years as an ETH professor, he is now retiring.

Dimos Poulikakos is retiring in January 2024. The ETH Professor of Thermodynamics has developed many practical applications. His lectures on the fundamentals of thermodynamics have delighted more than 8,000 students; now he passes on a piece of advice for aspiring researchers.

For the first time, a team of students from ETH Zurich is taking part in the renowned World Solar Challenge. Will they be able to keep up with the world’s best?

Studying at ETH Zurich is challenging, and all students have their personal hurdles to overcome. This video series shows personal portraits of ETH students.

Studying at ETH Zurich is challenging, and all students have their personal hurdles to overcome. This video series shows personal portraits of ETH students.

At its meeting of 20 and 21 September 2023 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed five professors and awarded the title of professor three times.

Studying at ETH Zurich is challenging, and all students have their personal hurdles to overcome. This video series shows personal portraits of ETH students.

On 18 September, ETH Zurich will welcome more than 25,000 students for the Autumn Semester, according to provisional figures. Enrolment at the Bachelor’s level has risen for the first time since the pandemic.

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.

ETH students are mapping the groundwater in an area of forest near Bern. This fieldwork will give them the skills they need for a career in environmental engineering.

At its meeting of 12 and 13 July 2023 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed ten professors.

ETH Zurich has moved up two positions to take seventh place in the current QS Rankings. This confirms its top position in continental Europe due in large part to its citations per faculty and academic reputation. For the first time, the rankings took into account the metrics graduates’ employment outcomes, sustainability and international research network.

At its meeting of 24 and 25 May 2023 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed nine professors and awarded the title of professor twice. At the same time, the Board also bid farewell to nine professors and thanked them for their service.

From 2016 to 2022, Thomas Zurbuchen was responsible for research at NASA, the US space agency. From August this year, he will become director of ETH Zurich Space. This initiative aims to promote space research and teaching at ETH and to expand and strengthen cooperation with the space industry.

Bachelor’s students at ETH Zurich were given a year to turn their original ideas into finished products. ETH News presents videos of two of these projects.

ETH students have developed a smart cane featuring an integrated camera that detects its surroundings and a tactile pointer that helps blind and visually impaired individuals navigate their way safely.

Professor Wendelin Stark and Nevena Paunović were both chemistry Olympians. In 2023, they will return to the Olympiad in new roles. In this interview, they reveal how the Olympiad has influenced their lives and careers, and what participants can expect from the host country and the competition.

ETH students have developed sensors that can indicate how people use urban spaces. They anonymously measure how people use objects such as chairs in a public square. The sensors have proven useful in the test run and could be used in future to plan public spaces based on needs.

At its meeting of 8 and 9 March and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed 14 professors and awarded the title of professor five times. At the same time, the Board also bid farewell to three professors and thanked them for their service.

In the latest episode of the “Student Stories” series, Jan Blum talks about his everyday life as a hard-of-hearing Bachelor’s student, the difficulties he faced when he started studying computer science and what helped him combat the feeling of being the odd one out.

When doctoral student Panagiotis Martakis started studying civil engineering, he soon realised that he wasn’t happy with his choice of subject. In the latest episode of the “Student Stories” series, he explains why you should spend more time exploring other disciplines.

After failing a physics exam, Master's student Agon Besimi had one more chance to stay at ETH. The support of his family was his biggest source of inspiration to persevere.

Christophe Girot brought landscape architecture into the digital world and taught a generation of architects how to think on a larger scale. After more than 20 years as an ETH Professor, he is now retiring.

In the latest episode of the “Student Stories” series, doctoral student in physics Lorenzo Graziotto talks about the biggest difference between studying and researching, and why he thinks it’s his duty to step out of his comfort zone.

Vira Bondar is fascinated by the fundamental questions of physics. She conducts research with ultracold neutrons and is working to make exercise sessions at ETH Zurich even more exciting.

A special year is soon coming to an end. In 2022, much has been researched, developed and invented at ETH Zurich. ETH News looks back on an eventful past year.

In the ETH podcast two former students look back on how their time at ETH shaped them. Looking back, the impossible is somehow possible, you just have to take one step at a time.

At its meeting of 7 and 8 December 2022 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed four professors and awarded the title of professor once. At the same time, the Board also bid farewell to eight professors and thanked them for their service.

The new Enhance Alliance of ten European technical universities aims to make it easier to study abroad. ETH Zurich officially joined the alliance today.

On the 167th anniversary of ETH Zurich, Rector Günther Dissertori spoke about the areas of teaching where he would like to see change. Against the backdrop of the current crises, ETH President Joël Mesot and Federal Councillor Alain Berset discussed the role of science in general and that of ETH in particular.

Being able to try on an outfit virtually to see if it fits would result in fewer returns. Two ETH students are working on making this possible.

The four-seater electric aircraft “e-Sling”, which was developed by ETH students, has taken flight for the first time. The student project has taken two years and a lot of dedication.

Studying at ETH Zurich is challenging, and all students have their own personal hurdles to overcome. This short video series gives a somewhat different insight into everyday life as a student. It provides an account of students, their setbacks and how they dealt with them.

At ETH Week, more than 130 students devoted last week to looking into the subject of Urban Futures. In the video, they share their experience.

ETH Zurich’s course in Applied Technology in Energy brings managers up to speed on the latest energy technologies, enabling them to make informed decisions in their day-to-day work.

Studying at ETH Zurich is challenging, and all students have their own personal hurdles to overcome. This short video series gives a somewhat different insight into everyday life as a student. It provides an account of students, their setbacks and how they dealt with them.

More than 20,000 bachelor and master students will start the Autumn Semester at ETH Zurich on 19 September. The number of new bachelor students has declined.

At its meeting of 13/14 July 2022 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed twelve professors. At the same time, the Board also bid farewell to four professors and thanked them for their service.

This weekend, students from ETH Zurich won the sustainability prize at the 18^th concrete canoe regatta in Brandenburg with their boat "TruchETH". The aspiring civil engineers impressed with an environmentally friendly boat for which they combined old clothes with concrete.

The latest QS ranking places ETH Zurich ninth among the world’s best universities. Once again, ETH owes its high rank to its academic reputation and citations of its scientific publications.  

In this year’s innovation projects, ETH students had to develop an engineering kit that can be used to spark adolescents' interest in engineering.

After 15 years as Professor of Architecture and Construction, Annette Spiro recently retired to become professor emerita. Her lectures and publications inspired a whole generation of architecture students at ETH Zurich.

This year’s ETH award for particularly innovative teaching projects goes to a course that brings physics experiments for students right into their home. The project was up against 24 others competing for the KITE Award 2022.

Günther Dissertori bases his teaching on the three Es: enthusiasm, empathy and expectation management.

Through its new doctoral programme, the MaP Doctoral School, ETH Zurich plans to train specialists in materials and processes who will work across disciplines to tackle the big challenges of our time, such as climate change, sustainable development and personalised medicine.

Studying at ETH Zurich is challenging, and all students have their own personal hurdles to overcome. This short video series gives a somewhat different insight into everyday life as a student. It provides an account of three students, their setbacks and how they dealt with them.

After nine years as ETH Professor of Negotiation and Conflict Management, Michael Ambühl is soon to become a professor emeritus. We look back at the remarkable career of a former State Secretary who was determined to translate practice into theory.

Studying at ETH Zurich is challenging, and all students have their own personal hurdles to overcome. This short video series gives a somewhat different insight into everyday life as a student. It provides an account of three students, their setbacks and how they dealt with them.

Studying at ETH Zurich is challenging, and all students have their own personal hurdles to overcome. This short video series gives a somewhat different insight into everyday life as a student. It provides an account of three students, their setbacks and how they dealt with them.  

ETH Zurich has always been a mirror of new social developments. In the past 20 years, the university has become more international, increasingly autonomous, more digital – and less male.

Sarah Springman made a real difference as Rector and helped to improve teaching at ETH on many levels. Her passion and commitment inspired everyone she met – both inside and outside the university walls.

The Student Project House offers a model of what learning might look like in the future. With no course credits on offer, students are encouraged to develop critical thinking skills and to venture into unknown territory.

ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich are jointly offering a new interdisciplinary Master's degree in brain sciences starting in the autumn of 2022. The programme combines biology, neuroscience and clinical methods.

Switzerland’s two federal institutes of technology have teamed up to offer a new joint doctoral programme in the learning sciences. It aims to train experts to draw on their technological and scientific knowledge in the interests of advancing the research, teaching and learning.

ETH President Joël Mesot paid tribute to Sarah Springman at her last ETH Day as Rector, also praising her as a mentor. Both took the opportunity to reflect on challenges that have been overcome and those that lie ahead – as did the key-note speaker Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga.

Following the pilot project at the Hönggerberg campus, ETH Zurich is opening a Student Project House on its Zentrum campus. Students can now make their ideas a reality, in the heart of Zurich, and away from the pressure of grades. At their disposal are 1,200 square metres of renovated space, distributed across five floors.

A survey of ETH students finds that just 62 percent are satisfied with their studies, down from 82 percent in 2015. The main reason for the decline is the pandemic. However, ETH has improved on many specific issues, such as teaching.

Two years ago, ETH launched the innovative Master’s degree in quantum engineering. Now the first cohort of students is nearing the end of the programme.

Michael Kreuzer, Professor of Animal Nutrition and pioneer in the prevention of greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, is retiring after 27 years at ETH Zurich.

From genetics and personalised medicine to health insurance and climate change: at ETH Week 2021, 120 students from all degree programmes and from 31 countries grappled with the topic of “Health for Tomorrow”.

Today sees the start of the Autumn Semester for over 20,000 students at ETH Zurich. The introduction of mandatory COVID certificates allows them back on the campus at last. Although the number of new Bachelor’s students has not risen, the level is still high.

The announcement that COVID certificates will be compulsory has been welcomed by both students’ and lecturers’ associations at ETH Zurich as the best way back to in-person teaching. Implementation is a challenge, as Rector Sarah Springman explains.