ETH News

Vice President of Research Christian Wolfrum is leaving ETH as of 1 July 2025 to take up a new academic challenge: he is to become Deputy President and Provost responsible for all academic matters at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore).

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.

Mariam Issoufou is one of Africa’s most sought-after architects. She has held the position of Professor of Architecture Heritage and Sustainability at ETH Zurich since 2022.

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.

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.

Manu Kapur has been Director of the Singapore ETH Centre (SEC) since the beginning of the year. In this interview, he talks about which research programmes will be continued in Singapore, which new programmes will be created, and how researchers from across the ETH Domain can get involved in the SEC.

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.

In a pilot project, apprentices from four different professions in the Department of Physics had to work together to build an interactive exhibition object. They learnt a lot about team building, interdisciplinary work and how to fail productively. "Physics4mation" is now an integral part of the apprenticeship programme.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

Vanessa Wood, Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations, wants to expand research collaborations with industry, governmental agencies and non-profit organisations. She has recruited Jeannine Pilloud, who brings a wealth of industry experience, to help her with this task.

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.

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.

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.

On Friday, an era came to an end. For 20 years, Robert Perich helped to shape the development of ETH Zurich as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), restructured Finance & Controlling and developed it into an instrument of university management. It was important to him that the professorships and departments manage their funds autonomously and that ETH pursue a sustainable financial policy.

Stefan Spiegel will head up Finance and Controlling at ETH Zurich starting on 1 April 2023. The 52-year-old Swiss manager and finance expert boasts extensive leadership experience in state-affiliated firms and stock-listed companies.

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.

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 ETH Board has appointed Christian Wolfrum as Vice President for Research at ETH Zurich effective 1 January 2023. In his roles as Professor of Translational Nutritional Biology, Director of Studies and Associate Vice President for Medicine, Wolfrum has actively shaped medical teaching and research at the university.

At its meeting of 21 and 22 September 2022 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed four professors and awarded the title of “Professor of Practice” once.

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.

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.

At its meeting of 18 and 19 May and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed 13 professors and awarded the title of professor four times. At the same time, the Board also bid farewell to 15 professors and thanked them for their service.

Switzerland's former ambassador to the US Martin Dahinden made many exciting encounters during his diplomatic career, and ETH Zurich played a key role throughout.

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

At its meeting of 9 and 10 March 2022 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed ten professors and awarded the title of professor twice.  

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.

At its meeting of 8 and 9 December 2021 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed ten professors and awarded the title of professor twice.

At its meeting of 22 and 23 September and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed six professors. At the same time, the Board also bid farewell to six professors and thanked them for their service.

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.

He might have been known to the general public as the “Chocolate Professor”, but the newly retired ETH professor Erich Windhab was interested in much more than just indulgence. He also dedicated himself to issues of global food security and sustainability.

ETH professor and molecular biologist Ernst Hafen retires at the end of July. We look back at the colourful career of a leading scientist with many different interests beyond the narrow world of molecular genetics.

At its meeting of 14 July 2021 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed ten professors. Six of them are affiliated with the Department of Architecture.

Nina Buchmann, Chair of the Department of Environmental Systems Science, looks back on 150 years of Agricultural Sciences. There have been many highlights, but what really stands out are the sweeping changes in research and teaching.

Officially elected today by the ETH Board, Günther Dissertori is to take over as Rector of ETH Zurich in February 2022. In this portrait, he talks about what tasks he finds the most challenging and what effective teaching has in common with excellence in physics.

At its meeting of 19 and 21 March 2021 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed nine professors and awarded the title of professor once. Among the new appointees is a Swiss Nobel laureate.

Renowned planetary researcher and Nobel laureate Didier Queloz is moving to ETH Zurich, where he will be joining with other professors to study the origins of life in a new centre.

At its meeting of 3 and 4 March 2021 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed 7 professors. In addition, two scientists were awarded the title of professor.

With Markus Aebi’s retirement, ETH is losing a great scientist. The microbiologist has also made a name for himself as a teacher and mentor well beyond his own discipline. His passion for research and teaching is reflected in his involvement in many university institutions – and in a series of prestigious awards.

Researcher, lecturer, Executive Board member, and the first global ambassador for ETH: Gerhard Schmitt wore many hats during his time at ETH. Schmitt has now retired from his post of Professor of Information Architecture. Here we take a look back at his eventful career.

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.

Collegium Helveticum is the joint think tank of ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Leadership of the organisation is set to change hands in January 2021, with ETH professor Sebastian Bonhoeffer taking over the reins. A biologist and musician, Bonhoeffer has long pursued his passions for science and art. We sat down with him to talk about how he sees his new role. 

At its meeting of 9 and 10 December 2020 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed 14 professors. They will work in a total of ten departments in a wide range of research areas. In addition, an ecotoxicologist was awarded the title of professor.

From cancer research to high-performance computers and printed biomaterials: at its meeting of 23 and 24 September 2020 and upon application of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, the ETH Board appointed a total of seven professors from a wide range of research areas. In addition, a mathematical statistician was awarded the title of professor.

ETH Zurich is expanding its Executive Board with two new domains. At the request of ETH President Joël Mesot, the ETH Board has appointed Julia Dannath-Schuh as the new Vice President for Personnel Development and Leadership, and Vanessa Wood as the new Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations.

Singapore-ETH Centre bids a fond farewell to its current director, Gerhard Schmitt, Architect and Professor Emeritus for Information Architecture at ETH Zurich, who steps down from his post at the end of the year. The Centre also announces his successor, Gisbert Schneider, Professor for Computer-Assisted Drug Design.

In the current round of appointments, four men and four women were appointed or promoted to ETH professors. Thematically, this time the focus is on mathematics and computer science. In addition, the new professorships strengthen the environmental sciences, physics and chemistry at ETH Zurich.

The Executive Board of ETH Zurich now has an Associate Vice President for Medicine: ETH Professor Christian Wolfrum. ETH News asked him about his goals, the university’s potential and where he sees the greatest need for action.

Experimental epidemiology; bio-​inspired micro- and nanorobotics; ultrafast processes in materials; forest resources Management; construction heritage and preservation; social networks: the incoming professors work in a wide range of cutting-​edge research fields.

At its last meeting, the ETH Board appointed a total of 19 new professors at the request of the President of ETH Zurich, Joël Mesot.

At its meeting of 11/12 December 2019 and upon application of the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Joël Mesot, the ETH Board appointed a total of 19 professors. Three scientists were awarded the title of professor.

Gerd Folkers was the first head of Critical Thinking ETH (CTETH) and left an indelible mark on the initiative. After retiring from his professorship last year, he has now handed over leadership of CTETH to the next generation. As one of ETH’s most multifaceted intellectuals, Folkers could always be counted on to hold up a mirror to the scientific community.

Energy systems, cryptography and computer-aided simulation; interactions between people, animals and landscape, investigation of biosystems from the human brain to the nanometer scale: the incoming professors work in a wide range of cutting-edge research fields. Three ETH professors will soon leave the university.

Universities play an increasingly important role in society creating an environment where talents, like graduate student David Yenicelik, thrive. A co-founder of Skilllab, Yenicelik develops artificial intelligence to uncover roadmaps that guide refugees on how to integrate into local labour markets.

She was involved in developing the world’s most accurate clock, and now she helps companies adopt more sustainable business practices: Petrissa Eckle, Executive Director of the Sustainability in Business Lab at ETH Zurich.

On the recommendation of ETH President Joël Mesot, the ETH Board appointed several new ETH professors during its meeting on 10 and 11 July 2019.

ETH Zurich is adopting a new leadership structure: the number of Executive Board domains is being expanded from five to seven in order to respond to the growing demands in leadership and staff development, as well as in knowledge transfer and corporate relations.

On the recommendation of ETH President Joël Mesot, the ETH Board appointed several new ETH professors and conferred the title of ETH professor on two researchers during its meeting on 22 and 23 May 2019. All the new appointments consciously connect their subject expertise with other disciplines.

ETH students experience a high level of academic pressure, but they consider the way they are treated at the university to be respectful, with the vast majority unaffected by discrimination or unequal treatment. These are the key findings of a wide-ranging survey conducted by the Students’ Association.

Renato Paro came to Basel as the son of Italian immigrants. It was there that, years later, he built up the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE). He is seen as a pioneer of epigenetics. His method for determining interactions between proteins and DNA in living cells has been adopted in labs around the world.

ETH Zurich provides an official comment on articles published recently in the online magazine Republik.

The ETH Zurich Executive Board is submitting a request to the ETH Board for the dismissal of a professor, while simultaneously launching a package of measures to improve the quality of leadership and supervision at ETH. ETH President Joël Mesot provides more details in this interview.

ETH Zurich has submitted a request to the ETH Board to terminate the employment relationship with a professor in the former Institute for Astronomy. To avoid as far as possible similar cases from escalating in future, ETH Zurich is adapting its structures and processes and is launching a comprehensive package of measures to improve the quality of leadership and supervision at the university.

The ETH Board has appointed or promoted nine new professors, six of them working in the fields of biology and biomedicine. For the first time, these candidates were proposed by the new ETH President, Joël Mesot. They include a high proportion of women: over forty percent.

Today ETH Zurich announced that the disciplinary investigation into allegations against a professor in the architecture department had been concluded. ETH President Joël Mesot summarises the situation and explains what ETH can learn from it.

The disciplinary investigation into the case of a professor in the Department of Architecture (D-ARCH) has now been concluded. The professor has been cleared of the allegation of sexual harassment, but was found to be in breach of ETH Zurich’s Compliance Guide. He has decided to leave the university.

Joël Mesot, who became the university’s new president on the first of January, says he is starting the job “with enormous enthusiasm for ETH and excitement about the new challenge”.

Outgoing President Lino Guzzella led ETH for four years. We asked politicians, business representatives and ETH members what he was like as a president and how he shaped our university.

On the recommendation of ETH President Lino Guzzella, the ETH Board has appointed or promoted 12 ETH professors. Notably, this round of appointments had a high proportion of women: 40 percent.

ETH Zurich is opening dismissal proceedings against a professor at the former Institute for Astronomy. This decision is based on the comprehensive administrative investigation commissioned by the ETH Executive Board a year ago.

Switzerland’s Federal Council has appointed Joël Mesot, Director of the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), as the new President of ETH Zurich. On 1 January 2019 Joël Mesot will take over from the current President, Lino Guzzella, who has continued to build the university’s formidable international reputation over the past four years.

Earth sciences and chemistry, computer and materials science, nutrition and architecture: the incoming professors work in a wide range of very timely research fields. Seven ETH professors will soon leave the university.

ETH Zurich is opening a disciplinary investigation to look into allegations of harassment made against a professor in the Department of Architecture.

An independent commission of inquiry led by the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) with the participation of ETH Zurich has investigated the publications of ETH Professor Olivier Voinnet’s former research group at the CNRS. The inquiry uncovered manipulation of certain figures. However, the commission’s report confirms that Voinnet did not personally initiate this manipulation.

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.

ETH Emeritus Professor Christian Menn has died. The bridges designed by the world-renowned, award-winning Swiss engineer have become famous landmarks.

ETH Zurich has opened an administrative investigation into allegations made against a professorship in the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) in Basel. This is in response to doctoral students’ reports about potential poor management and support.

At its meeting of 4/5 July 2018 and upon application of the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Lino Guzzella, the ETH Board appointed 9 professors.

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.

As a spatial planner, Bernd Scholl spent his career planning how to design areas for the future. His search for comprehensive solutions involving transport, settlement and landscape made him a resolute supporter of Switzerland’s direct democratic system. Portrait of a passionate spatial developer.

On 17 May 2018, Lino Guzzella announced that he would not be seeking a second term as ETH President, preferring to spend the next six months focused on further embedding major initiatives such as ETH+ and improvements in leadership culture.

Upon application of ETH President Lino Guzzella, the ETH Board has appointed ten new professors, four of whom are women.

Professor Lino Guzzella has decided not to seek a second term of office as President of ETH Zurich after he completes his first term on 31 December 2018. He will resume his role as Professor of Thermotronics in ETH’s Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering in 2019.

ETH ombudsperson Hugo Bretscher is resigning for personal reasons. ETH Zurich regrets this decision, and has asked the University Assembly to propose another candidate to replace him.

What was the most innovative research? Which researchers excelled? And what were the milestones in the development of our teaching? The Annual Report 2017 describes our achievements and performance in a year dominated by digitalisation.

Nenad Ban solved the atomic structures of the machinery protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells and in mitochondria. He has now received the Otto Naegeli Prize, one of Switzerland’s most prestigious scientific awards.

Gerhard Schmitt, ETH Professor of Information Architecture, was instrumental in the development of ETH’s international network – both as founding director of the ETH hub in Singapore and as ETH’s first head of international relations. After handing over this role to Gisbert Schneider, Schmitt is now heading up the Singapore-ETH Centre (SEC) once again.

In response to the proposals received from the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Lino Guzzella, the ETH Board resolved at its meeting of 7/8 March 2018 to appoint a total of eight professors and award the title of professor to three individuals; it also acknowledged the resignation of 13 professors and thanked them for their services.

Lorenz Hurni, Vice-Rector for Study Programmes, Gisbert Schneider, Associate Vice President ETH Global, and Lothar Thiele, Associate Vice President for Digital Transformation: Three key posts at ETH Zurich have been newly staffed.

In response to the proposals received from the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Lino Guzzella, the ETH Board resolved to appoint 10 professors.

ETH Zurich is launching an administrative enquiry into allegations made in the Department of Physics. The Executive Board has already taken immediate action in the first half of the year, including measures to protect doctoral students and the closure of the Institute for Astronomy. Now the enquiry will be taking a more detailed look at the circumstances in the former institute. Additional measures may also be proposed.

The ETH Board appointed 5 new professors upon application of ETH President Lino Guzzella.

The ETH Board appointed new professors at ETH Zurich as part of its meeting of 5/6 July 2017, in accordance with the application submitted by ETH Zurich President Lino Guzzella.