Nine professors appointed

Dr Pedro Beltrao (*1979), currently Group Leader at the European Bioinformatics Institute of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Hinxton, United Kingdom, as Associate Professor of Computational Systems Biology in the Department of Biology. Pedro Beltrao’s research is concerned with the cellular consequences of genetic variation and their influence on health and illness. He received an ERC Starting Grant in 2015 and is regarded as one of the leading researchers in his field. His appointment creates important synergies with various departments and with University Hospital Zurich, particularly in relation to the Strategic Focus Area Personalized Health and Related Technologies.

Dr Núria Casacuberta Arola (*1982), currently Senior Researcher at ETH Zurich, as Assistant Professor of Physical Oceanography in the Department of Environmental Systems Science. Núria Casacuberta Arola investigates ocean circulation and, with her expert knowledge of environmental radioactivity, was able to significantly improve our understanding of the spread of radioactive contaminants in the Pacific Ocean following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. In 2020 she was awarded an SNSF PRIMA grant and an ERC Consolidator Grant. Her work brings together a number of subject areas and has resulted in the establishment of a branch of ocean circulation research that is new to Switzerland.

Professor Eugene Demler (*1971), currently Full Professor at Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, as Full Professor of Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics in the Department of Physics. Eugene Demler's research concentrates on key problems of modern solid state and cold atom theory. His work lies at the intersection of various theoretical approaches and has led to very successful collaborations. In making this appointment, the Department is strengthening its research and teaching in the field of fundamental solid state physics as well as its cooperation with related experimental groups at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI).

Dr Sarah Isabelle Hofer (*1985), currently Senior Researcher at the University of the Federal Armed Forces, Munich, Germany, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Learning and Technology in the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences. Sarah Isabelle Hofer’s research focuses on the use of learning technologies in the STEM disciplines in secondary and higher education. Her investigation of how intelligence, previous knowledge, gender and other individual characteristics interact with knowledge evaluation and teaching methods in analogue and digital environments enables her to construct theories and put forward recommendations. In 2019 she was awarded a prestigious Jacobs Foundation Early Career Research Fellowship.

Dr Manuela Hospenthal (*1986), currently Group Leader at ETH Zurich, as Assistant Professor of Molecular and Structural Biology in the Department of Biology. Manuela Hospenthal conducts research into horizontal gene transfer between bacteria, with particular reference to natural transformation. This process is of relevance to medicine because it plays a part in the spread of antibiotic resistance and other pathogenicity traits, one effect of which is to make multi-resistant infections more difficult to treat. With this appointment, the Department is strengthening multidisciplinary research in the areas of structural biology and microbiology.

Professor Russell McKenna (*1982), currently Professor at the University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom, as Full Professor of Energy Systems Analysis in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering. Russell McKenna’s research focuses on decentralised multi-energy systems, especially within residential buildings and urban environments. He also has a particular interest in critical analysis of autonomous energy systems – which are currently the topic of much discussion. The appointment of Russell McKenna to this professorship and as head of the Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) will enable both institutions to strengthen their collaboration in the fields of energy and the environment, as well as nuclear energy and safety.

Professor Didier Queloz (*1966), currently full professor at the University of Geneva and at the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, as Full Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics. It is thanks to Didier Queloz and Michel Mayor that an “exoplanet revolution” has transformed modern astrophysics. In 1995 he, together with his PhD supervisor, discovered the first known planet, orbiting around a Sun-like star outside our solar system. This subsequently led to the discovery and characterisation of several hundred further exoplanets. More recently, he has increasingly focused on the search for potentially inhabitable planets and has been addressing questions relating to the origins of life on Earth and the possible presence of life on other planets. Didier Queloz has received numerous prizes, culminating in his receiving the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2019. In making this appointment, ETH Zurich has gained a visionary world-class scientist who will help significantly to drive forward the establishment of the ETH Center for the Origin and Prevalence of Life now in the process of being founded.

Professor Hua Wang (*1980), currently Tenured Associate Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA, as Full Professor of Electronics in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. Hua Wang conducts research into integrated circuits for applications in communications, sensor technology and bioelectronics. His work has helped drive forward the miniaturisation of circuits and improve energy efficiency. Hua Wang's appointment enables ETH Zurich to strengthen the area of analogue electronics – a key technology on which all hardware developments in biology, medicine, automation and information technology depend.

Professor Tobias Schmidt (*1981), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, as Associate Professor of Energy and Technology Policy in the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences. Tobias Schmidt uses his interdisciplinary background to investigate the influence of energy policy on technological change, and to draft policy recommendations for politicians and other decision-makers. His scientific productivity is remarkable, as is the number of articles he has published in leading academic journals. He is also highly esteemed as a university teacher, having been awarded the “Golden Owl” in 2016.

Dr Michael Sander (*1976), currently Senior Scientist in the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich, as Adjunct Professor at ETH Zurich. Michael Sander is an internationally acclaimed expert in redox biogeochemistry and the environmental chemistry of macromolecules. He is one of the world’s leading researchers in his field. In addition, he makes a substantial contribution to teaching, and his lectures are often rated among the best in the Department.