Investigating the status of women faculty at ETH

At ETH Zurich the number of women professors is steadily increasing, including in departments that had originally featured predominantly male faculty. This trend gives rise to important questions with regard to their experience within the institution.

Are they afforded the same resources and opportunities as their male counterparts? Do they receive the same treatment? Do they feel a sense of belonging? Do they receive sufficient support in advancing their careers? What factors do they think contribute to differential career progression?

These questions are the focus of an ongoing study investigating the situation of women professors. It aims to provide some comprehensive insights into how things stand today and to give rise to realistic recommendations for improvement by the relevant parties at ETH Zurich. The findings will be consolidated in a report on the status of women faculty, capturing the current situation and paving the way for positive change at ETH Zurich.

Various variables are being examined

The study on the status of women faculty at ETH Zurich includes the analysis of quantitative data provided by the administration. These data concern variables such as remuneration, starting packages, time to promotion and grant funding, while giving due consideration to developments over time. A survey was also sent to women professors, inviting their input on areas that they would like to see investigated.

To ensure a comprehensive picture of the situation, qualitative interviews will be conducted with 60 women and men professors, some of whom have already been selected from volunteers, and some of whom are still being selected. They represent a designed selection of women professors and a smaller matched sample of male professors.

This designed approach will ensure a comprehensive representation of all departments and types of professorships. An external, independent team will conduct the interviews, thereby ensuring anonymity and minimising any bias. The study will also include professors who have left ETH for various reasons.

The findings from both the quantitative and qualitative analyses will be combined, and professors will be invited to collaborate in focus groups to generate recommendations for the ETH administration and other relevant parties.

If you have any comments or questions regarding the study, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.

Who are the appointed professors?

The commission conducting the study is being headed by ETH professors Gudela Grote and Manu Kapur. Further members are Niao He, Judit Szulágyi, Eleni Chatzi, Renato Renner and Nicolas Gruber.

The commission has recruited an external team of academics from the University of Lausanne, specialised in research on gender equality, to conduct the interviews and analyse and report on their findings. This team includes Rocío Palomeque and Gaële Goastellec and is headed by Nicky Le Feuvre who is Professor at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Lausanne.

Opportunity for participation

The team from the University of Lausanne is currently seeking participants for interviews, which have commenced in this month. It has already contacted professors via email. Please get in touch with Rocío Palomeque at if you are a professor who would like to participate and have not yet been contacted. The report will be finalised by June 2024 and be followed up by focus groups. The aim is to publish the report by August 2024.