Strong female presence among new professors

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 is setting a strong example for top female talent in science: of the 12 professors appointed yesterday by the ETH Board on the recommendation of ETH President Lino Guzzella, five are women. That amounts to over 40 percent of the current round of appointments. The new female professors work in a wide range of fields, from plant and environmental sciences, structural physics and the development of materials through to theoretical cosmology.

Success factor diversity

“I am delighted and proud that ever more highly talented female scientists are succeeding at our extremely competitive process for appointing professors,” says Lino Guzzella. “This also shows that ETH Zurich’s long-term efforts to promote female talent are bearing fruit. Greater diversity brings different perspectives to every research field.” He is convinced that this will also have a positive effect on academic quality, “and ultimately on the success of ETH as a whole.”

The ETH Board also conferred the title of ETH professor on three people and acknowledged the resignation of one professor at its latest meeting. The appointments in brief:

Bryan Adey

Professor Bryan Adey (*1972), currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Infrastructure Management. Bryan Adey’s research focuses on the automation of infrastructure management in relation to roads, rail networks, waterways, water distribution networks and multiple infrastructure networks in urban areas. His research projects have attracted international attention, leading to regular invitations to prestigious universities and major industrial fairs. As head of the Institute for Construction and Infrastructure Management, Bryan Adey was a driving force behind the transition of the institute towards a unit using the most modern information technologies.

Jake Alexander

Professor Jake Alexander (*1980), currently Assistant Professor at the University of Lausanne, as Assistant Professor of Plant Ecology. Thanks to his well-regarded research activities, Jake Alexander has received an ERC Starting Grant, among other awards. His research investigates the question of how climate change alters the ecological interactions between different plant species and between plants and soil organisms. His latest research results show that the differing migration rates of species play a key role in their survival. In appointing Jake Alexander as an Assistant Professor, ETH Zurich is strengthening its research and teaching on the ecological impacts of global climate change.

Kirsten Bomblies

Professor Kirsten Bomblies (*1973), currently Project Leader at the John Innes Centre and Honorary Professor at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom, as Full Professor of Molecular Plant Sciences. In her research, Kirsten Bomblies focuses on the interaction of plants with other organisms and on the selection forces that drive the evolution of plants. Her current research investigates the adaptive evolution of meiosis in the sexual reproduction of plants as a result of environmental stress factors, such as higher temperatures caused by climate change. With the appointment of Kirsten Bomblies, who was awarded a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant in 2016, ETH Zurich is gaining a top international scientist who will also enhance the interaction between different departments.

Volkmar Falk

Professor Volkmar Falk (*1965), currently Professor at the Humboldt University of Berlin, Director of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Charité hospital in Berlin and Medical Director of the German Heart Institute in Berlin, as Full Professor of Translational Cardiovascular Technologies with an appointment of ten percent. His research interests lie in the field of endoscopic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery and image-guided transcatheter therapy. With his internationally recognised clinical expertise in cardiovascular diagnosis and therapy, Volkmar Falk will contribute to the development of key biomedical technologies at ETH Zurich and accelerate their translation into clinical practice. The field of cardiovascular diagnosis and therapy offers excellent opportunities for the implementation of top-level technology-focused medical teaching and research at ETH Zurich.

Rachael Garrett

Professor Rachael Garrett (*1983), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at Boston University, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy. Rachael Garrett’s research focuses on the causes and consequences of land use changes and the loss of woodland through deforestation and agriculture. Her work utilises different types of data, such as satellite images, population statistics and data on global trade flows and financial transactions. In appointing Rachael Garrett, ETH Zurich is emphasising its focus on current environmental issues and strengthening the cooperation between different departments in relation to environmental policy and economics.

Lavinia Heisenberg

Dr Lavinia Heisenberg (*1983), currently a post-doctoral student at ETH Zurich, as Assistant Professor of Theoretical Cosmology. Lavinia Heisenberg is a promising researcher who is working on the mathematical formulation of new theories to describe gravitation; these modify Einstein’s theory of general relativity. In particular she is investigating the compatibility of these theories with the established laws of quantum physics, and studying such topics as the expansion rate of the universe. Lavinia Heisenberg has already won prestigious prizes and is the recipient of an ERC Starting Grant. Her appointment will strengthen ETH Zurich’s international reputation in this field of research.

Freek Persyn

Professor Freek Persyn (*1974), currently Visiting Professor at the University of Hasselt and co-owner and founding partner of the well-known architecture firm 51N4E, Brussels, Belgium, as Full Professor of Architecture and Urban Transformation. Freek Persyn belongs to a new generation of architects and urban planners who are pioneering an alternative, experimental way of working. The main focus of his research is on the multifaceted processes of the city, rather than the grand project or master plan. Through his appointment, the Department of Architecture is strengthening the interdepartmental links between the research areas of architectural design and individual building construction, and experimental practice in developing regions of the Global South.

Daniela Rupp

Dr Daniela Rupp (*1983), currently Research Group Leader at the Max Born Institute, Berlin, Germany, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Nanostructures and Ultrafast X-Ray Science. Daniela Rupp conducts research into the structure and development of highly excited plasma states in clusters and nanocrystals. This requires a fundamental understanding of non-equilibrium dynamics, as produced through the interaction of intensive X-ray radiation with clusters. Daniela Rupp is an innovative researcher whose work has attracted attention because of her use of new approaches and methods. By appointing her, ETH Zurich is broadening the field of physics at short time scales and strengthening its links with the new SwissFEL X-ray laser at the PSI.

Bernhard Schölkopf

Professor Bernhard Schölkopf (*1968), currently Director at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen and Stuttgart, Germany, as Affiliated Professor of Empirical Inference. Bernhard Schölkopf is one of the world's leading scientists in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence, and has received numerous awards. His work on kernel-based learning methods (especially support vector machines) has attracted considerable international attention, and it is thanks to him that this knowledge has been made available for a wide range of applications in computer science. As an Affiliated Professor, Bernhard Schölkopf will give an important boost to research and teaching at the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems, unleashing new synergies. His appointment enables ETH Zurich to collaborate with the Max Planck Institute in an intensive and targeted manner.

Andreas Taras

Professor Andreas Taras (*1980), currently Professor at the University of the Federal Armed Forces, Munich, Germany, as Full Professor of Steel and Composite Structures. Andreas Taras is an internationally recognised scientist with practical experience as an independent planner and consultant in construction engineering. His research focuses on topics that include the stability and plastic deformability of thin components, slabs and shells, as well as reliability and risk assessment, and sophisticated digital design and calculation methods. Through the appointment of Andreas Taras, ETH Zurich is continuing its great tradition in the field of steel and composite structures, adopting new developments in teaching and research, and ensuring with a strong link to current practice.  

Michalis Vassiliou

Dr Michalis Vassiliou (*1981), currently a Senior Assistant and Lecturer at ETH Zurich, as Assistant Professor of Seismic Design and Analysis. Michalis Vassiliou focuses on the earthquake engineering sciences with particular reference to seismic protection systems, seismic isolation and self-centring systems. His recently awarded ERC Starting Grant will be used to investigate the seismic behaviour of masonry structures using scale models. He also leads a project on the analysis of rocking structures. By appointing Michalis Vassiliou, ETH Zurich is strengthening the cooperation between research areas such as bridge construction, masonry construction, materials science and the quantification of uncertainties.

Vanessa Wood

Professor Vanessa Wood (*1983), currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Materials and Device Engineering. Vanessa Wood is a scientist who has achieved worldwide recognition and received numerous international prizes and awards, including an ERC Starting Grant. Her field of research is an excellent fit with ETH Zurich's strategy. On the one hand, she works on improving commercially available energy storage technologies, such as lithium-ion batteries. On the other, Vanessa Wood uses experimental and computational approaches in order to understand the influence of structure – from the atomistic to the macroscale – on the properties of materials and the performance of end-devices. Her promotion to a full professorship strengthens the commitment of ETH Zurich in the strategically important field of electronics and photonics.

Award of the title of Professor

Ana Cannas da Silva

Dr Ana Cannas da Silva (*1968), currently Senior Scientist at ETH Zurich, as Adjunct Professor at ETH Zurich. Ana Cannas da Silva conducts research in the field of symplectic geometry and the related areas of topology and geometric analysis. In 2016, her students awarded her a “Golden Owl” for outstanding teaching.

Monika Maurhofer

Dr Monika Maurhofer (*1963), currently Senior Scientist at ETH Zurich, as Adjunct Professor at ETH Zurich. Monika Maurhofer’s research has made relevant contributions to the field of plant pathology, especially biological pest control. She has been awarded a “Golden Owl” for outstanding teaching on two occasions.

Tomaso Zambelli

Dr Tomaso Zambelli (*1969), currently Senior Lecturer at ETH Zurich, as Adjunct Professor at ETH Zurich. Tomaso Zambelli is an expert in the field of scanning probe microscopy, both in liquids and in the vacuum. In recent years he has significantly assisted the development of FluidFM technology, which is used in 3D printing, for example.

Departure from ETH Zurich

Professor Hyung Gyu Park (*1973), currently Associate Professor of Nanosciences in Energy and Sustainability, is leaving ETH Zurich with effect from 31 December 2018. Hyung Gyu Park’s research encompasses theoretical and experimental interdisciplinary studies of ultra-efficient mass transport through carbon nanotubes. He was appointed as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich in 2009.

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