New Professors
At its meeting of 4 and 5 December 2013, the ETH Board appointed 5 professors at ETH Zurich in accordance with the applications submitted by Ralph Eichler, President of the Executive Board.
Dr Walter Kaufmann (*1967), currently a senior manager in the private sector, as Full Professor of Structural Engineering. Walter Kaufmann is a globally recognised expert in bridge construction and other structural engineering topics. After completing his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at ETH Zurich, he implemented major bridge projects in Spain. Walter Kaufmann has been a partner and Chairman of the Executive Board of a well-known Swiss engineering firm for a number of years. His sound specialist knowledge, immense practical experience and innovative research ideas in the area of heavy construction, civil engineering and structural engineering will ideally complement the expertise available in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering and will further strengthen the international position of ETH Zurich in this field.
Professor Klaus Kirch (*1967), currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Particle Physics. Klaus Kirch is a successful and highly talented experimental physicist with strong leadership qualities. He is an expert in the production of ultracold neutrons and their application in obtaining fundamental knowledge of physics. As Head of the Particle Physics Laboratory at PSI, andin his role at ETH Zurich, Klaus Kirch uses his considerable powers in order to conduct an extremely successful research programme and provide high-level teaching on his subjects. His appointment as Full Professor enables ETH Zurich to retain its leading global position in the pure physics of myons and ultracold neutrons.
Dr Mark Alexander Lever (*1977), currently Postdoctoral Scientist at Aarhus University, Denmark, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Environmental Microbiology. Mark Lever conducts his research at the interface of biology, chemistry and geology, with a focus on the role of microorganisms in the global carbon cycle. In collaboration with international research teams he was the first to find evidence of active microbial carbon and sulphur metabolism deep in the Earth's oceanic crust. Mark Lever's work has appeared in prestigious academic journals. His appointment will considerably strengthen the ability of the Department of Environmental Systems Science to study the cycles of chemical elements in the natural setting as well as in an environment influenced by human activity.
Dr Otto Xavier Cordero Sanchez (*1978), Senior Scientist at ETH Zurich since the beginning of November and previously Postdoctoral Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, USA, as Assistant Professor of Microbial Population Biology. Otto Cordero conducts research into fundamental principles of microbial ecology. Beneficial and detrimental interactions between aquatic microorganisms are his area of special interest. He has already published in the most prestigious academic journals and successfully applied for an ERC Starting Grant in 2013. The appointment of Otto Cordero significantly strengthens ETH Zurich in the field of environmental biology – a research area that is currently developing rapidly and will continue to grow in importance.
Dr Tanja Stadler (*1981), currently Group Leader at ETH Zurich, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computational Evolution. Tanja Stadler is already one of the world's leading researchers in the field of phylogenetic dynamics. By developing new mathematical models, she has made important contributions to the study of the population spread of pathogenic organisms. Her work represents a methodological breakthrough which allows epidemiological parameters to be evaluated directly from DNA sequence data for the first time. The appointment of Tanja Stadler means that ETH Zurich and the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering are sustainably strengthening their strategic research activities in systems biology and synthetic biology, as well as boosting their ability to derive medical applications from pure research.
Award of the title of Professor
Dr Peter Fischer (*1964), currently Senior Scientist and Lecturer at ETH Zurich, as Adjunct Professor at ETH Zurich. Peter Fischer is an internationally recognised expert in rheology/rheometry, interfacial physics and structural analysis techniques for complex biomaterials/food systems. He contributes significantly to the research and development success of the professorship of Food Process Engineering.
Retirements/departures
Professor Christoph Glocker (*1962), currently Full Professor of Mechanics, is leaving ETH Zurich with effect from 31 March 2015. Christoph Glocker was appointed as Associate Professor in 2001 and promoted to Full Professor in 2006. His research focuses on non-smooth dynamics and is closely linked to mathematics. Among other successes, he has found solutions for complex contact problems relating to the interaction of a multitude of bodies. Christoph Glocker is strongly committed to teaching. He knows how to motivate students and is a very popular university teacher.
Professor Lian Pin Koh (*1976), currently Assistant Professor of Applied Ecology and Conservation, has tendered his resignation as of 31 January 2014. Lian Pin Koh was appointed to his current post in 2011. He researches the environmental and socioeconomic challenges facing tropical developing nations. These include intensifying land-use conflicts, carbon emissions from land-use change and forestry, and threats to natural ecosystems and wildlife. Lian Pin Koh is leaving ETH Zurich because he has been appointed to the position of tenured Associate Professor at the University of Adelaide, Australia.
Professor Heinz Köppl (*1975), currently Assistant Professor of System Theory in Biology, is leaving ETH Zurich at the end of 2013. Heinz Köppl's research interests focus on the construction principles of biomolecular networks and on capturing them using mathematical system theory. Heinz Köppl is leaving ETH Zurich to take up his appointment as W3-Professor at Darmstadt University.
Professor Martin E. Schwab (*1949), currently Full Professor of Neuroscience, will gain emeritus status on 1 August 2014 and will then continue to work at ETH Zurich until 31 July 2016. Martin Schwab has held a joint professorship at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich since 1997. He is one of Switzerland's foremost researchers and enjoys global recognition. His ground-breaking work on the mechanisms of neuronal regeneration in the brain and bone marrow, and their possible uses in rehabilitation, are outstanding examples of a translational research approach. In consequence, Martin Schwab's research findings also attract much attention from the wider public. He thus makes a significant contribution to the status of both ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, and of science in general.