Sarah Springman to become Rector of ETH Zurich

On Thursday 8 May 2014, the Professors’ Conference at ETH Zurich nominated Sarah Springman, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, to succeed Lino Guzzella as Rector. Ralph Eichler, President of ETH Zurich, supports the wishes of the professors and the ETH Board will now come to a decision on the matter.

Enlarged view: Sarah Springman
Sarah Springman has been full professor of geotechnical engineering at ETH Zurich since 1997. She would be the second female Rector after Heidi Wunderli-Allenspach. (Photo: Giulia Marthaler)

Sarah Springman has been a full professor of geotechnical engineering at ETH Zurich since 1997. She would follow Heidi Wunderli-Allenspach as the second woman to hold the post of Rector, the member of the Executive Board responsible for education.

It would also be the first time in over 20 years that a member of today's Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering has had a seat on the Executive Board. The current Rector, Lino Guzzella, is to take over from Ralph Eichler as President of ETH Zurich at the start of 2015.

Sarah Springman said that she was delighted to be nominated and looked forward to the challenge. “If the ETH Board does decide to place its trust in me, then it will be my goal as Rector to strengthen the education provided by this outstanding university even further.”

Support from the President of ETH Zurich

ETH Zurich President Ralph Eichler has emphatically backed the candidate put forward by the professors: “Sarah Springman has impressed her colleagues with her ideas and her personality. Both as an outstanding and committed lecturer and as a researcher, Sarah Springman will work proactively with her colleagues on the Executive Board to take ETH Zurich forward. I shall recommend her to the ETH Board as the next Rector with pleasure and conviction.”

Current ETH Zurich Rector Lino Guzzella said he was very much looking forward to the prospect of working with Sarah Springman. “She is an outstanding professor with an impressive record in education and research. Sarah Springman is also an excellent team player with a gift for motivating people to achieve the most ambitious goals. I am very much looking forward to working with her in the interest of the future success of ETH Zurich.”

Passionate researcher, lecturer – and sportswoman

Sarah Springman was born in London in 1956 and studied engineering at the University of Cambridge. After working in industry and completing her doctorate, she became an assistant lecturer at Cambridge in 1990 and a full lecturer from 1993. She was Head of the Institute for Geotechnical Engineering at ETH Zurich from 2001 to 2005 and from 2009 to 2011. She has been a member of the Swiss Science and Technology Council (2000-2008) and the ETH Planning Committee. She has an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath.

In addition to her scientific achievements, Sarah Springman has also enjoyed some impressive sporting successes. She has competed at the highest level in rowing, squash and triathlon. She has won 20 medals in European triathlon championships and has taken part in the Ironman competition in Hawaii five times, coming fifth there in 1985 and 1987. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II made her a “Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire” for her services to sport.

Professors involved in decision-making

The Lecturers’ Conference (KdL) began the selection process on 30 September 2013. Since then, the list of candidates proposed by the ETH Zurich departments has been gradually reduced in a number of stages. KdL President Felicitas Pauss is pleased that more than two thirds of all 606 professors took part in the decision-making process, either directly or by proxy.

Felicitas Pauss said that ETH Zurich had some excellent candidates for this post, and declared: “Being able to nominate candidates for the post of Rector at ETH Zurich is a privilege that allows the professors to get involved in the future development of ETH Zurich. It is something you have to think carefully about. The tremendous interest in this selection process shows that the professors are very aware of this.”

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