Ten new professors appointed
Upon application of ETH President Lino Guzzella, the ETH Board has appointed ten new professors, four of whom are women.
The ten newly elected professors conduct research and teach across a broad scientific spectrum. Their work covers architecture and civil engineering, materials science, computer science and health sciences. The new faces in brief:
Dr. Athina Anastasaki (*1988), currently Research Fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Polymeric Materials. Athina Anastasaki conducts research on polymer nanoparticles whose shape can be controlled for use in biomedical applications. Her work also focuses on biomimetic nanostructured materials which regulate the folding and unfolding of polymer chains. She uses sequence controls to synthesise polymers which resemble peptides and proteins. This enables her to synthesise complex polymer architectures in order to develop new and more effective antibiotics. By appointing Athina Anastasaki, the Department of Materials is strengthening its research and teaching in polymer chemistry.
Prof. Dr. Tom Avermaete (*1971), currently Full Professor at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, as Full Professor of History and Theory of Urban Design. Tom Avermaete’s main research interest is in urban architecture in Western and non-Western contexts. He focuses on the changing roles, approaches and tools of architects and urban planners. In addition, he explores historical precedents such as design approaches, methods and instruments in order to create a basis for the science of design and to influence contemporary architectural thinking and practice. The appointment of Tom Avermaete enables the Department of Architecture to strengthen its research and teaching in the history of urban design in Europe and beyond.
François Charbonnet (*1972) and Patrick Heiz (*1973), currently Partners and Architects at “Made in”, Geneva, as Full Professors of Architecture and Design. As architects, François Charbonnet and Patrick Heiz are masters of their trade. They participate in fundamental debates and socio-political discourses and are willing to take risks and assume responsibility. Moreover, they are experienced lecturers who have already taught as guest lecturers at a number of universities. By appointing François Charbonnet and Patrick Heiz, the Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich has obtained the services of two outstanding exponents of the Swiss architecture scene who are at the height of their powers.
Dr. Olga Fink (*1983), currently Group Leader at Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, as Assistant Professor of Intelligent Maintenance Systems. Olga Fink develops data-driven, intelligent maintenance processes for energy and transportation systems. The developed hybrid algorithms will close the research gap and enable learning fault signatures from heterogeneous condition monitoring data sources, transferring them between different systems of the same fleet and predicting failures based on the learned fault signatures and their predicted evolution in time. The appointment of Olga Fink, who holds an SNSF Professorship, enables the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering to strengthen research areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data, and to reinforce its relationships with other departments.
Prof. Dr. Otmar Hilliges (*1979), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, as Associate Professor of Computer Science. Otmar Hilliges conducts research at the interface between human-machine interaction, machine vision and machine learning. He works on new kinds of algorithms which enable machines to interpret human activity. At ETH Zurich he has built up a strong research programme that is set to grow considerably thanks to the ERC Starting Grant awarded in 2017. Otmar Hilliges has established a new branch of research at ETH Zurich in the area of human-computer interaction. This fits in perfectly with the existing research of the Department of Computer Science and opens up opportunities for various collaborations.
Prof. Dr. Elli Mosayebi (*1977), currently Professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, as Associate Professor of Architecture and Design. Elli Mosayebi forges a close connection between practice, research and teaching. The architecture firm Edelaar Mosayebi Inderbitzin Architekten, which she co-founded, places particular emphasis on urban design and residential construction, for which it has won numerous awards. In her research she explores European residential construction since 1945, looking at the forms of housing found in model dwellings and examining the conditions under which they came into being. Elli Mosayebi will be an outstanding and dynamic addition to the teaching staff of the Department of Architecture.
Prof. Dr. Zoltan Nagy (*1980), currently Assistant Professor at the University of Texas, Austin, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Intelligent Systems. Zoltan Nagy's research focuses on the energy efficiency of buildings in operation and aims at substantially reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. He also studies the efficient energy design and upgrading of existing buildings using new system solutions, the interactive involvement of the occupants and their behaviour, and the optimisation of the indoor climate by means of in situ monitoring. The appointment of Zoltan Nagy enables ETH Zurich to broaden its competencies in the area of energy efficiency in buildings – a field of key importance for the implementation of Switzerland's Energy Strategy 2050.
Dr. Emma Wetter Slack (*1981), currently Senior Scientist at ETH Zurich, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Food Immunology. Emma Wetter Slack researches the interactions between intestinal flora and the host immune system. The use of innovative oral vaccines enabled her to discover a previously unknown mechanism by which antibodies in the intestine protect the host from bacteria. She now wants to make her findings applicable in clinical and veterinary practice as quickly as possible. By appointing Emma Wetter Slack, who was awarded the ETH Zurich Latsis Prize in 2017, the Department of Health Sciences and Technology is integrating the new discipline of immunology into the research area of food, nutrition and health.
Prof. Dr. Laurent Stalder (*1970), currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Theory of Architecture. Laurent Stalder, who studied and obtained his doctorate at ETH Zurich, researches the history and theory of architecture from the 19th to the 21st centuries at the interface with the history of technology. He investigates topics such as the revolving door, building technology or glass as part of his exploration of modern architecture in relation to the history of modern technologies, rather than in terms of its formal contributions. His work constantly draws links between theoretical knowledge gained through research and current architectural practice. Laurent Stalder also provides major support for teaching and research at the Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture, of which he is currently the head.