The latest honours and prizes

Professor Andreas Krause from the Department of Computer Science has been named ACM Fellow for his contributions to learning-​based decision making under uncertainty. Big congratulations!

Adriano Rutz, a Postdoc at ETH Zurich, wins the first National Prize for Open Research Data (ORD) for “The LOTUS Initiative” project. LOTUS explores new ways of promoting the re-use of data in the fields of biology and chemistry and thus of sharing knowledge in natural products research.

For the very first time a Swiss team, RACKlette team of ETH Zurich, emerged as the Overall Winner of the Computer Cluster Competition at the international Supercomputing Conference (SC23). The team competed with other international teams at SC23 in Denver, CO, to solve demanding computational problems.

Victor Mougel, Professor at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences of ETH Zurich, has been awarded the Ruzicka Prize 2023 for his pioneering work on redox properties and catalytic applications of synthetic Iron-Sulfur Clusters.

The United Nations has launched a global AI Advisory Body to work on risks, opportunities and international governance of the technology. Professor Andreas Krause (D-INFK), head of the Learning & Adaptive Systems Group and Chair of the ETH AI Center, is amongst the appointed experts. Congratulations!

Dr. Tomas Fiala, postdoc at the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry (D-CHAB) receives the prestigious Branco Weiss Fellowship in 2023, awarded by ETH Zurich to outstanding postdocs.

Thomas Zurbuchen, Professor of Space Science and Technology in the Department of Earth Sciences at ETH Zurich, was presented with the 2023 International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Excellence in International Cooperation Award.

Stephan Wagner, Professor for Logistics Management at D-MTEC, has received one of the highest recognitions for empirical researchers in the field of operations and supply chain management: the Academy of Management OSCM Distinguished Scholar Award.

Great honor for Viola Vogel: The professor, head of the Laboratory of Applied Mechanobiology at the Department of Health Sciences and Technology, has been elected as a Fellow of the British Royal Academy of Engineering.

The German Bundesverband Hochschulkommunikation has awarded its 2023 Digital Award to four outstanding digital communications projects. Among the winners is ETH Zurich (2nd place) with project leader Gertrud Lindner (HK). The game "Morph Tales" was awarded.

Annalisa Manera, Professor of Nuclear Safety and Multiphase Flows in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT), has been named a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS).

Felix Zwick received the award for scientific input for the development of a pan-​European transport system of the European Union.

Jaboury Ghazoul is Professor of Ecosystem Management at the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zürich. He has recently been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Professor Gustavo Alonso (D-INFK) has received the prestigious EuroSys Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding technical contributions to the field of computer systems. 

A researcher and lecturer in ETH Zurich’s Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Frida develops sustainable processes for creating fragrant materials by combining biotechnology with perfumery and consumer science.

Professor Torsten Hoefler (D-INFK), Head of the Institute for High Performance Computing Systems, is the inaugural recipient of the Jack Dongarra Early Career Award. Big congratulations!

Florian Fuchs and Johannes Brunner received for their excellent work the VSS ​Award from the Swiss Association of Road and Traffic Experts.

The Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of Spain is a public institution dedicated to the study and research in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and geology and their applications, as well as their promotion for the benefit of society. Now Javier Pérez Ramírez has also been elected a member. 

ETH Zurich Earthquake scientist, Simon Stähler and colleagues were presented with the 2023 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Newcomb Cleveland Prize for their paper on "Seismic Detection of the Martian Core" published in the prestigious journal, Science.

Hua Wang, Professor of Electronics at the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, was named top contributing author from 1954 to 2023 at the International Solid-​​State Circuits Conference (ISSCC). ISSCC is the top conference of the IEEE Solid-​​State Circuits Society and the most prestigious conference for integrated circuits (IC) research.

The Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award, which is sponsored by the IEEE, honors "the excellent and creative contributions to the disciplines of computer and information science and engineering or computer technology."  In 2023, this honour goes to Luca Benini for his contributions to energy-​efficient circuits, architectures, and associated design processes and equipment.

Torsten Hoefler, Marc Pollefeys and Zhendong Su, professors at the Department of Computer Science, have been named ACM Fellows. The distinction recognises the extensive research contributions in their respective fields. 

For her doctoral thesis on Ultrastrong light-matter interaction at the nanoscale, Shima Rajabali, receives the Hans-​Eggenberger-Prize. The thesis was done at Quantum Optoelectronics lab of the Professors Jérôme Faist and Giacomo Scalari at the Department of Physics of ETH Zurich.

The HiLo unit, the GLC research building and the Klangkleid pavilion – three architectural projects connected with ETH have won one of this year’s “Arc Awards”, a Swiss architecture prize. They received the prize in the Digitalisation, Education & Health, and Special Prize categories.

Tilman Esslinger, professor at the Department of Physics, has been recognised with an Honorary Degree from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Roland Siegwart, Professor for Autonomous Systems at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, receives the Ernst-Blickle Award 2021 by the SEW-EURODRIVE Foundation. He is honored for his contribution to the development and control of robotic systems.

André Bardow, Professor of Energy and Process Systems Engineering at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, receives the Frontiers Award 2021 from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion for excellent research.

Raffaello D'Andrea, Professor at the Institute of Dynamic Systems and Control at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, has been inducted into the US National Inventors Hall of Fame. The robotics expert receives this recognition for the development of an autonomous robot-supported merchandise management system.

The Max Planck Society honours Alexis Block, a former doctoral student at the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems, with the prestigious Otto Hahn Medal for her fundamental and innovative research in the field of human-​robot interaction.

Professor Zhendong Su (D-INFK) is awarded the prestigious ICSE Most Influential Paper Award for the paper "On the Naturalness of Software". The paper emerged from a collaboration with former students and colleagues at UC Davis.

Robert Katzschmann, Professor of Soft Robotics at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, was elected TED Fellow 2022. Katzschmann was selected for developing adaptive robots comprising soft and living materials safe to use in a variety of tasks to improve quality of life.

Lenny Winkel, associate Professor of Inorganic Environmental Geochemistry at ETH Zurich and Eawag, has been honoured with the Science Innovation Award by the European Association of Geochemistry (EAG).

Daniel Razansky, Professor of Biomedical Imaging at the Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBT) has been named IEEE Fellow for contributions to multispectral optoacoustic tomography. The IEEE Fellow is one of the most prestigious honors of the IEEE, and is bestowed upon a very limited number of Senior Members who have contributed importantly to the advancement of engineering, science and technology bringing significant value to our society.

Professor Adrian Perrig (D-INFK) and Professor Torsten Hoefler (D-INFK) have been named IEEE Fellows. The prestigious grade of IEEE Fellow is conferred upon a person with an outstanding record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest.

Professor Markus Gross (D-INFK), head of the Computer Graphics Laboratory at ETH Zurich and Vice President of Research for The Walt Disney Studios, has been appointed a member of acatech.

Nako Nakatsuka, a Principal Investigator at the Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics (D-ITET), was named to MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35 list. Each year since 1999, exceptionally talented young innovators whose work has the greatest potential to transform the world have been selected to the prestigious list. 

Marco Mazzotti, Professor of Process Engineering at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT), receives the 2021 SINTEF and NTNU CCS Award for his research on carbon dioxide capture and storage systems.

Kay Axhausen, Professor of Transport Planning at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, received an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). He was honored during the university’s annual Commemoration Day.

The International Transport Forum (ITF) has honored Daniel Jan Reck with the "Young Researcher of the Year Award" 2021. The scientist from the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering receives the award for his pioneering study on shared micromobility services using the city of Zurich as case study.

D-INFK Prof. Markus Gross is presented with the ACM SIGGRAPH 2021 Steven Anson Coons Award for outstanding creative contributions to computer graphics. He is being recognised for his contributions in geometry processing, physically-based simulation, and face capturing and animation, as well as his contributions in bridging industry and academia in computer graphics. 

Victor Mougel and his collaboration partners receive the Royal Society of Chemistry’s new Environment, Sustainability and Energy Division Horizon Prize – the John Jeyes Award – for their pioneering ‘artificial leaf’ design to reduce CO₂ emissions and limit the effects of climate change.

The Department of Health Sciences and Technology has presented the first James Mitchell Award for Excellence in Collaborative Science, established in honor of Prof. James Mitchell, to Dr. Gabriele Fontana, a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Toxicology.

Lino Guzzella, former president of ETH Zurich and professor at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, received an honorary doctorate from the Università della Svizzera italiana. He was honored during the university’s 25th anniversary celebration.

Antonio Lanzavecchia, emeritus and former member of the Institute of Microbiology of the D-​BIOL, is given the award for his life's work on innate and acquired immunity. The Ernst Jung Symposium and award ceremony will be held virtually on 20 May 2021.

Prof. Lothar Thiele, head of the Computer Engineering Group (D-ITET) received the 2021 Outstanding Technical Achievement and Leadership Award by the IEEE Technical Committee on Real-​Time Systems.

The American National Academy of Sciences has awarded membership to the three ETH Zurich professors.

Jörg F. Löffler, Professor of Metal Physics and Technology at the Department of Materials (D-MATL), has been selected to the class of 2021 MRS Fellows for his pioneering contributions to novel metallic materials design.

The 2021 MERAC of the European Astronomical Society (EAS) for the Best Early Career Researcher in Theoretical Astrophysics (New Technologies) goes to Judit Szulágyi, Assistant Professor of Computational Astrophysics at the Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics (IPA) at ETH Zurich.

Prof. Johann Kolar, head of the Power Electronic Systems Laboratory (PES), has been elected to the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) "for contributions to power-​electronic technologies, multiobjective design optimization, education, and technology transfer to industry." Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.

D-​INFK Professor Olga Sorkine-​Hornung has been named an ACM Fellow for her contributions to digital geometry processing, computer animation, computer graphics and visual computing.

The Simon-Widmer Award in memory of Wilhelm Simon and Michael Widmer honors scientists for their contribution to fundamental and applied analytical science and the education of analytical scientists. This year, the Swiss Chemistry Society honors Andrew DeMello with this award for his great contributions to the field of bioanalytical science and microfluidic technology. deMello is currently Professor at the ICB and Head of the Institute. The award lecture takes place on May 7-8. Details on

Prof. Tom Emerson, Department of Architecture, has been appointed to be Ordinary Officer of the Civil Division of the Order of the British Empire, a promotion for his services to Architecture (together wir his partner Stephanie Macdonald, office 6a architects) and to architectural Education (ETH Zurich).

Brad Nelson, ETH Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT), receives the Grand Hamdan International Award for his research on nanorobots for healthcare.

Prof. Olga Sorkine-Hornung (D-INFK) and Prof. Torsten Hoefler (D-INFK) have been honoured with 2 ERC Consolidator Grants for the outstanding work in their respective research field. Whereas Torsten Hoefler focuses on high-performance computing systems, Olga Sorkine-Hornung does research in the area of computer graphics.

Professor David Basin (D-INFK) has been named an IEEE Fellow for his contributions to formal methods for information security. The prestigious grade of IEEE Fellow is conferred upon a person with an outstanding record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest.

Prof. Luca Benini has received the A. Richard Newton Technical Impact Award in Electronic Design Automation. The award honors a person or persons for an outstanding technical contribution within the scope of electronic design automation, as evidenced by a paper published at least ten years before the presentation of the award.

Jochen Mueller, former doctoral student in the Engineering Design and Computing Laboratory of Professor Kristina Shea at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, was awarded the Lopez-​Loreta Prize.

The International Open Benchmark Council committee has recognized Professor Torsten Hoefler (D-INFK) with the BenchCouncil Rising Star Award for his valuable work in the field of benchmark testing, metrics and optimization.

Timothy Roscoe (D-INFK) from the Systems Group at the Department of Computer Science received the SIGOPS Hall of Fame Award for the paper “The Multikernel: A New OS Architecture for Scalable Multicore Systems”, which he co-authored in 2009. This paper formed the basis for the research operating system Barrelfish.

Science meets literature: Anna Bischofberger (alias Stern) is a PhD student at the Institute for Integrative Biology and works at the Chair of Pathogen Ecology. Now she has won the Schweizer Buchpreis.

Zuzana Trubini and Martin Hirt receive the prestigious TCC Test-of-Time Award for their 2008 paper titled "Perfectly-Secure MPC with Linear Communication Complexity". The award committee recognises the paper for introducing hyper-​invertible matrices to perfectly secure multiparty computation.

The ICML award committee has awarded Andreas Krause (D-INFK) and his collaborators with a Test of Time Award for a paper published 10 years ago. The paper was recognized in particular for the depth and breadth of the impact it has had over the past ten years.

Nine papers, which have withstood the test of time, were awarded at the 41st IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, held from 18-20 May 2020. Adrian Perrig (D-INFK) received awards for four of them - an unprecedented achievement.

The European Mathematical Society has awarded one of its prestigious EMS Prizes to Joaquim Serra, currently SNF Ambizione Fellow at the Department of Mathematics (D-MATH) of ETH Zurich. EMS Prizes recognise young researchers not older than 35 years for their excellent contributions in mathematics.

The International Society for Optics and Photonics, SPIE, awards the 2020 Gold Medal, the highest honour the society bestows, to Ursula Keller, Professor of Ultrafast Laser Physics at the Department of Physics, for her "career-long pioneering contributions in ultrafast science and technology".

Ruth Signorell is awarded the Mildred Dresselhaus Senior Award 2019 of the Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI). The prize is also linked to the Mildred Dresselhaus Guest Professorship at CUI.

Ursula Keller, professor at the Department of Physics, was recognised with an Honorary Degree from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Dr. Pascal Bérard (D-INFK) has received the Eurographics PhD Award for his contributions to geometric modeling focusing on eye modeling for digital-human avatars.

The 2019 Hamburg Prize for Theoretical Physics will be presented to Austrian Matthias Troyer, a professor at ETH Zurich and quantum computing researcher at software company Microsoft.  

Francesco Locatello, PhD student from the Biomedical Informatics Lab in the Computer Science Department (D-INFK) has received the prestigious Google PhD Fellowship.

The Director of the National Supercomputing Center CSCS has been honoured for his outstanding achievements in the field of high-performance computing.

Professor Markus Gross of D-INFK and Dr. Thabo Beeler, Derek Bradley and Bernd Bickel of Disney Research will be honored with a Tech Oscar by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the conception, design and engineering of the Medusa Performance Capture System.

David Basin, professor of Computer Science (D-INFK), has been named an ACM Fellow for his contributions to information security and formal methods.

Onur Mutlu, Professor of Computer Science (D-INFK), has been named an IEEE Fellow. He is recognized for his contributions to computer architecture research and practice.

Cristina Müller, Senior Scientist at the Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, received this year’s Marie Curie Award for her research on Terbium-161 based therapy of prostate cancer, presented at the 31st Annual Conference of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM).

Sereina Riniker receives the Latsis Prize 2018 of ETH Zurich for her groundbreaking contributions to the methodological development and applications of molecular dynamics simulations.

Dr. Petar Tsankov from the Secure, Reliable, and Intelligent Systems Lab (SRI) has received the John Atanasoff President's Award in Bulgaria.

Jeffrey W. Bode, Professor of Organic Chemistry (D-CHAB), receives the Mukaiyama Award 2018 for his outstanding achievements in the field of Synthetic Organic Chemistry. The prize is awarded by the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan.

Consuelo De Moraes, Professor of Biocommunication and Entomology at the Institue of Agricultural Sciences (IAS), has received the prestigious Nan-Yao Su Award for Innovation and Creativity in Entomology from the Entomological Society of America (ESA).

Dieter Seebach, Professor of Organic Chemistry (D-CHAB), receives the Arthur C. Cope Award 2019 for his outstanding achievements in the field of Organic Chemistry. This is one of the American Chemical Society's most prestigious awards for Organic Chemistry.

Silvia Dorn, Professor Emerita of Applied Entomology in the Institute of Agricultural Sciences at ETH Zurich, receives the Distinguished Scientist Award from the International Branch of the Entomological Society of America (ESA).

Nina Buchmann, professor of Grassland Sciences in the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IAS) at ETH, was recently recognized as an American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2018 Fellow.

Markus Parzefall, researcher at the Photonics Laboratory, has been awarded the Deutscher Studienpreis (2nd prize). The prize, awarded by the Körber Foundation, is one of the most highly endowed young scientists' prizes in Germany.

Janet Hering, professor for Environmental Biogeochemistry at ETH Zurich and Director of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Eawag, has been announced as a Geochemical Fellow by the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry.