Prof. Dr Vanessa Wood, Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations, will step down from the ETH Zurich Executive Board at the end of December 2025 and continue to lead her research team in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. The ETH Board thanks Vanessa Wood for her successful tenure as Vice President and many valuable contributions to the development of ETH Zurich. Taking office in 2021, she was the first to hold this newly established position. Under her leadership, ETH Zurich significantly strengthened its collaboration with public and private partners and enhanced its support of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. She launched and implemented innovative programmes, policies and digital tools to facilitate the exchange between ETH Zurich, industry and government partners. Her efforts have increased the impact of ETH research in Switzerland and internationally. She also laid the foundation for strong interdisciplinary centres that strengthen ETH Zurich’s position at the forefront of research, education, and innovation in numerous interdisciplinary topic areas. These include ETH Zurich | Space and the ETH School of Public Policy, whose creation she personally drove forward.
New appointments at ETH Zurich
Professor Anne-Ruxandra Carvunis (*1981), currently Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, USA, as Full Professor of Genome Evolution in the Department of Biology. Anne-Ruxandra Carvunis conducts research in the field of systems biology and genomics. Her work, which has won multiple awards, focuses on exploring the formation and evolution of new genes. She uses interdisciplinary approaches, including computer modelling and experimental methods. Anne-Ruxandra Carvunis has gained international acclaim as a scientist. In addition to being an actively committed member of the research community, she is very successful at obtaining third-party funding. By making this appointment, the Department and ETH Zurich are substantially strengthening research and teaching in the field of evolutionary systems biology.
Dr Christin Kosse (*1989), currently Postdoctoral Fellow at Rockefeller University in New York, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Metabolism, Behaviour and Disease in the Department of Biology. Christin Kosse has a particular interest in understanding how the brain converts sensory signals about the body’s energy state into eating behaviour. In order to study this question, she uses the latest methods to identify new populations of nerve cells associated with food intake and to elucidate their function. By appointing Christin Kosse, the Department is strengthening the links between the research areas of metabolism, behavioural biology, food, nutrition and health, as well as the neurosciences. This appointment will also create important synergies with the Department of Health Sciences and Technology and the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Clinical Nutrition at University Hospital Zurich.
Professor Lars Lindemann (*1989), currently Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California in Santa Monica, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Algorithmic Systems Theory in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. Lars Lindemann’s award-winning research focuses on the development of mathematical methods in control technology and formal verification as well as their algorithmic implementation in autonomous and cyber-physical systems. His results are applied in areas such as robotics and autonomous driving. With the appointment of Lars Lindemann, the Department is strengthening the research areas of systems theory, control technology and the computational sciences, as well as boosting intradepartmental links with regard to robotics and information technology.
Professor Seulgi Moon (*1983), currently Associate Professor at the University of California in Los Angeles, USA, as Associate Professor of Earth Surface Dynamics in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Seulgi Moon’s research focuses on geomorphology, the study of surface processes and landscape development on Earth and other planets. She has carried out pioneering work on the question of how topographic stress affects a cascade of surface processes. Through the appointment of Seulgi Moon, the Department is strengthening its commitment to innovative ways of teaching quantitative skills across the curriculum, while continuing to develop interdepartmental links with the Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics and the Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems in the Department of Environmental Systems Science.
Aisling O’Carroll (*1986), currently Doctoral Student and Lecturer at University College London, United Kingdom, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Geohistorical Practice in the Department of Architecture. Aisling O’Carroll takes a fundamental approach to her research, which concerns the theory and methods of landscape architecture with particular reference to the urgent climate and environmental changes of our time. She develops theories and methods which combine rigorous historical and theoretical research with the use of digital technologies, representation and the challenges of design practice. By appointing Aisling O’Carroll, the Department is strengthening the area of landscape architecture and expanding the discipline’s profile to include fundamental research in history, theory and design methodology.
Promotions at ETH Zurich
Professor Yiwen Chu (*1986), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, as Associate Professor of Hybrid Quantum Systems in the Department of Physics. Yiwen Chu’s research focuses on the development of hybrid quantum devices to control quantum states in mechanical solid-state systems coupled with optical and microwave fields. The awards she has won include an ERC Starting Grant and the Latsis Prize from ETH Zurich. Exploring physics at the interface of mechanical and optical systems will most probably lead to new phenomena and perspectives as well as a better understanding of the quantum world. Through the appointment of Yiwen Chu, the Department is retaining a brilliant researcher and international leader who is pushing the boundaries in her field.
Professor Rachel Grange (*1976), currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Photonics in the Department of Physics. Rachel Grange has gained international success as a leading researcher. Awards she has received for her achievements in nonlinear optics and integrated photonics – especially the use of dielectric and electro-optical materials on the nanoscale – include two ERC Grants and an SNSF Consolidator Grant. Her area of research lies at the intersection of physics, electrical engineering and materials science. Rachel Grange holds three patents and serves on several committees. From August 2025 she will be Head of the Department of Physics at ETH Zurich, where she is currently Deputy Head of Department.
Professor Ferdinand von Meyenn (*1981), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, as Associate Professor of Epigenetics, Nutrition and Metabolism in the Department of Health Sciences and Technology. Ferdinand von Meyenn researches the complex relationship between nutrition, metabolism and the epigenome. He has positioned ETH Zurich as a leading centre for this rapidly developing field. His research has far-reaching implications for our understanding of human health, illness and ageing, and has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant and an ERC Advanced Grant, among others. By appointing Ferdinand von Meyenn, the Department is retaining an outstanding researcher and valued colleague, whose work will contribute to the development of new applications in regenerative medicine.
New appointments at EPFL
Professor Aziza Chaouni (*1977), currently Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, Canada, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Construction in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering. Aziza Chaouni is regarded as a leading expert in sustainable architecture and design in countries in the Global South, especially in regions with limited resources and often difficult environmental conditions. She focuses on the development of innovative, inexpensive, thermally efficient construction methods and on strategies for the adaptive reutilisation of modern heritage buildings in Africa. Aziza Chaouni’s work has won several awards and has been exhibited internationally. At EPFL she will make an important contribution to training architects and to a field of research that is of great importance to society.
Dr Rachel Huang (*1996), currently Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Texas in Austin, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering in the School of Basic Sciences. Rachel Huang is an expert in polymer science for energy-related applications. Her research focuses on the chemical development and characterisation of new materials to improve the safety and sustainability of lithium batteries, as well as on the modelling of electrochemistry at electrode-electrolyte interfaces. Her research program aiming at improving the resistance to oxidation as well as the recycling potential of battery components will stand at the forefront of global efforts toward the carbon neutrality objective. She is a highly creative scientist who has won several awards for her research. The appointment of Rachel Huang enables EPFL to strengthen its reputation as a leading research institution in the field of sustainable energy.
Professor Daniel McCurry (*1988), currently Associate Professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, USA, as Associate Professor of Water and Wastewater Chemistry in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering. Daniel McCurry is a first-rate researcher and teacher in the field of environmental engineering, with a focus on environmental chemistry. His main research interest is the treatment of water resources, especially through oxidative processes. As an acknowledged expert in the field of disinfection byproducts and the reuse of drinking water, he brings valuable specialist knowledge from California to Europe. Daniel McCurry is taking up the professorship as a joint post at EPFL and Eawag. His appointment will enhance the collaboration between the two institutions, and his background will strengthen the ties with the Swiss environmental authorities and the Swiss water industries.
Dr Paloma Navarro Negredo (*1989), currently Postdoctoral Researcher at Stanford University, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Life Sciences in the School of Life Sciences. Paloma Navarro Negredo conducts neuroscientific research on the brain ageing process, particularly at the cellular level, and has obtained fundamental results with regard to the molecular understanding of brain ageing. She uses cutting-edge methods and interdisciplinary approaches in her innovative research programme. These characteristics make Paloma Navarro Negredo an asset for EPFL. Her research on T-cells and inflammation in the ageing brain also presents a great opportunity to foster the links between the neurosciences/neurotechnologies research groups and the laboratories of the Global Health Institute at EPFL.
Promotions at EPFL
Professor Katrin Beyer (*1977), currently Associate Professor at EPFL, as Full Professor of Civil Engineering in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering. Katrin Beyer is an internationally recognised authority on earthquake engineering, with a particular focus on masonry structures. Her research focuses on the seismic behaviour of unreinforced masonry, especially in historic buildings. By combining large-scale experimental testing with advanced numerical modelling, she has established her laboratory as a global leader in earthquake research on unreinforced masonry structures. Beyond her research achievements, Katrin Beyer makes an exemplary contribution to the School and to EPFL more broadly, currently serving as Dean of the School since January 2024.
Professor Jamie Paik (*1979), currently Associate Professor at EPFL, as Full Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering. Jamie Paik is an expert in the field of soft robotics with novel configurable structures and actuators. She leads the Reconfigurable Robotics Laboratory (RRL) at EPFL and is renowned for her pioneering research on self-morphing Robogami (robotic origami) that transforms its planar shape to 2D or 3D by folding in predefined patterns and sequences, just like the paper art, origami. Her research places particular emphasis on multi-degree-of-freedom haptic technologies, capable of interpreting subtle movements and reproducing delicate tactile sensations. Through her activities, she contributes to strengthening EPFL’s innovative research in robotics.
Award of the title of “Professor of Practice” at ETH Zurich
Dr Hermann Patrick Braess (*1979), currently Technical Director and Head of Research and Development at TrackNet Holding Group (Tensol Rail SA and EFSA SA), as Professor of Practice in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering. Hermann Patrick Braess is a well-regarded expert on railway infrastructure whose career bridges the gap between rigorous scientific research and practical technical leadership. In view of current challenges such as urbanisation, climate change and infrastructure renewal, there is a growing demand for engineers with technical and practical skills. As a professor of practice, Hermann Patrick Braess will ensure the continuity and expansion of this important training area and strengthen links with industry.
Departures from ETH Zurich
Professor Otmar Hilliges (*1979), Full Professor of Computer Science in the Department of Computer Science, left ETH Zurich on medical grounds at the end of June 2025. Otmar Hilliges joined ETH Zurich in 2013 as a tenure track assistant professor. He has carried out pioneering work in the area of augmented reality and is acknowledged for his visionary thinking in the field of human-computer interaction. His internationally acclaimed research was at the intersection of human-machine interaction, machine vision and learning, and computer vision, and has won numerous awards, including an ERC Starting Grant, an ERC Consolidator Grant, a Microsoft Research Grant and the Google Research Award. Since 2023 Otmar Hilliges has been suffering from the effects of two Covid infections. His doctors have diagnosed myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), an extremely serious neuroimmunological disease with a wide range of symptoms which leads to severely limiting physical and/or neurocognitive disability and is still insufficiently researched. With great regret, the ETH Board and ETH Zurich take note of Otmar Hilliges’ resignation, thank him for his commitment and send him every good wish for the future and for a full recovery.
Professor Peter Hintz (*1991), currently Associate Professor of Mathematics and Physics in the Department of Mathematics, will leave ETH Zurich at the end of August 2025. Peter Hintz joined ETH Zurich as an associate professor in 2021. He is a mathematical physicist whose research focuses on problems of general relativity theory and analysis, with special emphasis on microlocal analysis. He is a world leader in his field and has received numerous awards. Peter Hintz is leaving ETH Zurich to take up a full professorship in the Mathematics Department of Pennsylvania State University.
The ETH Board would like to thank the departing professors for their services to science, teaching and academic administration.
