More than half of newly appointed professors are women
The ETH Board seeks to attract the best talent and is pleased to note that this year, more than half of the newly appointed professors have been women. At 53.8%, the proportion is higher than ever. In recent years, the proportion of newly appointed women has remained above 40%, with the result that the percentage of women professors at ETH Zurich and EPFL will continue to rise over the long term. It currently stands at around 25%. In all, 916 professors (both men and women) are employed at the two Federal Institutes of Technology (as at 2024). The ETH Domain’s strategy aims to boost the proportion of women in teaching, research and management positions. In order to achieve this objective, the institutions of the ETH Domain are implementing a number of measures. Increasing the proportion of women newly appointed to professorships is one such measure.
Organisational development project “FIT for the Future” in the ETH Domain
The project is in the design phase with a focus on the specific form of the structure. There are plans for an ETH Domain with three strong strategic pillars: ETH Zurich, EPFL and the four research institutes. While the substantive goal enjoys broad support, the research institutes have reservations about a joint legal entity for the four research institutes. At the ETH Board’s request, they have further developed the proposal for a model with several legal personalities and with enhanced cooperation and coordination, following the ETH Board meeting of September 2025. The ETH Board has now discussed this additional proposal, and after the March meeting of the ETH Board the two versions will be submitted for consultation in the ETH Domain. Detailed information about the status of the project is available on the website, where interested parties may sign up to receive regular newsletters about the “FIT for the Future” project. https://ethrat.ch/en/eth-domain/fit-for-the-future-the-organisational-development-of-the-eth-domain/
Farewell to Susan Gasser as a member of the ETH Board
The ETH Board bade farewell to Susan Gasser, who is leaving the ETH Board at the end of the year. She has been a member of the Board since 2017, having contributed her expertise and experience of diverse roles in the Swiss scientific community. The President of the ETH Board, Michael Hengartner, thanked Susan Gasser for her many years of service to the ETH Domain and to Switzerland as a centre for knowledge, technology and innovation, and in particular for her championing of women in science. She has advocated for a better connected and cooperative ETH Domain, thereby strengthening cooperation across disciplines, institutions, languages and regions. Furthermore, she has emphasised the social responsibility of the institutions of the ETH Domain and had a decisive influence on discussions about climate change, health, sustainability, biodiversity and the strategic direction of Swiss science. In June 2025, the Federal Council nominated Matthias Leuenberger to succeed her as of 2026.
Pay awards in the ETH Domain 2026
The ETH Board and the social partners have reached agreement in principle on a cost-of-living adjustment of 0.5% in 2026. This decision reflects the one taken by the Federal Council and the social partners in relation to federal employees. However, the final salary measures for federal staff have not yet been determined, as the Federal Council has to await the deliberations of the Federal Assembly on the 2026 budget. These are taking place in the current winter session (1 to 19 December). If the Federal Council decides to make an adjustment of less than 0.5% for inflation or to waive a cost-of-living adjustment altogether, the ETH Board will endorse this decision.
PSI: Departure from the Board of Directors
Dr Peter Allenspach, head of the Logistics Division at PSI, will step down from the PSI Board of Directors upon his retirement at the end of January 2026. He has held various positions at PSI, including serving as a member of the Board of Directors since November 2007. The ETH Board thanks Peter Allenspach for his many years of valued service and wishes him happiness and good health as he begins this new chapter of his life.
