Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, decides not to stand again
Professor Joël Mesot has been President of ETH Zurich since January 2019. His second term of office lasts until the end of 2026. Joël Mesot informed the ETH Board that he would not be available for a third four-year term of office. The ETH Board greatly regrets this decision, and thanks Joël Mesot for his successful leadership of ETH Zurich. He has been able to further develop ETH Zurich as one of the best universities in the world, and has implemented some important reforms. The organisational development project rETHink, for example, was conducted during his presidency. “Joël Mesot has guided ETH Zurich through challenging times with strategic vision and strong leadership. I look forward to continuing to work with him for a strong ETH Domain and an innovative Switzerland,” says Professor Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board. “After eight years it’s time for me to pass on the baton. But until then there’s plenty to do and complete, and I’m looking forward to my remaining time in the service of ETH Zurich and Switzerland”, adds Joël Mesot. He has been a member of the ETH Board since 2010: as the Director of PSI from 2010 to 2018, and as President of ETH Zurich since 2019.
Allocation of resources to the institutions of the ETH Domain
At its meeting, the ETH Board allocated the federal funding for 2026 and considered the outlook for the years 2027–2029, as well as the supplementary allocation for 2025. After two rounds of cuts in the past two years, Parliament has topped up the ETH Domain’s budget for 2025. This makes up for part of the one-off reduction of CHF 100 million in the budget for 2025, and additional resources can now be spent on the Swiss AI initiative. The ETH Board has awarded the bulk of the federal funding for 2026 to the two Federal Institutes of Technology, ETH Zurich and EPFL, and the four research institutes, PSI, WSL, Empa and Eawag, partly for their core missions and partly for the implementation of their development plans. Since the Confederation’s previous accounts turned out better than expected, no further cuts are likely in 2026.
Changes in the Executive Boards of ETH Zurich and EPFL
Upon application by the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Joël Mesot, the ETH Board has appointed Professor Annette Oxenius as the new Member of the Executive Board of ETH Zurich. She succeeds Professor Christian Wolfrum as Vice President for Research. Annette Oxenius received her doctorate from ETH Zurich in 1997, became an assistant professor in 2002, and has been Full Professor of Immunology at ETH Zurich since 2012. She is one of the world’s leading experts in the regulation of the adaptive immune response in viral infections. During her research career she has received numerous awards. She was a member of the Research Commission of ETH Zurich for several years, and was head of its Life Sciences subcommission until 2021. Annette Oxenius is also a committed teacher who in 2017 was awarded the Golden Owl by her students in the Department of Biology for her excellent teaching. She will take up her new position on 1 August 2025.
The current Vice President, Christian Wolfrum, is stepping down at the end of June 2025 to take up a new challenge as Deputy President & Provost of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore. The ETH Board thanks him for his valuable contribution. Christian Wolfrum’s major successes include strengthening medicine-related research and improving the collaboration with hospitals in particular. The Swiss National AI Institute (SNAI), founded jointly with EPFL, is another achievement of particular note.
The ETH Board is also bidding farewell to Dr Matthias Gäumann as a member of the Direction of EPFL. As previously announced, he will take up the post of CEO of Hydro Exploitation in August 2025. The ETH Board wishes him every success in his new role, and thanks him for his many years of dedication to EPFL. Matthias Gäumann joined EPFL in 2015 as Director of Research Affairs and has been a member of the Direction of EPFL, as Vice President for Operations, since 2021. After the Covid-19 pandemic he brought in continuity plans for all the key departments of EPFL. He was also responsible for drafting the initial master plans for renovations and new buildings at EPFL, and has made a major contribution to realising two forthcoming buildings, the Double Deck for students and the Advanced Science Building for basic research. The search for his successor is currently underway.
Organisational development project in the ETH Domain: “FIT for the Future”
After a preliminary consultation of the institutions of the ETH Domain, the ETH Board has made a decision in principle at its meeting in December 2024. In addition to ETH Zurich and EPFL, a third strong pillar of the ETH Domain with its own legal personality is to be set up, bringing the research institutes and any new units under one roof. The brands of the research institutions and their locations will remain the same. At the start of 2025, the ETH Board began the second phase of the project (design phase) together with the institutions.
The comments and questions raised by the institutions during the internal preliminary consultation are being taken into account as the project develops. The website on the status of the organisational development project is being regularly updated. Interested parties can subscribe to the newsletter, which reports on the progress of the project four or five times a year. It is aimed at employees, interested persons at partner institutions, stakeholders, and representatives from business, politics and society. Follow this link to find out more: https://ethrat.ch/en/eth-domain/fit-for-the-future-the-organisational-development-of-the-eth-domain/
Consolidated reporting 2024 on the ETH Domain
The ETH Board approved the consolidated reporting for 2024 on the ETH Domain. The annual report and the financial report of the ETH Board will now be sent to the Federal Council for approval and then published on the ETH Board’s website. In the consolidated reporting and the annual report, the ETH Board reports on the extent to which the Federal Council’s Strategic Objectives for the ETH Domain for the period 2021–2024 have been met. The financial report provides detailed and transparent information about the 2024 financial year.
Tribute to the late Christiane Leister
The members of the ETH Board paid tribute to their colleague Christiane Leister, who passed away unexpectedly at the weekend. Christiane Leister will be remembered as a dedicated, forward-thinking and joyful person. While serving on the ETH Board, she took a particular interest in the topics of science and research, the transfer of knowledge to industry and society, and sustainability. Thanks to her wide-ranging experience, especially as a successful entrepreneur, her input was always extremely valuable to the ETH Board. With the passing of Christiane Leister, her fellow members of the ETH Board have lost a highly regarded colleague who will always be remembered for her positive attitude and cheerful nature. The members of the ETH Board would like to convey their deepest sympathy to Christiane Leister’s family and friends.
