On 24 June, the Federal Council appointed Günther Dissertori as the new president of ETH Zurich, following a proposal by the ETH Board. The 56-year-old is currently the rector of ETH Zurich and a professor of particle physics. He will take up his post on 1 January 2027, succeeding Joël Mesot.
On 27 May, the Federal Council appointed Professor Martin Ackermann to a second term as director of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). The four-year term will run from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2030.
At its meeting of 20/21 May, the ETH Board discussed the conditions for the cooperation with the DDPS (and the Federal Office for Defence Procurement, armasuisse), which is to be intensified in accordance with the Federal Council’s new armaments policy strategy.
At its meeting of 20/21 May 2026 and upon application of the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Joël Mesot, and the President of EPFL, Professor Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, the ETH Board appointed a total of six women and thirteen men as professors and awarded the title of professor to five individuals and the title of Professor of Practice to two individuals.
At its meeting of 4/5 March, the ETH Board decided to put forward two versions of the organisational development project “FIT for the Future” for internal consultation within the ETH Domain.
The ETH Board appointed a total of seven women and twelve men as professors. It also took note of the resignations of four professors and thanked them for their services.
On 28 January, the Federal Council appointed Professor Tanja Zimmermann to a further four-year term as director of the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa). This term will run from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2030.
The ETH Board was gratified to note that more than half of the newly appointed professors were women. This means that the two Federal Institutes of Technology are on course to achieve the long-term goal of increasing the proportion of women professors.
The ETH Board appointed a total of seven women and eleven men as professors and awarded the title of professor to seven individuals. It also took note of the resignations of nine professors (two women and seven men) and thanked them for their services.
The ETH Board welcomes the signing of the EU Programmes Agreement (EUPA) negotiated as part of the overall Bilaterals III package between Switzerland and the EU. It is pleased that Switzerland is now associated with the Horizon package and will once again be able to participate in the implementation of EU programmes.
Together, the ERI sector institutions are launching the Swiss National Science Advice Network. In doing so, they are implementing a decision by the Federal Council and the cooperation agreement made with it.
Pursuant to Art. 27 of the Ordinance on Public Procurement, contracting authorities subject to the Swiss federal legislation on public procurement are required once a year to report in electronic form on their public contracts exceeding CHF 50,000.
Their names are Marianne Liebi Adrian Wanner. Two young researchers who make the nanostructure of macroscopic samples, such as bones or brain tissue, visible in three dimensions using high-resolution images.
Empa researchers have developed novel materials made of carbon that exploit quantum effects to exhibit previously unattainable electronic and magnetic properties.
Professor of number theory Maryna Viazovska has solved a mathematical problem that has stumped researchers for centuries. This achievement brought her recognition with the Fields Medal, which is something like a “Nobel Prize for Mathematics”.
The institutions of the ETH Domain produce around 60 spin-offs each year. Among them, five are valued at over one billion dollars. Here is an introduction to these five “unicorns”.
The Swiss energy system is expected to be climate-neutral by 2050. The key to this is science: CO2 can be converted by electrolysis into raw materials for chemicals or synthetic fuels and the cost of a fossil-free energy system can be calculated using modelling.
Matthias Saurer is a physicist and heads the WSL isotope laboratory where complex measuring procedures are used to determine plants’ isotope ratios. These provide answers to questions about the nutrient and water balance in forests, for example, and provide important foundations for environmental and climate research.
Anna Kiesenhofer has a doctorate in mathematics and was doing research as a postdoc at EPFL on partial differential equations when she qualified for the cycling road race at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and won the gold medal in sensational fashion. She sees parallels between mathematics and cycling which were instrumental in her success.
Cyanobacteria are ancient organisms. The most varied types of shells without a core, which, at high density in warm waters, can secrete complex substances and also toxins. Some are toxic to both humans and animals. Elisabeth Janssen is on the trail of these natural toxins: applied research, the results of which can be incorporated into water protection or water management.
Quantum physics has a long tradition at ETH Zurich. Now it is further expanding its teaching and research activities. Around 150 students are completing the novel Master’s degree programme in Quantum Engineering, there is a “Quantum Center” and quantum computers are to be built in the ETHZ-PSI Quantum Computing Hub.
Failing to perform an experiment, considering the wrong hypothesis, having a paper rejected: failure is not only normal in science, it is also essential for cutting-edge research. What is the experience of researchers in the ETH Domain with this sensitive topic?
A pan-European initiative launched at the behest of the Swiss and British research communities calls for the two countries to be rapidly reintegrated into European science.
What are the institutions of the ETH Domain doing to reduce the CO2 emissions of their buildings? An overview shows: quite a lot, from anergy and waste heat to district heating and photovoltaics.
Durant la période 2029–2032, le Domaine des EPF vise à continuer d’œuvrer efficacement au service de la Suisse en faisant progresser la science, en proposant des formations et des services scientifiques de grande qualité ainsi qu’en promouvant l’innovation et le transfert de savoir et de technologie. Il entend également rester hautement compétitif à l’échelle internationale.
Key figures
Highlights from the ETH Domain in 2025
“We want to serve Switzerland as best we can”
Image: Aurel Märki
Blue-green infrastructure
In Zurich-Oerlikon, a dog-like robot from the ETH Zurich spin-off Rivr delivers food, while ANYmal inspects refineries and chemical plants and reports leaks or irregularities to the control centre. The research behind these developments comes from the Center for Roboticsat ETH Zurich, led by Marco Hutter. And the robotics researcher is thinking further – into space.
How a sanitary towel detects diseases
Area monitoring by Swiss Forest Protection
Within the scope of its obligation to report annually to the Confederation, the ETH Board illuminates various aspects of the development of the ETH Domain. The annual report is a critical self-assessment of the ETH Domain conducted by the ETH Board, combined with a report on how the annual federal financial contribution is used. This report is based on the Federal Council’s strategic objectives and is submitted to the Federal Council. However, it is also directed to the Federal Parliament and the interested public.
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