News & Events

His legacy as a university teacher, researcher and public intellectual will live on after his death. An obituary authored by Andreas Wenger, published in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung on June 2, 2025.

Are you an ambitious student looking to make a real impact? Do you have a passion for leadership, technology, and society? If so, the IDEA League Challenge Programme is the perfect opportunity for you!

The IDEA League Challenge Programme is an extra-curricular course for ambitious and talented students that will equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in future leadership roles in both the public and private sectors.

The technology of ETH Zurich spin-off MESH allows for new shapes and was used for the Tor Alva in Mulegns, among others. And it makes construction more efficient, for example in prefabrication for the second Gotthard road tunnel. 

Physicists at ETH Zurich have developed a lens with magic properties. Ultra-thin, it can transform infrared light into visible light by halving the wavelength of incident light.

On Wednesday, the Birch Glacier collapsed under the weight of rock and debris from rockfalls on the Kleine Nesthorn. Following an on-site inspection, ETH Zurich researchers explain the background to the collapse that buried the village Blatten in an updated fact sheet.

A new study with ETH Zurich, finds that if global warming exceeds the Paris Climate Agreement targets, the non-polar glacier mass will diminish significantly. However, if warming is limited to 1.5°C, at least 54 per cent could be preserved—more than twice as much ice as in a 2.7°C scenario.

Every tumour is unique. This makes it difficult to find the most effective therapy for treatment. Researchers in Zurich and Basel are now showing how state-of-the-art molecular biological technologies can be used to create a detailed tumour profile within four weeks, enabling tailored treatment. The study is the first of its kind in the world.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. ESA has helped make Europe more technologically independent and has played a key role in space exploration in recent decades. And ETH Zurich has always been one of its partners on its journey.

Machine learning has emerged as a powerful tool for weather forecasting and offers considerable potential for climate projections. Nicolas Gruber and Andreas Prein explain why traditional simulations using numerical models remain indispensable. 

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed the first technology that is able to recognise biomarkers in menstrual blood – directly in sanitary towels. MenstruAI promises a simple, non-invasive method for recording health data in everyday life.

Five years ago, an experiment began at ETH Hönggerberg: researchers set up an outdoor laboratory in the forest near the campus. They used sensors positioned in trees, the soil and in a stream to study water dynamics and the “old water paradox”. ETH News accompanied the head of the experiment, Marius Floriancic.

At the meeting on 21st and 22nd May 2025, the ETH Board appointed two female and four male professors at the request of ETH President Joël Mesot. The Board also awarded the title of "Professor" three times and the title of "Professor of Practice" twice.

By 2050, the aim is for Switzerland’s energy system to be decarbonised and no longer reliant on nuclear power. How this can be achieved and the costs of doing so are set out in a new report by a Swiss research consortium involving researchers from ETH Zurich, the universities of Geneva and Bern, EPFL, WSL, and ZHAW.

Around 100 Bachelor’s students from the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering have spent two semesters working on their Focus projects in 11 teams. They will present the results of their projects on 28 May.

Tor Alva was officially inaugurated in Mulegns today in the presence of Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin and President of ETH Zurich Joël Mesot. The almost 30-metre-high, gleaming white tower is the world’s tallest 3D-printed building.

Cities can expand their bike lane networks significantly without causing additional congestion on the roads. That is the conclusion reached by the ETH research project E-Bike City. Project lead and transport researcher Kay Axhausen explains the implications for traffic, the environment and costs. 

New smart textiles developed by researchers at ETH Zurich use acoustic waves and glass fibres to help make precise measurements. They are light, breathable and inexpensive, and offer great potential for medicine, sports and everyday life.

Aldo Steinfeld, a pioneer in synthetic fuels, retires at the end of July 2025. This provides a compelling reason to present a portrait of the engineer and to find out how you can fill up your fuel tank with sun. 

Chemist and microbiologist Jörn Piel combs through the vast world of bacteria for new natural substances to combat the antibiotic crisis. The ETH professor has now been honoured for his research with one of Europe’s most highly endowed medical prizes.

Computer scientists at ETH Zurich discover new class of vulnerabilities in Intel processors, allowing them to break down barriers between different users of a processor using carefully crafted instruction sequences. Entire processor memory can be read by employing quick, repeated attacks.

In the CSS Annual Report 2024, you can read more about the main focuses and activities of CSS in a year in which an already profound geopolitical shift became more marked – with serious implications for global security.

Recent uncertainties regarding US intelligence sharing with Ukraine have highlighted Ukraine’s extensive reliance on US satellites. Europe, with its growing space capabilities, sees a chance to step in but is not yet ready to fill the gap. The situation served as a wake-up call for Europe, which also realized the extent of its own dependence on the US, prompting new efforts to develop space capabilities to serve defense needs.

Hidden beneath the Antarctic ice lies a system of lakes and watercourses. An research team, including ETH researchers, has for the first time directly observed the subglacial streams of West Antarctica. Their study shows how individual flood events influence the melting of the ice.

US-China competition over semiconductors is reshaping the global technology landscape and supply chains. Europe faces unique challenges in navigating this environment but also holds significant strategic resources and capabilities in specialized segments of the chip industry. This analysis explores how Europe can leverage its niche strengths amid rising geopolitical pressure.

Teamwork is crucial for proteins. Little is known, however, about which protein teams are actually active in which tissues. A new large-scale study by systems biologists at ETH Zurich is now redrawing the map.

ETH Zurich is establishing a new research hub for augmented reality that involves close collaboration with Google. One of the ETH-Co-heads, Christian Holz, explains the importance of networking in this field. 

At the cyber competition Geneva Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge 2025, three ETH Zurich teams competed, including ISTP's MSc student Aïna Brudy with her team “Cyberia,” which made it to the Semifinals. Congratulations to all participants on their success!

A new study combines satellite images and deep learning to map slums in Africa’s major cities. It reveals strong slum growth in the urban periphery between 2016 and 2022. The findings allow timely and cost-effective slum monitoring and facilitate targeted interventions. 

Researchers from ETH Zurich have carried out the largest field study to date, to find out whether heat pumps are running efficiently. When looked at in operation, it turns out that these units are often not optimally configured. Monitoring systems and legal standards could provide a remedy.

NADEL's MAS programme combines studies at ETH Zurich with eight months on-the-job training at an international organization. Learn more at our info session on 15 May 2025 on Zoom.

An interdisciplinary research team from Bern and Zurich has developed a method to clean urinary stents and catheters non-invasively – through the skin and without surgery – using ultrasound-activated microstructures.

Join the upcoming SiP Talk #12 on 19th of May 2025 with ISTP member Prof. Dr. Sonia I. Seneviratne on the topic "Why (not) Trust Politics and Climate Science? Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the ‘Crisis of Trust’"

Graubünden architect and ETH Professor Andrea Deplazes has embraced the linkage between design and construction both in teaching and practice. In the noughties, he became a pioneer of sustainable construction, epitomised by the Monte Rosa hut near Zermatt. Deplazes is set to retire in July.

Valerie Sticher and her co-author Aly Verjee argue that an international monitoring mission could bolster a ceasefire. But any new ceasefire faces serious challenges and will hold only if all parties heed the experience of past monitoring efforts in eastern Ukraine.

ETH Zurich researchers have developed a method that makes AI responses increasingly reliable. Their algorithm specifically selects data relevant to the question. In addition, even AI models up to 40 times smaller achieve the same output performance as the best large AI models.

Over 2,700 donors and partners supported ETH Zurich philanthropically in 2024. The ETH Foundation annual report provides insights into the wide-ranging support for projects and individuals over the last year.

Technology and Public Policy (TPP) Alumnus Roman Welsing Shares his MAS TPP experience and how the TPP Programme Shaped his Career at the Intersection of Technology and Public Policy

Traditional large-scale power generators ensure a stable frequency of alternating current in the European power grid. Now, researchers from ETH Zurich have found a solution so that wind and solar power plants can take over – paving the way for the energy transition.

As Earth’s orbits are increasingly congested, disputes over space traffic will erupt between operators. This Policy Perspective from Clémence Poirier makes the case for Switzerland to extend its facilitation efforts to space.

The planned space missions to search for remote life will provide valuable insights even if they do not find any evidence of life, says astrophysicist Daniel Angerhausen.

ETH Zurich is expanding its activities in the field of artificial intelligence, boosting Switzerland’s status as an AI hub. The university is also addressing the country’s skilled labour shortage through its education and training programmes. However, ETH Zurich fears that an impending paradigm shift in tuition fees could pose a challenge to its model of success.

Foreign disinformation is a matter of significant concern in democracies. While the empirical evidence of its influence is more nuanced than many threat perceptions suggest, uncertainty in crucial domains complicates decision-making. An analysis of these uncertainties highlights the importance of fostering civil trust and maintaining proportionality in policies and discourse around disinformation.

The threat posed by potential attacks using biological (B) or chemical (C) weapons is real, and it is being exacerbated by the security situation. This requires states to enhance their preparedness, response, and investigation capabilities in the case of incidents involving these weapons. In this CSS Analysis Sophie Reiners states that reliable investigative mechanisms are necessary, with forensic methods playing a key role.

From bridges and tunnels to railways, Switzerland has always invested heavily in the upkeep of its infrastructure. But how does it keep everything operating safely and smoothly while also instilling confidence that nothing will go wrong?

Monday, May 19, 2025, 18:15

Öffentlicher Vortrag von Prof. Dr. Galili Shahar

Researchers at ETH Zurich have unravelled the complex network that cells use to repair their genetic material. By examining thousands upon thousands of genetic interactions, the team has discovered new vulnerabilities in cancer cells that could be exploited therapeutically in the future.

ETH Zurich and Zühlke have conducted a study on how companies use AI technologies. A total of 633 companies from the fields of production, technology, healthcare and finance from the DACH region, the UK and the US were surveyed. Stefano Brusoni, Professor of Technology and Innovation Management, explains in an interview where the greatest potential lies and where Europe needs to catch up.

At a ceremony in Los Angeles on 5 April, the four major experimental collaborations at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb – were awarded the prestigious Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.