News from the Executive Board 2026/2
Elections to the ETH Zurich Research Commission and Ethics Commission: these were among the topics discussed by the ETH Zurich Executive Board at its most recent meetings.?
New and re-elected members of the ETH Research Commission
The ETH Research Commission assesses applications for the university’s internal funding programmes and provides advice to the Executive Board on key research policy issues. Annually, it reviews over 400 proposals submitted to various funding schemes, including ETH Grants, ETH Fellows and the Scientific Equipment Program.
Following several resignations, the Executive Board has appointed new members and confirmed re-appointments. It extends its sincere thanks to the departing members for their contribution and commitment.
Klaus Ensslin, Professor of Experimental Physics (D-PHYS), and Karsten Weis, Professor of Cellular Dynamics (D-BIOL), are stepping down after reaching their maximum term of office. Also leaving the Commission are Alexander Barnes, Professor of Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy (D-CHAB), Tobias Schmidt, Professor of Energy and Technology Policy (D-GESS), and Emma Slack, Professor of Immunology, who has accepted a position at Oxford.
The Executive Board has appointed the following new members to the Research Commission for their initial term of office from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2030.
- Yiwen Chu, Professor of Hybrid Quantum Systems (D-PHYS)
- Stefanie Jonas, Professor of RNA Biology and Disease Mechanisms (D-BIOL)
- Victor Mougel, Professor of Bioinorganic and Bioinspired Chemistry (D-CHAB)
- Christoph Stadtfeld, Professor of Social Networks (D-GESS)
Their areas of expertise are an excellent addition to the Commission’s existing profile.
The Executive Board has confirmed the following members for an additional term of office from 1?March 2026 to 28 February 2030.
- Whitney Behr, Professor of Structural Geology and Tectonics (D-EAPS)
- Kathrin Lang, Professor of Chemical Biology (D-CHAB)
- Janos V?r?s, Professor of Bioelectronics (D-ITET)
The Commission is currently made up of 23 professors from across ETH Zurich, reflecting the university’s extensive research landscape. Women make up 39 percent of its members.
New appointments and re-elections to the ETH Ethics Commission
The ETH Ethics Commission promotes ethically sound research and enhances ethical awareness at ETH Zurich by advising ETH members and conducting ethical reviews of research projects. It comprises representatives from the departments most affected by ethical assessments, members from the fields of ethics and law, and at least one member who is not affiliated with ETH Zurich.
Following the resignations of three members and the expiry of several terms of office, the Executive Board has held several new and re-elections.
The following new members were elected to the Commission with effect from 1 March 2026:
Christoph Lüthi, Group Leader in the Department of Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development at Eawag, with a term of office until 31 December 2027. He has extensive expertise in sustainable water management, transdisciplinary research and infrastructure planning.
Nadia Mazouz, Professor of Practical Philosophy at D-GESS, contributes to the Commission's work in moral philosophy, technology ethics, political philosophy and theories of democracy. Her term of office runs until 28 February 2030.
Roland Olschewski, Head of the Environmental and Resource Economics Research Group at WSL, with a term of office until 31 August 2028. He specialises in economic analyses of political measures and in investigating how people value goods related to forests, landscapes and natural hazards.
The new members succeed Otmar Hilliges, who left ETH Zurich in 2025 due to illness (see D-INFK News dated 11 July 2025), and Ivo Schauwecker, who has been working in the Ethics Commission Secretariat since early 2026. Effy Vayena also stepped down from the Ethics Commission to assume her role as Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations in January. The Executive Board wishes to thank all three members for their many years of dedicated service.
As the ETH Ethics Committee will also be reviewing research projects at WSL and Eawag involving individuals or personal data from March 2026 onwards, each research institute will appoint a new member.
The Executive Board has confirmed Christoph H?lscher (D-GESS), Michael Siegrist (D-HEST), Peter Wolf (D-HEST) and Marino Menozzi (D-HEST; until 30 June 2028) for a further term of office until 28 February 2030. Lutz Wingert will remain Chairman of the Commission until the end of August 2028.
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