Alumni News

Even as a little girl, Rahel Salathé knew that she wanted to study nature and become a marine biologist. Later on, her family would become more important than her career. These days, the 47 year old is devoted to her other great passion: the production of quality wines. She sees her work in the wine cellar as a “balancing act between craftsmanship and art”.

In 2023, the ETH Big Band is celebrating its 30th anniversary and will play at the ETH Alumni Gala on 10 June. ETH alumnus Christoph Eck tells us how it all began and which appearances have been particularly memorable. And he reveals what makes jazz music so special for him.

Originally, Christian Lenz wanted to become a pilot, but having studied mechanical engineering, he and an old school friend founded a start-up company. These days he works for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), where he is responsible for engineering projects worth 50 million Swiss francs. He has experienced several life-threatening situations during deployments in the Middle East.

Luck has played a huge part in the career decisions taken by Ariane Orosz. With a doctorate in neuroscience, today she juggles three different jobs and relishes the variety this gives her. As an expert in stress management, she is best placed to advise people on how to protect themselves from burnout.

She would really have liked to have been a “normal kid” but Elena Dürst stood out on account of being intellectually gifted and has made her way time and again as the only woman in technical disciplines. The 35-year old is currently working in the field of bioinformatics while simultaneously studying to become a shiatsu therapist, where she is discovering aspects of herself she never even knew existed.

Where does mankind come from? And why was life able to develop in our solar system? These are two of the questions, which ETH alumna and professor of astrochemistry at the University of Bern, Susanne Wampfler, is absorbed with. We talk to her about her fascination with the stars and why she chose a course at ETH.

Why be content with just one career when you can combine two? Nina Behjati was born in Teheran, studied architecture in Hamburg, New York and Zurich and has been jointly responsible for some major construction projects. But in Zurich’s Seefeld district she is most well-known for her second passion: importing high-quality saffron from her homeland.

After graduating with a degree in Environmental Sciences, for many years Felix Etterlin worked as an expert in soil conservation. For a long while, he has aspired to pursue a very different career path. And he has now succeeded in making a fresh new start in his second chosen profession: despite a much lower wage and hectic routine, the fledgling paramedic is taking to his new job with new sense of ease.

Material scientist Nicole Aegerter is co-founder of the ETH spin-off Antefil, which produces glass fibre-reinforced plastics for industrial lightweight structures. Nicole talks to us about what motivates her to be part of the circular economy.

Isabella Sedivy studied biology at ETH, graduating with a Master’s in the subject. An experienced journalist, she worked for Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (the Swiss radio and television broadcasting company) for several years and has produced films on natural history. She is now the co-owner of the environmental agency “Plan Biodivers”, which campaigns for greater biodiversity in Switzerland.

ETH alumni Diego Sigrist and Kuba Szczesniak are co-founders of the start-up 'Scandens'. They are working on a software solution to easily quantify, understand and optimise the climate impact of buildings. They talk about their passion to change things and their growing concern for the climate which originated from their time at ETH.

Patrick Rühs studied food science and graduated from ETH Zurich with a PhD in food process engineering. Today, he is the Head of Science at the start-up Planted that produces plant-based meat with great success. Patrick talks to us about his career and what motivates him in his daily work.

Kordian Caplazi and Lukas Roder work at Rimon Technologies, a company which develops virtual operating instructions for industrial firms. Kordian and Lukas talk about their time at ETH, how they became entrepreneurs and what motivates them on a daily basis.

ETH alumnus Volker Bartenbach completed his PhD in the Health Sciences and Technology Department at ETH. He is CEO of Auxivo AG, which develops exoskeletons for use in industry. Volker talks to us today about his career to date and his fascination with exoskeletons.

Tino Matter studied nanosciences at the University of Basel before obtaining a PhD from ETH. He is a co-founder of the start-up “anavo medical”, which aims to use nanoparticles to greatly improve the healing of chronic wounds.

The former ETH Juniors President, Leonard Clemens, gained his Diploma in Industrial Management and Manufacturing from ETH in 2004. Today, he is joint-owner of a private equity company in Berlin, which links up medium-sized companies with investors. He talks to us about his time at ETH and the valuable lessons he learnt during his university days.

Pascal Roth studied computer science at ETH. He has been working at EPAM Systems, Inc. for four years. We spoke to Pascal about his work, his employer and what career recommendations he might have for ETH graduates.

ETH alumnus Andy Wyss studied electrical engineering at ETH Zurich and has worked for IT consultancy firms for more than 30 years. Two years ago, just before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, he accepted a position at EPAM Systems, Inc. in business development. We spoke to Andy Wyss about his career and what advice he would give ETH graduates for their professional development.

Annika Hausmann obtained her PhD in microbiology and immunology at ETH. She now works as an immunologist at the University of Copenhagen and is researching an intestinal disease which an increasing number of people suffer from. As one of the founders of the Swiss Young Immunologists’ Society, she is committed to the visibility and networking of young immunologists in Switzerland.

For Séverine Cranz, being a new mum turned out to be the main challenge finding her first job - even with an ETH Masters in Biomedical Engineering. Today, she manages to successfully combine family and work. As a mother of two and manager at a large medtech company, she advocates sexual equality at work.

Over the course of her 25-year career at ETH Zurich, Sarah Springman has always focused on her mantra of “students first”. She has passionately promoted innovative teaching and research and dedicated herself to a more open, more international and diversified university. She hopes that in the future every effort will be made at ETH to ensure that students continue to be offered the best education possible.

This year, ETH alumna Stefanie Zbinden sat on the committee organising the launch of the first European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics (EGOI). Stefanie gained both her Bachelor’s and Master's degrees in Mathematics at ETH. This September, she started her PhD at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. She talks to us about why informatics is still a subject area very much dominated by men and the tools which can be deployed to improve access for young women.

ETH alumna Anja Ulrich is one of the first cohort on the Master's in Quantum Engineering course. She is the president of the recently founded Quantum Engineering Alumni affiliate organisation. She talks to us today about the aims of the QEC and what she plans to do after graduating from the master’s course.

ETH alumnus Micha Germann completed his PhD at the Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS). The subject of his dissertation was self-determining referendums as a potential for solving conflict. He is currently an assistant professor in Bath and is researching the areas of ethno-nationalistic conflicts, digital democracy and political behaviour. He has recently won a prestigious grant for the next three years.

ETH alumna Elena Roos obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Health Sciences at ETH. However, she is most well known for her orienteering successes. After a year with no international events, in 2021 she has delivered many more outstanding performances, including her first individual medal at a European championship. As well as being a top athlete, Elena works in performance diagnostics and as an athletics trainer.

Mathias Wellig gained his Bachelor’s and Master in Computer Science at ETH. During his time at university, he and two fellow students tinkered around with the recently launched iPhone. The delight and curiosity of this tinkering resulted in them founding Ubique, a company which now employs around 50 members of staff, roughly 70 percent of whom are ETH graduates. He is responsible for many all-Swiss apps such as SBB, MeteoSchweiz and SwissCovid.

ETH alumna Nina Bonassi obtained her Bachelor's and Master’s in Geomatic Engineering at ETH. She currently works at the ETH Institute of Cartography and Geoinformation. She is a scientific editor for Atlas of Switzerland, a Swiss Federal Council initiative launched in 1961. She talks to us about her career and what motivates her.

ETH alumnus Urs Niggli studied and graduated in agricultural and food sciences at ETH. For many years he has worked at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture and is considered one of the world’s leading lights on organic farming.

ETH alumnus Markus Blocher studied and received his doctorate in chemistry from ETH Zurich. He has been the CEO of Dottikon ES, a spin-off of EMS-Chemie, since 2003. In 2005, he became the company’s majority shareholder and has been Chairman of the Board since 2012. In this interview, he talks to us about his career and the challenges he currently faces as CEO of a medium-sized enterprise.

ETH alumnus David Mzee loves sport and lives and breathes it. While at university, he survived a major accident, making him a tetraplegic.Thanks to the support of ETH, he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Human Movement Sciences and Sport after a slight delay. On his Master’s course he was best in year, and then added a diploma enabling him to teach in secondary schools. Through the work of a research project, he is now taking his first steps and is giving hope to many paraplegics.

ETH alumnus, Thomas Hug, obtained his Bachelor's and Master’s at what is now the Institute for Spatial and Landscape Development at ETH. To avoid having to decide between transport and spatial planning, in 2020 he co-founded an integrated planning office. Openness and creativity are important to him because he also has a distinct artistic streak. In this interview, the President of the ETH REIS Alumni talks to us about his career to date and the importance of networks and curiosity.

ETH mechanical engineer Ferdinand Metzler was still writing his Bachelor’s dissertation and had already started his Master’s degree when he founded his company Fision. He wants to use his idea to act as a positive force on the clothing market. Since 2020, he’s taken great strides towards achieving this vision: by selling to Zalando, he now has access to around 40 million customers. He talks to us today about how he wants to set new standards and drive forward development in the European clothing industry.

The ETH Alumni Association has another affiliate organisation in China: Claire Zhang and Hanyu Qin founded the Chapter Shenzhen Alumni. Claire graduated with a Master’s in Energy Science and Technology; Hanyu completed his PhD in the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering. They now both live in Shenzhen, the innovation and technology hub of China. They talk to us about their careers and what motivated them to found the Chapter Shenzhen.

ETH alumna Zahra Ariyafar had a good job as a Pre-sales Systems Engineer in Tokyo, when she decided to change her career completely. To make her dream come true, she completed a Master’s degree in Management, Technology and Economics at ETH. She now works in human resources and is responsible for enabling employees to develop their careers. She is a great fan of mentoring programmes, as it has greatly helped her throughout her career.

Jan Freihardt has two master’s degrees from ETH; one in Environmental Engineering and one in Science, Technology and Policy. He is currently working on his PhD in environmental migration. At the moment, he is working in Bangladesh on a field study researching answers to questions of migration and coping strategies within the context of climate change.

ETH alumnus Johannes Tiefenthaler has a Master's in Process Engineering. He is currently working on his PhD, yet in 2019 he found the time set up Neustark, a company which stores CO2 in concrete and aims to supply zero-carbon concrete. He talks to us about his career to date and how close he currently is to achieving his goal.

ETH alumna Anna Saur studied Management, Technology and Economics at ETH. This March she was awarded the BME Hochschulpreis for her Master’s thesis and became lead of the Sales & Operations Planning Team of the Swiss firm On, which makes performance running shoes and clothing. In this portrait, Anna tells us what she gained from her course, how she shoulders responsibility in her role as a team leader and how she maintains a good work-life balance.

ETH alumna Vera Luginbühl studied at and graduated from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at ETH. She spent many years working as a professor at a university and has set up a laboratory and research group. She now works in the private sector where she is the medical lead in cell and gene therapy. She talks to us today about how she got into oncology.

Samuel Halim and Norman Lüchinger are co-founders of Avantama, which is a leader in high-tech materials for electronics. Both of them started off by studying Material Sciences and gained their PhDs in Chemical Engineering. In this interview, Samuel and Norman talk about their experiences of the PhD course at ETH and what their current business is about.

Caya Gharibian, Alessandra Pfister and Leonie Perren graduated from ETH with a Bachelor’s in Human Medicine. They are now continuing in Basel, Lugano and Zurich respectively and hope to graduate as doctors in two years’ time. After receiving their diplomas in the summer of 2020, they decided to set up the Human Medicine Alumni. They talk about what it’s like to be amongst the first graduates of an ETH course and the goals they have for the latest affiliate organisation to join the ETH alumni.

Martin Brüllhardt studied environmental systems science and gained his doctorate in forest ecology and forestry at ETH Zurich. He is the first managing director of the forest laboratory at Hönggerberg, which was opened in 2020. 21 March is International Day of Forests. He talks here about why forests are important and the goals of the forest laboratory.

ETH alumnus, Beat Gerber, graduated in civil engineering. Throughout his life, he has studied topics that reflect his many interests and can look back over a very varied career: energy planner, science journalist and communications specialist. Even now he’s supposedly retired, he finds time to embark on new things, his first detective story surrounding science policy was published in 2020. In our interview, he talks about his interests and why he envies today’s students.

ETH alumna Regula Scheele graduated in agricultural sciences. Even as a child, she was interested in the French language and agriculture. She has combined her two passions and after a lengthy stay in Welschland, today she and her brother manage a family-run business selling all conceivable wine cellar equipment and supplies. She has been a member of the board of the local Baden alumni group since 2018.

ETH alumnus Serge Droz studied physics at ETH and obtained his doctorate in Canada, where he researched black holes. He has 20 years of experience in information security from time working in the private sector. He undertakes voluntary work in this sector and is the President of the "Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams". In this interview, he tells us how he found his vocation and what fascinates him so much about working in IT security.

ETH alumna Anna Bischofberger gained her Master’s in environmental systems science. She’s now working as a PhD student in the pathogen ecology group, researching antibiotic resistance. During her time at university, she published several novels under the name Anna Stern and won the 2020 Swiss Book Prize. With a range of interests, she pursues various passions. You may think it would be hard to balance these two very different worlds, but there are parallels between research and writing.

For her Master’s dissertation, ETH alumna Edith Schmid studied the effect of artificial intelligence on our cultural living environment. As a PhD student, she is now delving further into the subject. In our interview, she describes how, as a graduate of the University of St. Gallen, she came to study at ETH. Thanks to her dedication, the ETH Alumni Association now also has an Entrepreneur Alumni Club. 

Hans Wanner studied and received his doctorate in chemistry from ETH Zurich. He entered the nuclear sector and took up a position at what was then the Swiss Federal Institute for Reactor Research. In 2010, he became Director of the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate and in 2011, Chair of the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association. Looking back over an eventful career, he is convinced that cultural differences are important and add to your ability to tackle problems.

As a kid, Daniel Eckenstein wanted to run a railway station. He started his course in civil engineering at ETH because wanted to understand how the transport sector worked. He now works at SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) and has been the President of the AIV Alumni for over five years.

Even as a child, Werner Huber was fascinated with building. As this fascination developed, he studied architecture at ETH. After a couple of years working as an architect and ETH assistant, Werner Huber decided to change tack; moving from a creator of architecture to an appraiser of architecture. He is now the editor of the magazine “Hochparterre”. His book “Architekturführer Zürich”, the first ever guide into the architecture of Zurich, was published this summer.

ETH Alumna Fajer Mushtaq obtained her master's degree and PhD in mechanical engineering. Three months into her PhD, instead of developing new materials for biomedical applications, she decided to focus on a solution to remove micropollutants from wastewater. Thanks to the coronavirus lockdown, she and her team were able to work on the business side of this solution. In May 2020, she co-founded Oxyle and in June, it won the Grand Prize of Venture.

Gabrielle Lods studied Chemical Engineering at EPFL and she completed her Master in Management, Technology and Economy. Now she runs her own project and brand the “Green Condom Club”, which produces non-toxic contraceptives. As part of this project, Gabrielle committed herself to an open and honest discourse on sexuality, including an online blog, as well as transparency regarding the ingredients and conditions under which her condoms are manufactured.

ETH alumna Johanna Vorwerk gained her Master's in Energy Science and Technology (MEST) and is currently working on her doctorate in the Power Systems Laboratory. She and several other graduates recently set up the MEST Alumni. She talks here about her career to date, her experiences as a woman in a MINT profession and the aims of the most recent member organisation to join the ETH Alumni family.

Curiosity and interest in technology and natural sciences motivated Thomas Wüst to study computer science at ETH Zurich. Today he is the founder and CEO of ti&m. ti&m stands for technology, innovation & management and is one of the market-leading companies for digitalization, security and innovation projects and products.

Biomechanic Sabrina Badir obtained her Bachelors' degree, Masters' degree and doctorate at ETH Zurich, although the course at ETH was actually a compromise. For her dissertation, she researched the link between cervical stiffness and premature births and developed a device to measure this. Together with a partner, Sabrina founded the ETH spin-off Pregnolia, which sailed through its second round of financing in June 2020.

Heinz Mäder studied and received his doctorate in electrical engineering from ETH Zurich. He's been involved with the ETH Alumni for around 50 years. For a number of years, he was the president of Zurich Chapter so shouldered particular responsibility given the city's large number of former students. In November 2019, the delegates honoured his work and made him an honorary member of the ETH Alumni. He speaks here about what his work in general and the ETH Alumni in particular mean to him.

Danylo Malyuta graduated from ETH in a master in Robotics, Systems and Control. In 2018, he won the Willi Studer prize for the best graduate. He did two internships at NASA and currently works on his PhD at the University of Washington. In this interview, he talks about his motivation and inspiration for his work.

Rupert Muldoon graduated with a master in advanced studies in landscape architecture from ETH. In 2019, he co-founded the group "Architecture Alumni". As the group’s president, he talks about his experiences in different parts of the world. The art enthusiast wants furthermore to foster an exchange with anyone interested in the build world.

Pjeter Berisha is the lucky recipient of this year's ETH Alumni grant worth 12 000 Swiss francs. In this interview, Pjeter tells us what this grant means to him and describes a typical day in his life as a mechanical engineering student at ETH.

Tulipan Zollinger obtained an MAS (Master of Advanced Studies) in Management, Technology and Economics at ETH. The trained plant breeder and geneticist and his brothers are the second generation to run their family-owned business. The pioneers in organic seed and online sales are seeing record sales during the present crisis: the lockdown imposed by the state means that lots of people are turning to their gardens.

Carlo Centonze studied forest engineering at ETH and today he is CEO of the textile chemistry company HeiQ. He talks to us about the good luck that led him to university and his current job as well as the highs and lows encountered in entrepreneurship. He attaches great importance to recognising potential, along with persistence as well as a lot of hard grit and determination.

Joeri Verasdonck comes from the Netherlands. After initially studying in his home country, he completed his doctorate at ETH Zurich. He’s now a product manager at Sensirion.  

After studying electrical engineering at EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne), Philipp Bertschi gained an MAS in Management, Technology and Economics at ETH. Today he has 15 years of experience in the telecommunications sector. In his free time, he loves flying helicopters and is a body attack trainer with the ASVZ (Zurich’s Academic Sports Association). In this interview, he talks about his experiences and the similarities between his job and hobbies.

March 22 is World Water Day. ETH alumnus Jürg Staudenmann is a pioneering environmental engineer and has undertaken research into water management. He has more than 20 years of experience in international cooperation, including working for the UN as Water Governance Advisor in Eastern Europe. He speaks to us about his professional experiences and his firm belief that you can't plan your career path.

ETH Alumnus Andreas Dudas is a civil engineering graduate. These days, he works as a business alchemist and helps people and companies find their vocation or uniqueness. Even though his career has changed course completely, he still benefits from his time at ETH. In our interview, he talks about how he had to learn to reflect on his purpose and play on his strengths. He firmly believes that setbacks have helped shape his success.

Konstantinos Boulouchos received a doctorate from ETH Zurich and since 2002 has worked as a professor at the Institute of Energy Technology in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering. He spoke to us about the conflicts between environmental sustainability, security of energy supplies and economic viability.

Lisa Poulikakos did her bachelor, master and PhD at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH. In October 2019, she received a prestigious award from L’Oréal USA For Women in Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for her research in technology that uses light to enable on-the-spot, accurate and cost-effective diagnosis of tissue biopsies, including breast cancer and other serious diseases.

ETH Alumnus Roland Sigrist studied at and graduated from the Department of Health Sciences at ETH. He is now Executive Director of CYBATHLON. In May 2020, more than 90 teams from 30 countries will come together in Zurich’s Kloten municipality to compete against one another in various disciplines. He talks about his work and the possibilities which open up to people volunteering at CYBATHLON.

Sarah-Maria Fendt completed her PhD in molecular systems biology at ETH Zurich. Afterwards, she worked for three years in the USA at the Harvard Medical School and at MIT. For the last few years she has been undertaking research into the metabolism of metastasising cancer cells at the VIB-KU Leuven Centre for Cancer Biology in Belgium. Together with her team, she hopes to find ways to reduce metastasis formation to improve the survival rate of patients.

Andreas Elmer graduated with a Master in Environmental Sciences. Because he did not like statistics, he had decided against a degree in psychology. Today, he works for the staff at Swisstransplant that launched the National Organ Donor Register. He tells us about the importance of organ donation and that he works with statistics nearly on a daily basis.

Ulrich Geissler graduated from ETH in architecture. He lived and worked for 20 years in Hong Kong and now lives in Vancouver. This summer, he founded the Alumni Chapter Pacific Northwest with some ETH alumni friends. They organise a gathering every two months and get someone to talk about a topic he or she is passionate about. He talks about his career and the differences in Swiss and Canadian architecture.

Cold feet definitely belong to the past with chili-feet. ETH Alumnus and electrical engineer Roland Brüniger invented the high-tech heated insole chili-feet, which converts pressure energy into warmth when walking. This spring, he was able to present this innovative product in the German version of the "Dragon’s Den" to possible investors.

Severin Hacker studied computer science at ETH Zurich. He earned his doctorate at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he developed the language app "Duolingo" together with his professor. In 2014, he was listed among the "Top Innovators under 35" by MIT Technology Review. This year, he was chosen as one of the "Entrepreneurs of the Year" by One Young World.

Dr. Ralf Sasse works at ETH at the Institute of Information Security. In a group of experts, he analysed 2018 the 5G cellular mobile telephony concerning security. The group had found a fault that was then fixed. On 19th November, he will take part in the Focus Event "5G technology – fears and facts" as the moderator. He explains where 5G currently stands and what possibilities it offers.

Marian George graduated with a PhD in computer science from ETH. Growing up in Egypt, already as a child she was very curious about many fields. Marian won many prizes, which then led her to Zurich. She currently works for Amazon Go in America. She is part of the team that develops the most advanced shopping technology using computer vision and machine learning.

Patty Seifert has an ETH degree in Geophysics and a Ph.D. from Berkeley. She currently works for Siemens in big data. She gives us a glimpse of her interesting job and explains the challenges of the energy sector.

Cheyenne Rechsteiner completed her Bachelor’s degree in Health Science and Technology at ETH and currently studies Biotechnology in the Master’s Program. She is member of this year’s iGEM team from ETH that applies itself to solving the problem with resistant antibiotics in medicine. The team draws on an alternative method for treatment of bacterial infections, the phage therapy, and develops a system to identify suitable phages.            

Ben Jann did his PhD at ETH in Sociology. Today, he works as a professor at University of Bern and is responsible for various projects, for example on labour market research. At the KOF forecasting meeting, he will talk about gender differences in the Swiss labour market. Subtle influences and gender roles that influence external and self-assessment as well as behaviour are important.

Andreas Moschin graduated from ETH in military business school and works today as the head of deployment division of the City Police of Zurich. He tells us about changes in security concepts at large-scale events and how the city police increasingly use new technologies.

Dr. Patricia Menéndez did her PhD in mathematics at ETH Zurich. Currently, she works as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. As the only ETH graduate, she was selected this year to go to Antarctica with an international women leadership program.

Luca Schweri won this year’s grant from the ETH Alumni Association, the Zimmermann prize. He studies computer science at ETH in his forth semester. He has three siblings, all of them currently following their education. He talks about his choice of profession and his plans for the future.

ETH Alumnus Julian Heeb graduated 2006 from a master in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. With ginto, he and some friends developed an app for accessibility for people with a disability that rates restaurants, bars and shops. This app recently won a digital and an innovation award. In an interview, Julian tells us about his experiences at ETH as well as how he got the idea for this app.

Jürg Werner is CEO of Metall Zug AG since 2012. Between 1976 and 1981, he studied Electrical Engineering at ETH in Zurich. Thereafter, he worked as a research assistant there and in 1987, he gained his PhD. He spoke with ETH Alumni about the importance of a solid basic education and an interlocking of the university and industry.  

Piero Martinoli studied and did a PhD in physics at ETH Zurich. Nearly during his whole career, he worked at the University of Neuchâtel. After retiring, he changed to the Università della Svizzera italiana and helped to advance it significantly. 2016, his work was mentioned in the laudatio of the Nobel Prize laureates twice, and since November 2018, he is an honorary member of the ETH Alumni Association. He tells us in this interview, how ETH kept recurring his whole life.

Peter Perutz experienced the Second World War in Prague, Budapest and Vienna. As a young man, he arrived in Zurich and graduated as a mechanical engineer from ETH Zurich. He is still active as an author today and he tells us, that his life completely changed seven times.

At the beginning of 2015, ETH alumnus Daniel Meyer founded his own company EGO movement. With his electric bikes in a retro look, he roughs up the market. He talked about challenges of a start-up on 27th June 2017. In another interview, he now talks about how his business changed from an e-bike company to a mobility provider.

Yves Brise graduated from ETH with a degree in Computer Science. He remained at ETH and did his PhD in the field of Theoretical Computer Science. Since January 2019 he is a member of the executive board of Innovation Process Technology AG (ipt). He spends his time developing ipt’s focus area of Data-Driven Business and coaching employees.

Gustav Rais was president of the local group in Zurich for nearly 20 years. He is an honorary member of the ETH Alumni Association since 2002. He is still pleased about the thank-you for his and his wife Margot's effort.

ETH Alumna Tamara Zajc works as an actuary for live insurances with Swiss Re. She got her master in mathematics from ETH in 2010, and acquired her certificate as an actuary from the Swiss Association of Actuaries in 2014.

Since summer 2017, Romana Castiglioni, Alexia Sawerschel and Besa Zajmi run together their own architecture office Studio Barrus. On January 31, 2019, they had the honour of receiving the Foundation Award for the promotion of young Swiss architects. They want to establish themselves with their creative ideas and the courage for contrast in the work environment

Sonja Angehrn studierte nach der Matura zuerst Pädagogik und arbeitete anschliessend zwei Jahre als Sekundarschullehrerin, bevor sie ihr Studium in Mathematik an der ETH Zürich aufgenommen hat. Heute ist sie Senior Managerin im Data & Analytics Team bei PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers AG)

Heinz Lüscher was a student only after his vocational education and thereafter, he did a PhD in Physics at ETH Zurich. In private business, he founded two companies and took over another three. Being connected, lifelong learning and to keep one’s eyes open for opportunities are important values to the entrepreneur

Luzius Meisser studied computer science at the ETH and is considered an expert in block chain. He is the co-founder of the Bitcoin Association Switzerland and accompanies several fintechs as investor or member of the board. He is currently working at his PhD in «banking and finance».  On the 9th April, he will talk about how software engineers influence the financial sector.  

Adrian Anderegg never wanted to specialise in Electrical Engineering but go on a path in the private industry. That is why after his Bachelor in Electrial Engineering and Information Technology he changed to a Master's degree MTEC. Today, he works as a division manager banks & insurances at the AWK group. He makes ideal use of the different aspects of his studies and experiences of his former employments.

Adrian Anderegg never wanted to specialise in Electrical Engineering but go on a path in the private industry. Today, he works as a division manager banks & insurances at the AWK group.

Professor Bernhard Wehrli studied Chemistry at the ETH Zürich and completed his PhD in 1987. Today, he works as Professor for Acquatic Chemistry at the ETH and leads a research group in this field at the Eawag since 1988.

Nach einem fünftägigen Programmierkurs und ohne einen eigenen Computer zu besitzen, entschied sich ETH Alumna Corinne Dascenzo für ein Informatikstudium an der ETH Zürich. Während ihres Masterstudiums absolvierte sie das MAS Lehrdiplom, um nebst ihrer Arbeit als Softwareingenieurin ihrer zweiten Leidenschaft nachzugehen: dem Unterrichten von jungen Menschen. Wir sprachen mit Corinne Dascenzo über ihre Zeit an der ETH, ihren Werdegang und über ihren Arbeitsalltag.

As Senior Research Scientist und Head of the Capture and Effects Group at Disney Research Zurich, ETH Alumnus Thabo Beeler leads a team of computer graphic specialists and has worked on films such as «Rogue One: A Star Wars Story», «Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens» and «The Jungle Book».

28-year old Andrea Wehrli opened the Unverpackt store «Chez Mamie» in Zurich in spring 2017 following her degree in environmental science at ETH Zürich together with three other environmental scientists. Now she is working in Japan thanks to a Mercator Fellowship. Her goal is to contribute to sustainable resource management.

Robert Weiss, honorary member of the ETH Alumni Association and the professional association IAETH Alumni, has done many crazy things in his long professional career. Zurich-born Robert Weiss today is known for his unique computer collection as well as the digital evolution poster.

Since spring 2017, Bettina Heim has been working as a software developer for Microsoft in Zürich. There she is jointly responsible for the research and development of the so-called Q# compiler, which is a computer program for Quantum computing.