Thirteen new professors appointed
On the recommendation of ETH President Jo?l Mesot, the ETH Board appointed several new ETH professors during its meeting on 10 and 11 July 2019.
Professor Florian D?rfler (*1982), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, as Associate Professor of Complex Systems Control. Florian D?rfler’s research interests lie in the analysis, control design and security of networked systems for controlling cyber-physical processes. His applications focus on robust smart grids and the associated optimisation of power flows. Florian D?rfler’s special field thus fits perfectly into the existing areas of teaching and research in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering and at ETH Zurich.
Professor Roger Gassert (*1976), currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Rehabilitation Engineering. Roger Gassert conducts research at the interface between engineering, neuroscience and movement science. He and his team develop mechatronic systems to explore the neuromechanical generation of movement and haptic perception and to perform quantitative evaluation of the movement quality and rehabilitation progress of people with sensorimotor deficits. Roger Gassert uses this interdisciplinary approach to forge links between research-based neuroscience and movement science, and application-based engineering science, as well as with hospitals.
Dr Robert Katzschmann (*1986), currently Chief Technology Officer in the private sector, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Robotics. Robert Katzschmann's research focuses on the development of soft drive systems for robotics. This includes designing novel pneumatic and hydraulic drive concepts to enable soft, flexible interaction. He also studies the manufacture, modelling, control and integration of these drive systems into robot arms, robot hands, and swimming or walking robots. With the appointment of Robert Katzschmann, the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering and the recently founded Center for Robotics are strengthening and expanding their leading international position in robotics.
Dr David Kaufmann (*1985), currently a post-doctoral student at the University of Bern, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Spatial Development and Urban Policy. David Kaufmann’s research focuses on the analysis of governance processes and policy formulation in cities and metropolitan regions. He is interested in locational policies in densely populated areas and in multi-level systems. At ETH Zurich he will launch research projects on densification strategies in spatial planning and on participative policy processes in cities. By appointing David Kaufmann, the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering is strengthening its interdisciplinary research in the field of spatial and urban development.
Dr Ana Klimovic (*1991), currently a doctoral student at Stanford University, California, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering. Ana Klimovic conducts research in the area of computer architecture, cloud computing, computer systems and data centre architecture. Her work on distributed systems and cloud computing brings new methods to the traditional areas of computer architecture and systems. As an experienced teacher she is ideally placed to collaborate on the new master's programme in data science. The appointment of Ana Klimovic will significantly strengthen the Department of Computer Science’s teaching and research in the areas of data science and data centre architecture.
Dr Rasmus Kyng (*1988), currently a post-doctoral student at Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Theoretical Computer Science. Rasmus Kyng conducts research in the field of theoretical computer science, with a focus on algorithm theory and theoretical aspects of data science. In particular, he uses algorithms to solve special types of linear equation systems, which occur in many different scientific areas. His research is a textbook example of theoretical research that also has huge potential for contributing to practical breakthroughs in a variety of disciplines. By appointing Rasmus Kyng, the Department of Computer Science is strengthening research in the theory and practice of algorithms.
Dr Maria Lukatskaya (*1988), currently a post-doctoral student at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Electrochemical Energy Systems. Maria Lukatskaya works in the areas of new materials and electrolytes for energy storage and conversion, as well as in electrochemistry, material synthesis and material characterisation. At ETH Zurich, she will investigate basic electrochemical processes in solutions and materials, and at the interfaces of electrodes and electrolytes, with the aim of creating superconcentrated electrolyte formulations for electrocatalytic fuel production and safe, efficient energy storage. The appointment of Maria Lukatskaya will strengthen ETH Zurich’s leading position in energy science and reinforce the field of electrical energy storage.
Professor James Mitchell (*1971), currently Associate Professor at Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA, as Full Professor of Healthy Ageing. James Mitchell explores specific aspects of biological ageing and uses scientific approaches to investigate how this process is influenced; he is also interested in age-related illnesses. His main focus is on preventing cancer, diabetes, obesity and other age-related illnesses by means of lifestyle changes, particularly dietary. The appointment of James Mitchell will strengthen interdepartmental links between the research fields of translational medicine, nutrition and health.
Mrinmaya Sachan (*1987), currently a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing. Mrinmaya Sachan explores concepts and methods of machine learning for the comprehension of natural language. The potential uses of his work include tutorial systems designed to help students solve geometry and physics problems. Through his appointment, the Department of Computer Science is strengthening its expertise in computer science and education. Mrinmaya Sachan’s skill in natural language processing offers ETH Zurich further insights into artificial intelligence, which will have a major influence on education and training in the future.
Professor G. V. Shivashankar (*1968), currently Professor and Deputy Director of the Mechanobiology Institute of the National University of Singapore, as Full Professor of Mechanogenomics. G. V. Shivashankar’s research in mechanobiology uses multidisciplinary approaches to investigate how the genome architecture is mechanically regulated, thus determining the behaviour and long-term fate of cells. His appointment will strengthen the connection between ETH Zurich and the PSI. Important interactions and synergies will also arise with colleagues in the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Clinical Nutrition at Zurich University Hospital as his research findings are translated into clinical practice.
Dr Siyu Tang (*1983), currently Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen, Germany, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Vision. Siyu Tang focuses on the development of computer-aided processes for the perception and digitalisation of people and their activities in complex and natural environments. She develops novel methods at the interface between numerical optimisation and machine learning, which help machines better understand the human form, movement and complex activity. By appointing Siyu Tang, the Department of Computer Science is increasing the expertise available to it in the field of computer vision.
Professor Caroline Uhler (*1983), currently Associate Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, USA, as Full Professor of Machine Learning, Statistics and Genomics. Her research investigates the basic principles and applications of graphical models, a class of statistical models for modelling high-dimensional data. Caroline Uhler’s research programme is a rare combination of in-depth mathematical analyses of these models, the development of efficient algorithms for big data problems, and the application of these methods in the biomedical sciences. Through the appointment of Caroline Uhler, the Department of Biosystems is ideally strengthening its expertise in the field of biomedical data science.
Dr Fisher Yu (*1987), currently a post-doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Vision. Fisher Yu conducts research on computer vision and machine learning. His work covers a wide spectrum, ranging from the basics of machine image and video analysis through to practical applications, such as in self-driving vehicles. His principal tools are neural networks, which he both applies and develops further. He strives to achieve the most universal representation of visual understanding. Fisher Yu's appointment will help ETH Zurich and the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering to safeguard their leading role in computer vision and strengthen them in the area of machine learning.