Eight professors appointed at ETH Zurich

Dr Daniel Farinotti (*1982), currently a senior scientific staff member at WSL in Birmensdorf, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Glaciology. Daniel Farinotti addresses questions at the interface of climate science, hydrology and glaciology and has developed an internationally visible portfolio in the field of hydrology of the mountain cryosphere. In the coming years, his principal focus will be on researching the future development of ice deposits in the mountains and, increasingly, long-term hydro-glaciological forecasts. Daniel Farinotti will head a glaciology group at ETH Zurich and WSL, further strengthening the leading international position of both institutions in this field.

Professor Reto Knutti (*1973), currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Climate Physics. Reto Knutti is a world-renowned scientist. His research focuses on changes in the global climate system caused by rising emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO₂, employing numerical models of varying complexity. His work plays a key role in improving our understanding of the uncertainty of climate forecasts, notably for the climate reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC/UNEP). Since 2015 he has been the sustainability delegate of the President of ETH Zurich. By appointing Reto Knutti as a Full Professor, ETH Zurich keeps a very successful researcher and a committed and popular lecturer.

Professor Marloes H. Maathuis (*1978), currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Statistics. Marloes Maathuis is a very creative scientist and a leader in her field. Her work covers causal inference, algorithms and methods for high-dimensional thin-layer graphic models and interdisciplinary applications at the interface between biology, epidemiology and statistics. Her contributions on causal inference in particular are considered pioneering and have opened up fundamental new possibilities in this field. By appointing Marloes Maathuis as a Full Professor, ETH Zurich is securing an excellent scientist who is engaged in mathematical and interdisciplinary research at the highest level and also drives forward knowledge transfer.

Dr Jeremy Richardson (*1986), currently Junior Research Fellow at Durham University, UK, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Theoretical Molecular Quantum Dynamics. Jeremy Richardson's research focuses on the theoretical description of the quantum dynamic processes of complex systems. Among other things, his results facilitate investigation of processes that are of central importance in chemistry such as proton and electron transmission in large molecular complexes and the condensed phase. By appointing Jeremy Richardson, ETH Zurich is gaining a highly original theoretical chemist who will continue the successful tradition of the Chemistry and Applied Biosciences Department in the field of theoretical chemistry.

Professor Konrad Schindler (*1974), currently Associate Professor at the ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Konrad Schindler is highly regarded internationally in his field and an exceptionally committed teacher. His three main topics are integrated treatment in the extraction of geometric and semantic information, combining and merging data and information from multiple sensors and platforms, and maintenance and tracking of very large geo databases, especially information and data made available via the internet. The appointment of Konrad Schindler as Full Professor helps to secure and strengthen the ETH Zurich's leading international position in photogrammetry.

Professor Heather Stoll (*1973), currently professor at the University of Oviedo, Asturia, Spain, as Full Professor of Climate Geology. Heather Stoll is interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the history of the Earth's climate in the past ten million years, with a special focus on fluctuations in the concentration of atmospheric CO₂. For this, she uses state-of-the-art geochemical tools. The appointment of Heather Stoll greatly strengthens paleoclimatology at ETH Zurich. She will dedicate herself to the pressing and societally relevant questions of the links between atmospheric CO₂ content and climate on the one hand and biological adaptations due to climate change on the other thus generating significant synergies with other chairs in the Department of Earth Sciences and at ETH Zurich as a whole.

Professor Jing Wang (*1979), currently Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, as Associate Professor of Air Quality and Particle Technology. Jing Wang is regarded as one of the world¡¯s leading scientists in the field of air quality and particle technology. His principal areas of research include reducing nanoparticle transmission and emissions, developing tools to measure nanoparticles in the air, and air and water filtration. His work helps enhance our understanding of the importance of nanomaterials for environmental protection and occupational safety. By appointing Jing Wang as Associate Professor, ETH Zurich and Empa are securing an excellent research scientist who will contribute substantially to both institutions¡¯ work on the maintenance of air quality in environmental engineering.

Dr Ce Zhang (*1987), currently a post-doctoral student at Stanford University, California, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science. Ce Zhang is a very promising young scientist. His research interests are databases, data processing, machine learning and data science. His applications focus on systems to help scientists analyse and understand large quantities of data. He links conventional areas of databases and information retrieval with new methods of machine learning. By appointing Ce Zhang, the Computer Science Department is decisively strengthening its teaching and research activities in the field of data science.

Award of the title of Professor