University of Applied Sciences and Arts LucerneSwitzerland
Prof. Dr. Frank Ulbrich is a Lecturer and Programme Director for the BSc Business Administration at the Lucerne School of Business (HSLU). He holds a PhD in Business Administration from the Stockholm School of Economics. His academic career spans roles at universities in Sweden, the UK, Canada, and Switzerland, alongside IT & Management consulting experience. Research focuses on management education, project management, information management, and organizational change. He has published extensively in areas like shared services, digital transformation, and curriculum development. Notable awards include multiple Emerald Literati Awards and a Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy. Education: PhD in Business Administration (Stockholm School of Economics) Affiliations: Institute of Business and Regional Economics at HSLU Teaching Subjects: Academic Methods, Higher Education Management, Project Management, Digital Transformation Recent presentations include discussions on bridging academia-industry gaps, curriculum integration of SDGs, and data-driven learning strategies. His work emphasizes aligning education with labor market needs and advancing evidence-based teaching practices.
Roger Boltshauser is a Full Professor and Deputy Head at the Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich. His practice and academic work emphasize tectonic building culture, proportion, and material experimentation, diverging from mainstream German-Swiss architectural trends. He combines teaching with active architectural practice, influencing younger generations at ETH and TU Wien. Key themes: Tectonic structures, grid-based order, social responsibility in architecture, critique of modernist canons Notable projects: Hochhaus H1 Zwhatt-Areal (2025), Masterplan Zoo Basel (2025), Centre for Dental Medicine Zurich (2025) His buildings prioritize mass and permanence , evident in projects like the Kopfholz School and Rauch House . Recent works at the EPFL Solar Biennale (2025) and Architecture of Memory exhibition (2025) explore sustainable design and cultural narratives. Boltshauser’s studio on Dubsstrasse exemplifies research into load-bearing structures and urban spatial relationships.
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in LausanneSwitzerland
Mohamed Bouri is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where he is affiliated with the School of Engineering (STI) and specifically the Microengineering Department (SCI-STI-MB). He is part of the ReHAssist research group (http://rehassist.epfl.ch), which focuses on rehabilitation robotics and human-robot interaction. His office is located in the MED Building (MED 3 1016) at Station 9, 1015 Lausanne. Dr. Bouri's research spans several key areas in robotics and rehabilitation engineering. His primary focus is on the development and control of exoskeleton systems for mobility assistance and rehabilitation. He has made significant contributions to hip exoskeleton technology, adaptive control strategies, and human-robot interaction paradigms. His work bridges engineering principles with clinical applications, particularly for individuals with mobility impairments and neurological conditions. Additional research interests include sensory substitution techniques, balance control systems, and astronomical instrumentation involving robotic fiber positioners for multi-object spectrographs. Analysis of Dr. Bouri's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on practical applications of robotics in rehabilitation settings. His work increasingly focuses on user-centered design, adaptive control systems that respond to individual user needs, and ecological validity in testing environments. There's a clear trend toward developing systems that can function effectively in real-world scenarios rather than controlled laboratory settings. His research also shows growing integration of physiological feedback mechanisms and multimodal sensing to enhance human-robot cooperation, with applications spanning from Parkinson's disease rehabilitation to astronomical instrumentation. Dr. Bouri has supervised numerous doctoral students whose theses reflect the breadth of his research interests, including work on lower-limb exoskeletons, robotic control systems, and rehabilitation technologies. His collaborative approach is evident in the extensive list of co-authored publications across multiple institutions and disciplines, demonstrating his ability to bridge engineering with clinical and astronomical applications. Based at EPFL's Microengineering Department, Dr. Bouri leads research activities within the ReHAssist laboratory, which specializes in rehabilitation assistance technologies. The lab focuses on developing innovative robotic solutions for mobility assistance, with particular expertise in exoskeleton design, control algorithms, and human-robot interaction paradigms. His work on projects like TWIICE One has demonstrated real-world impact in assistive technology development.
Weijia Rao is an Associate Professor of Law at Boston University School of Law, located at 765 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. With a robust scholarly profile evidenced by 12 published papers with over 2,150 total downloads and 5 total citations, Professor Rao maintains an active research agenda in international legal studies. Professor Rao's research focuses primarily on international investment law, with particular expertise in investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms, bilateral investment treaties, and international arbitration. Their work examines the intersection of domestic politics and international investment law, the effects of foreign investors' challenges to domestic regulations, and the role of national security considerations in international legal frameworks. A significant portion of their research analyzes China's engagement with international investment law and WTO frameworks, as well as the dynamics of arbitrator behavior in ICSID proceedings. The scholarly output demonstrates a clear trend toward examining the practical implications of international investment law on domestic regulatory sovereignty, with recent work increasingly focusing on national security dimensions of international law. Professor Rao's research employs empirical methodologies to analyze how international legal frameworks interact with domestic political processes and economic outcomes, contributing valuable evidence-based insights to ongoing debates about reforming international investment law systems. Professor Rao has established productive research collaborations with scholars from institutions including University of Chicago Law School, University of Miami, and Brigham Young University. Their publications appear in prestigious venues such as the Harvard International Law Journal, Yale Journal of International Law, and Journal of Legal Studies, reflecting the high quality and impact of their scholarship.
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in LausanneSwitzerland
Dominique Foray is a Professor at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and holds the Chair of Economics and Management of Innovation (CEMI). He is a member of the Swiss Council for Science, chairman of the KOF Swiss Economic Research Institute's Advisory Board, and a foreign member of Columbia University's Center of Capitalism and Society. His career includes extensive advisory roles, such as with the European Commission's 'Knowledge for Growth' group and Germany's Expert Commission for Research and Innovation. Education: Ph.D. in Economics, University Lumière of Lyon (1984) Habilitation à diriger des recherches, University Lumière of Lyon (1992) Foray's research focuses on the economics of innovation, knowledge-based economy dynamics, technology policy, smart specialization strategies, and institutional frameworks for innovation. He has authored seminal works including The Economics of Knowledge (MIT Press, 2004) and Smart Specialisation (Routledge, 2015). His recent publications explore mission-oriented innovation policies, smart specialization in EU contexts, and knowledge diffusion mechanisms. Foray's work bridges academic theory with practical policy design, influencing regional and national innovation strategies globally. Advising: Past EPFL PhD students: Aouinait Camille Marguerite, Ayoubi Charles Chadi, Baruffaldi Stefano Horst, Bednyagin Denis, Bogers Marcellus, Coffano Monica, Conti Annamaria, Cristelli Gabriele, Gaulé Patrick, Hamdan Livramento Intan Maizurah, Marino Marianna, Muñoz Tellez de Kieffer Viviana Carolina, Pellegrin Claudia, Simeth Markus Foray's institutional roles include leadership in European policy initiatives and contributions to the World Bank's studies on innovation's role in economic growth. His interdisciplinary approach integrates economics, policy analysis, and technology management to address grand societal challenges through innovation.
Prof. Dr. Beat Hintermann is a Professor of Public Finance at the University of Basel's Faculty of Business and Economics (WWZ). His research focuses on public sector economics with particular emphasis on climate policy and mobility behavior. Hintermann leads empirical research using GPS tracking data to study transportation choices and the effectiveness of pricing mechanisms to encourage sustainable mobility options. His research interests span several interconnected areas: public sector economics, climate policy design, transportation economics, and environmental economics. He investigates how pricing mechanisms can influence individual behavior to reduce environmental externalities, with special attention to sustainable mobility solutions like e-biking. His work often combines economic theory with rich empirical analysis of real-world data, particularly examining the intersection of environmental policy and individual decision-making. Hintermann's recent publications reveal a strong focus on empirical mobility studies, particularly through the MOBIS dataset that tracks mobility behavior in Switzerland. His research shows how transport pricing can effectively promote e-biking and reduce negative externalities. He has also conducted significant work on carbon pricing mechanisms, emissions trading systems, and the impacts of climate policies on economic behavior. His work during the pandemic period examining mobility changes provides valuable insights into how external shocks affect transportation choices. Hintermann's research methodology is characterized by rigorous empirical analysis, often employing field experiments and large-scale GPS tracking data to measure behavioral responses to policy interventions. His work on Pigovian transport pricing represents an important contribution to understanding how economic instruments can be designed to address environmental externalities in the transportation sector. As part of the University of Basel's Faculty of Business and Economics, Hintermann contributes to research centers focused on sustainable development and environmental economics. His work bridges academic research with practical policy applications, providing evidence-based insights for policymakers designing effective environmental and transportation policies.
Dr. Mattia Andreoletti is a Lecturer at the Department of Health Sciences and Technology at ETH Zurich, working within the Professorship for Bioethics. His research spans philosophy of medicine and bioethics, with a focus on the ethical dimensions of AI in healthcare, dementia policy, drug regulation, and clinical reasoning. PhD from the European School of Molecular Medicine (SEMM), affiliated with the European Institute of Oncology (IEO, Milan) ORCID: 0000-0003-1880-0770 His work intersects with clinical ethics, particularly examining replicability in scientific research, evidential pluralism in drug regulation, and the ethical landscape of digital biomarkers. He contributes to courses such as Ethics in Drug Development and Ethics Workshop: The Impact of Digital Life on Society . The 15 most recent articles (2025-2023) highlight his engagement with AI ethics, dementia prevention, regulatory science, and clinical reasoning. Topics include ethical frameworks for digital biomarkers, evidential pluralism in drug approval, and philosophical foundations of rehabilitation sciences.
Martin Huber is Professor of Applied Econometrics and Policy Evaluation at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, within the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, Department of Economics. He leads the Chair of Applied Econometrics and maintains an active research profile with numerous publications in top economics and statistics journals. His work bridges theoretical econometrics with practical policy applications across multiple domains including labor, health, and education economics. Professor Huber earned his Ph.D. in Economics and Finance in 2010 and served as Assistant Professor at the University of St. Gallen until 2014. He has conducted research stays at Harvard University (2011/2012) and the University of Sydney (2014 and 2019), establishing an international research network. His academic affiliations include the Committee for Econometrics of the Verein für Socialpolitik, Global Labor Organization, Soda Labs (Monash Business School), and Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Mannheim. Huber's research focuses on data-based causal analysis , machine learning applications in economics , and policy evaluation methods . He specializes in developing and applying statistical and econometric methods for measuring causal effects, with particular emphasis on semi- and nonparametric microeconometrics. His work spans labor economics (gender occupational segregation, maternal labor supply), health economics, education policy, and competition policy (bid-rigging cartels detection). His recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a clear trajectory toward integrating machine learning techniques with traditional econometric methods for causal inference. This includes developing frameworks for causal discovery, improving difference-in-differences methods with machine learning, and creating novel approaches for detecting collusion in markets. His 2023 book "Causal Analysis: Impact Evaluation and Causal Machine Learning with Applications in R" (MIT Press) has become a key reference in the field. As an active researcher, Professor Huber directs several research projects including experimental evaluations of gender occupational segregation in the Swiss apprenticeship market. His work combines theoretical rigor with practical policy relevance, often employing experimental and quasi-experimental methods to address questions of causal mechanisms in social and economic phenomena. Through his Chair of Applied Econometrics, Huber supervises Ph.D. students and maintains an active research group focused on advancing causal inference methodologies. His work has significant implications for evidence-based policymaking across multiple sectors, particularly in evaluating the effectiveness of social programs and economic policies.
Prof. Dr. Michael Gerfin is a Professor of Public Economics at the University of Bern, affiliated with the Center for Regional Economic Development (CRED). His research focuses on health economics, labor economics, and tax-benefit models. He holds an office at A315 and can be reached via email. His work examines topics such as healthcare demand, physician incentives, and policy design, with recent contributions analyzing drug pricing, pandemic response strategies, and educational interventions in developing countries. Key themes in his publications include understanding how financial mechanisms influence provider behavior and designing effective social policies. Gerfin's research spans empirical studies on healthcare utilization, wage dynamics, and household decision-making. His analysis often integrates microsimulation techniques to evaluate policy impacts, such as in-work benefits and active labor market policies. Collaborations with Swiss statistical agencies highlight his engagement with real-world data, such as studies on adverse healthcare events and nursing staff ratios. His work bridges theoretical economic models with practical policy applications, emphasizing evidence-based solutions for public welfare challenges. Labs/Teams: Core member of the Center for Regional Economic Development (CRED), contributing to interdisciplinary projects on regional economic trends and public policy evaluation.
Simon Clematide is an Academic Associate at the Department of Computational Linguistics within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Zurich, where he has been actively engaged in research and teaching since the early 2000s. His work spans computational linguistics, natural language processing, and text mining with a particular focus on historical document processing, multilingual applications, and practical implementations of machine learning techniques. Dr. Clematide's research interests encompass Natural Language Processing , Computational Linguistics , Text Mining , Machine Learning , Sentiment Analysis , Named Entity Recognition , and Historical Document Processing . His interdisciplinary approach bridges computer science with humanities applications, particularly in analyzing historical newspapers and multilingual corpora. His work demonstrates strong expertise in developing practical NLP systems that address real-world challenges in document analysis and language processing. Over the past five years, his publication record reveals a consistent focus on historical text processing, multilingual NLP applications, and shared task competitions. His research shows particular strength in named entity recognition for historical documents (CLEF HIPE shared tasks), grapheme-to-phoneme conversion (SIGMORPHON shared tasks), and OCR post-processing for historical newspapers. The interdisciplinary nature of his work is evident in collaborations spanning computer science, linguistics, history, and geography. Dr. Clematide has been instrumental in organizing and participating in numerous shared tasks including CLEF-HIPE (2020-2022), SIGMORPHON (2017-2021), and CoNLL-SIGMORPHON (2017-2020), where his team achieved multiple first and second places. His teaching portfolio includes courses on Text Mining, Machine Learning for NLP, Deep Learning in Language Technology, and Sentiment Analysis, demonstrating his commitment to educating the next generation of computational linguists. He has led or participated in diverse research projects including NFP 77, impresso, Citizen Linguistics Projects (tonaccent.ch, dindialaekt.ch), SPARCLING, KTI project with Eurospider, and biomedical text mining initiatives (MANTRA, SASEBio). His interdisciplinary work extends to collaborations with material scientists and social scientists on concept extraction and text zoning applications. Dr. Clematide has contributed to the development of several computational tools and resources, including finite-state morphology systems for Rumansh Grishun, Standard German, and Swiss German, as well as the CLab web-based virtual laboratory for computational linguistics. His work on crowdsourcing OCR ground truth for heritage corpora demonstrates practical solutions to real-world digitization challenges.
Katarzyna Wac is a researcher at the University of Geneva affiliated with the Faculty of Economics and Management and the Information Science Institute . Her work bridges Digital Health , Mobile Computing , and Human-Computer Interaction , focusing on leveraging wearable devices, smartphones, and AI for health and quality of life (QoL) quantification. Research Themes: Digital biomarkers for Alzheimer's and migraines, QoL assessment via ubiquitous computing, peer- and self-reported behavioral data, and QoE of mobile applications. Labs: Leads the mQoL Lab , a platform for interactive, mobile, and wearable-based studies. Her recent publications explore Transformer models for health data analysis, social robots in homecare, and ethical frameworks for digital mental health. She has contributed to standards for proxy-reported QoL measures and personalized drug delivery systems in digital health. The multimodal integration of emotional signals and context-aware QoS/QoE provisioning for m-health services are recurring technical themes. Key collaborations include the MobiHealth project and COPD24 , translating future internet technologies into telemonitoring solutions. Her work spans from foundational studies on mobile cognition to applied ambulatory assessment of affect and health risks.
Nicolas Demartines is a Full Professor at the University of Lausanne (UNIL), Faculty of Biology and Medicine, and Head of the Visceral Surgery Department at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV). Since January 1, 2023, he has also served as the General Director of CHUV, demonstrating strong leadership in academic medicine. He previously led the Department of Surgery from 2019 to 2022. His research and teaching focus on oncological and hepatobiliary surgery, with a pioneering role in the development of the ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) program, which improves patient outcomes through optimized perioperative care. His work emphasizes holistic, evidence-based surgical practices that integrate multiple aspects of patient care. Nicolas Demartines earned his medical degree in 1983 and doctorate in 1987 from the University of Geneva. He completed surgical training in Basel, Lucerne, Zurich, France, and the United States, and served as deputy head of department at the University Hospital of Zurich before joining UNIL and CHUV in 2006. He is actively involved in clinical leadership, research, and surgical education, with no indication of retirement or part-time status. While specific publications and awards are not listed in the provided text, his influence in surgical innovation is well recognized. Prof. Demartines has advised numerous students and trainees in surgery; however, specific names are not provided. He has likely secured research grants related to surgical outcomes and ERAS protocols, though details are not mentioned. He is affiliated with the Visceral Surgery Department and contributes to the broader surgical and oncology research teams at CHUV and UNIL, fostering collaboration between clinical practice and academic research.
Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Veronika Waldboth is a Professor for Family-Centered Nursing at the ZHAW School of Health Sciences (Institute of Nursing). Her work focuses on Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) , Rare Diseases , Digital Technologies in Nursing , and Participative Mixed Methods Research . PhD in Nursing (2013-2017) from King's College London MSc and BSc in Nursing from Zurich University of Applied Sciences and University of Verona Her research explores family transitions in chronic conditions, with emphasis on neuromuscular diseases and low-birth-weight infants . She leads projects like the Swiss Nursing Research Agenda and Care-NMD-CH , focusing on interprofessional care models and digital health platforms. Recipient of the 2015 Nursing Science Foundation Switzerland Young Researchers Award Active in Rare Disease Action Forum and ORCID ID 0000-0003-2785-3241 Current projects include Care Management for Neuromuscular Diseases and Global Bridge in Health Professions Education . Her teaching includes Advanced Practice Competencies and Rare Diseases Nursing Education .
Edouard Gentaz is a Professor in the Psychology Section of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Geneva (UNIGE). He leads the Sensory-Motor, Affective and Social Development Laboratory (SMAS), where he conducts research on child development with particular focus on sensory-motor, emotional, and social aspects across typical and atypical developmental trajectories. His research interests span multiple domains of developmental psychology, with emphasis on emotion comprehension in children , tactile exploration skills , social-emotional development , and intervention strategies for children with developmental challenges including autism spectrum disorders, preterm infants, and children with intellectual disabilities. His methodological approach frequently employs eye-tracking technology to assess socio-emotional capabilities in populations with communication limitations. Gentaz's publication record shows consistent productivity with 78 publications spanning two decades, with recent work focusing on screen time effects on young children, emotion training interventions, and sensory processing in neurodevelopmental conditions. His collaborative approach is evident in publications addressing practical applications in educational settings and healthcare contexts. His scientific contributions include research on: Early social-emotional abilities in infants and toddlers Development of emotion discrimination across childhood Interventions for preterm children's emotional and executive competences Multisensory perception in neurodevelopmental disorders Impact of digital media on young children's development Gentaz has supervised 120 academic works, indicating significant mentorship activity. His research demonstrates strong translational potential with applications in educational settings, clinical interventions, and parenting guidance, particularly regarding screen exposure for very young children.
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in LausanneSwitzerland
Gaétan de Rassenfosse is an Associate Professor at EPFL's School of Management of Technology (CDM), specializing in Science, Technology, and Innovation Policies. He joined EPFL in 2014 and holds a PhD in Economics from the Solvay Business School (Université Libre de Bruxelles). His research focuses on crafting evidence-based policies for knowledge economies, particularly in intellectual property, intangible capital measurement, and 'science of science.' He has published in top journals like Journal of Industrial Economics and Research Policy , secured over CHF 2.5M in research grants, and advised governments and international organizations such as the European Commission and Swiss Federal Office for Education and Research (SERI). He teaches courses on innovation economics and intellectual property management. Professional roles include membership in the CDM Management Board, the Conference of Section Directors (CDS), and doctoral program committees. His advising includes guiding 5 PhD students focusing on policy impacts in clean technology, innovation incentives, and science organization. Key research themes span patent systems, innovation policy efficacy, and cross-border knowledge flows. He actively engages with media and policymakers to translate academic insights into actionable public strategies.
