Find Academic Supervisors

Tim Ruben DavidsonView profile

Researcher

• deep generative models
• agentic systems
• synthetic data
• +1 more

Tim Ruben Davidson is a Researcher at the Digital Life Lab (DLAB) within the School of Computer and Communication Sciences at EPFL. His current role is Doctoral Assistant, pursuing a doctoral program in Computer and Communication Sciences. His research focuses on advanced machine learning topics including deep generative models, agentic systems, synthetic data applications, and representation learning. His work bridges theoretical advancements in AI with practical implications, particularly in understanding AI agency, synthetic data generation, and latent space structures. Key research trends in his articles include exploring AI self-awareness, evaluating AI-driven peer review systems, and optimizing generative models through geometric and topological approaches. He has contributed to foundational studies on hyperspherical VAEs and reparameterization techniques on Lie groups, advancing mathematical foundations of neural networks. His work is published in top-tier venues and reflects interdisciplinary engagement between computer science, mathematics, and ethical AI considerations.

Arnout DevosView profile

Lecturer

• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Generative AI
• +5 more

Dr. Arnout Devos is a Lecturer at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich and a staff member at the ETH AI Center and ELLIS. His work focuses on Artificial Intelligence research and education, with specializations in generative AI, few-shot learning, and accelerating deep tech innovation. He co-founded the Sciencepreneurship Community to foster entrepreneurial scientists and leads initiatives like the ETH AI Center Academic Talk Series (AICATS) to bridge academic collaborations. Education: PhD in Machine Learning (EPFL, 2024) as a Marie-Curie fellow; Master’s in Computer Science (USC, 2018); degrees in Management, Electrical Engineering, and EECS (KU Leuven). Awards include the EPFL Teaching Assistant Award (2024). Research interests span AI ethics, healthcare applications, and interdisciplinary collaborations. His PhD thesis advanced few-shot learning techniques for efficient model adaptation. Projects include the Sciencepreneurship Summer School and investments via S2S Ventures, including exits like Digit Soil. Key Activities: Academic leadership, startup mentorship, venture capital advising Labs/Teams: ETH AI Center, ELLIS, S2S Ventures Grants: Marie-Curie Fellowship (PhD funding)

• Natural Language Processing
• Machine Learning
• Artificial Intelligence
• +6 more

Deniz Bayazit is a Doctoral Assistant at the Natural Language Processing Lab (NLP) within the School of Computer and Communication Sciences at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). He is concurrently a doctoral student in the Doctoral Program in Computer and Communication Sciences (EDIC), part of the EDOC doctoral school at EPFL, indicating an active research and academic training role. His research interests are centered on Natural Language Processing and related areas in artificial intelligence and machine learning, aligning with the focus of his lab and department. These include computational linguistics, deep learning for language, text mining, speech processing, and information retrieval. No scientific awards or publications have been listed in the provided text. As a doctoral assistant, he is likely involved in research supervision and academic support, though no advisees are mentioned. He is based in office INR 218 at EPFL’s Station 14 campus in Lausanne, Switzerland.

• AI Security
• AI Safety & Alignment
• Cooperative AI
• +6 more

Sahar Abdelnabi is an AI Security Researcher at Microsoft and will join the ELLIS Institute Tübingen as a Faculty/Principal Investigator. She is co-affiliated with the Max-Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and Tübingen AI Center , leading the COMPASS Research Group focused on safe, aligned, and steerable AI agents with emphasis on security, human-AI interaction, and cooperative systems. Her research spans three pillars: (1) Probing AI failures through biases, emergent risks, and misuse scenarios; (2) Developing defenses like white-box control methods and reasoning enhancements; and (3) Leveraging AI for societal good through scientific discovery. Key contributions include coining indirect prompt injection vulnerabilities (2023), pioneering generative AI watermarking (2020), and receiving the ACL2025 Best Paper Award for work on LLM sampling heuristics. PhD in Computer Science (2019-2024) from CISPA Helmholtz Center , advised by Prof. Dr. Mario Fritz MSc in Computer Science from Saarland University Research Highlights Her work bridges AI security and safety with sociopolitical implications, focusing on prompt injection , cooperative multi-agent systems , and contextual integrity . She has been recognized by policymakers and industry leaders, including NIST , OWASP , and Microsoft's AI Bug Bounty Program . Scientific Awards Best Paper Award at ACL2025 Best Paper Award at AISec'23 Workshop Spotlight Paper at NeurIPS Datasets and Benchmarks 2024 Academic Leadership She actively contributes to the AI and security communities through: Program Committee: IEEE S&P (2026) , SaTML (2024-2026), USENIX Security (2025) Organized IEEE SaTML'25 LLMail-Inject Challenge Reviewed for top conferences: ICLR , NeurIPS , CVPR

Martin OderskyView profile

Professor

• Programming languages
• Object-oriented programming
• Functional programming
• +6 more

Martin Odersky is a Full Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences, where he heads the Programming Methods Laboratory (LAMP1). He maintains dual teaching appointments in the Systems and Software Engineering (SIN) and Software and Systems Engineering (SSC) sections. Education: Doctorate from ETH Zurich (1989) Odersky's research fundamentally explores the unification of object-oriented and functional programming paradigms. His work spans language design, type theory, compiler construction, and semantic foundations, driven by the thesis that these paradigms are complementary facets of a single computational model. This vision materialized in the Scala programming language, engineered for seamless Java/.NET interoperability while advancing type-safe abstractions for modern software development. His publication trajectory (1997-2005) reveals consistent innovation in bridging theoretical rigor with industrial applicability. Key themes include component-based modularity (Scalable Component Abstractions), dependent type systems for objects, and practical implementations of generics and functional constructs, all converging toward expressive yet safe programming models. Advising and Funding: Odersky has mentored 29 PhD students across his career, including 5 current candidates. His research sustains major funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation, European Commission, and Hasler Foundation, enabling foundational work in language design and implementation. Laboratory: He directs EPFL's Programming Methods Laboratory (LAMP), which drives Scala's evolution and investigates next-generation programming abstractions for concurrency, modularity, and type-driven development.

Marco MaggiView profile

Associate Professor

• Literary Intermediality
• Comparative Literature
• Reception Studies
• +3 more

Marco Maggi is Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Italian Switzerland (USI), affiliated with the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society. He co-directs the Master's program in Italian Language, Literature, and Civilization and previously served as Vice Dean (2020–2022). His editorial roles span multiple international series, including Crossovers: New Perspectives on CompLit and Diomira. Studi teorici sull'intermedialità , and he curates the Lea Ritter Santini Collection at the Natalino Sapegno Foundation. Marco Maggi's research delves into Literary intermediality, particularly between literature and visual culture Comparative literature, focusing on European Baroque and modernity Reception studies of classical texts in contemporary contexts Cultural transfer mechanisms in historical and artistic frameworks His 2020–2022 Images in Question project at USI's Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society exemplifies his commitment to interdisciplinary visual analysis. His publications portfolio, Walter Benjamin and Dante (2017) Visual Modernity of The Betrothed (2019) Intermediate Forms (2025) reveals a trajectory from Baroque textual theory to contemporary ecocriticism projects exploring natural inscriptions. Scientific recognition includes Italian national scientific qualification (2017) and fellowships at Naples' Italian Institute for Philosophical Studies (1999–2001) and Paris' Institut d'Études littéraires (2005). As curator of documentary exhibitions like Affioramenti (2018), and regular contributor to L'Indice dei Libri del Mese and antinomie.it , he bridges academic research with public intellectual discourse through frequent media appearances and cultural curation.

Brigitte TagView profile

Professor

• Criminal Law
• Medical Law
• Biomedical Ethics
• +3 more

Brigitte Tag is a former Professor and Chair of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law, and Medical Law at the University of Zurich until January 2025. She served as Chairwoman of the Competence Centre Medicine - Ethics - Law Helvetiae (MERH), Programme Director of the PhD Programme in Biomedical Ethics and Law (Law Track), and Investigating Person in Cases of Sexual Harassment at UZH. Her roles included overseeing interdisciplinary collaboration between medicine, ethics, and law, as well as academic governance and harassment investigations. Her research and professional activities focus on intersections of criminal law with medical practice, legal ethics, and biomedical ethics. She delivered a farewell lecture titled ' Medicine and (Criminal) Law ' in December 2024, which remains accessible via recording. She is also affiliated with the Center for Animal Law and Ethics (CALE). Brigitte Tag maintained administrative responsibilities through MERH’s management (Office H 10) and academic leadership in the Law Track of the Biomedical Ethics and Law PhD program. Her work emphasizes institutional ethics frameworks and gender equality in academia, as evidenced by a German-language interview series on women in academic leadership.

Tobias HodelView profile

Assistant Professor

• Digital Humanities
• Machine Learning in the Humanities
• Critical Algorithm Studies
• +3 more

Prof. Dr. Tobias Hodel is an Assistant Professor of Digital Humanities at the University of Bern, affiliated with the Walter Benjamin College. His work focuses on applying machine learning and critical algorithm studies to historical and textual analysis. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Zurich and has held roles such as Project Manager for the Königsfelden Edition Project and coordinator of the 'Ad fontes' e-learning program. Hodel’s research explores intersections between digital methods and traditional humanities, emphasizing ethical AI use in archives and historical workflows. He supervises numerous doctoral students and chairs the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (SAGW). His contributions span publications in journals like Historische Zeitschrift and conferences such as DHd and Digital Humanities. Education: Studied History and German Literature at the University of Zurich (2002–2010), with advanced roles in SNF-funded projects and book publications. His research interests include digital edition theory, text processing, and the epistemology of digital methods. Key research trends in his articles address historical document analysis, OCR advancements, and the ethical implications of AI in archives. He co-leads the ‘Basic Research and Digitization’ department at the Swiss Society for History and oversees programs like the MAS/CAS in Archives, Library, and Information Science. Hodel’s work bridges technical innovation with critical humanities scholarship.

• Software Composition
• Web 2.0 Mashups
• Cloud Computing
• +6 more

Cesare Pautasso is a Full Professor at the Software Institute within the Faculty of Informatics at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) in Lugano, Switzerland. His research focuses on software composition techniques, Web 2.0 mashups, cloud computing, business process management, and RESTful API design. He has led projects like JOpera, a service composition tool, and contributed to frameworks such as Liquid Software for adaptive distributed systems. Education: PhD in Computer Science from ETH Zurich (2004) and a Computer Science Engineering Degree (cum laude) from Politecnico di Milano (2000). Research Interests include model-driven engineering, service-oriented architectures, and API analytics. He has authored over 200 publications and serves on numerous program committees, including IEEE and ACM. His work has been funded by grants from Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), EU projects like S-CUBE, and industry collaborations. Teaching and Training: Focuses on Web Development, Enterprise Architecture, and emerging technologies. Active in conferences as general chair of ECOWS 2011 and ICWE 2016. Labs/Teams: Leads research groups exploring API design, blockchain applications, and adaptive systems. Collaborates with institutions like HPI Potsdam and ETH Zurich on projects like FC4MC and API-ACE.

Laura PozziView profile

Professor

• Embedded Systems
• Compiler Techniques
• Coarse-Grain Reconfigurable Architectures
• +3 more

Laura Pozzi is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Informatics, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Switzerland, since 2015. She previously held positions as Associate Professor (2011–2015) and Assistant Professor (2005–2011) at USI. Prior to joining USI, she was a postdoctoral researcher at EPFL's Processor Architecture Laboratory (2001–2005), a research engineer at STMicroelectronics (2000), and an Industrial Visitor at UC Berkeley (2000). Education: MS and PhD in Computer Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy (1996–2000). Her research focuses on the interaction between compiler and architecture design, particularly in embedded systems , with key areas including approximate computing , coarse-grained reconfigurable arrays (CGRAs) , high-level synthesis (HLS) , and fuzz testing . She has led projects on automated design space exploration, compiler optimizations for reconfigurable architectures, and error estimation in approximate circuits. Recent Publications span topics like SAT-based mapping for CGRAs , grammar-based fuzzing of shell interpreters , and approximate logic synthesis , reflecting her interdisciplinary work bridging hardware/software co-design and software verification. Scientific Awards: Credit Swiss Best Teaching Award IEEE DAC Best Paper Award Leadership Roles: Co-Program Chair, IEEE Symposium on Application Specific Processors (SASP) Editorial Board Member, IEEE Design and Test Students: Current: Rodrigo Otoni (Postdoc), Morteza Rezaalipour (PhD), Riccardo Felici (PhD), Cristian Tirelli (PhD) Alumni: Ilaria Scarabottolo (PhD/Postdoc), Lorenzo Ferretti (PhD/Postdoc), Georgios Zacharopoulos (PhD), Giovanni Ansaloni (PhD/Postdoc), Paolo Bonzini (PhD)

Doreen Flick-HoltschView profile

Professor

• Professional Competencies of Teachers
• Teaching-Learning Processes
• Entrepreneurship Education
• +5 more

Prof. Doreen Flick-Holtsch is a Professor of Secondary School and Business Education at the University of Zurich's Faculty of Arts and Humanities, with a focus on digital learning. She holds a Habilitation (2018) and PhD (2007) in educational sciences. Her research emphasizes teacher competencies, educational processes in secondary/vocational schools, entrepreneurship education, and digital transformation in learning. Key roles include leading the Institute for Professional Research & Competence Development (2018–2021) and serving on the Swiss National Science Foundation's Ambizione Panel since 2020. Her academic career includes senior roles at institutions like the University of Göttingen (2010–2011) and extensive advisory work on national education reforms such as the "Economic Education Study" and the Gymnasium Maturity Redesign Project. Teaching responsibilities span educational science and vocational pedagogy programs, including the Master's in Vocational and Business Education. She co-leads projects like the "iPAL" initiative on international critical thinking assessments and the "EvaQ" program evaluating teacher training pathways. Research interests are structured around three pillars: 1) Teacher professionalization and competency modeling, 2) Competency-enhancing teaching methodologies (especially digital integration), and 3) Entrepreneurship education's role in fostering economic literacy. Her publications (over 15 since 2020) explore topics like critical thinking assessment frameworks, teacher well-being profiles, and digital transformation in accounting education.

Markus Müller-ChenView profile

Professor

• Private Law
• International Private Law
• Commercial Law
• +5 more

Professor Markus Müller-Chen is a full Professor of Private Law, International Private and Commercial Law and Comparative Law at the University of St. Gallen's Law School. He holds the Müller-Chen Chair and teaches courses at bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels while supervising theses across all academic stages. His research focuses on national and international contract and commercial law, international private, civil and arbitration law, art law, and comparative law. His academic career has consistently featured international themes, including time as a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law and as a guest professor at Santa Clara University. Since 2009, he has maintained an active legal practice as an independent attorney in commercial law and international civil and arbitration law. Private and Commercial Law International Private Law Comparative Law Art Law and Copyright Contract and Arbitration Law Civil Procedure Professor Müller-Chen received the Science Prize of the City of Basel in 2000 for his scholarly contributions. He has demonstrated exceptional leadership in student mentoring through the HSG Vis Moot Team, which competes in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Under his guidance in 2023, the team achieved historic success by becoming the first Swiss team ever to win the competition against 383 international opponents, also securing the Eric E. Bergsten Award for the oral phase and honorable mentions for their legal papers. In 2022, his team reached the top 16 among all competitors. Professor Müller-Chen serves as lead instructor for the English-language "Business Law" module in the International Executive MBA program at HSG and for the German-language "Unternehmen und Marktpartner" module of the WRM-HSG continuing education program.

Ben JannView profile

Professor

• Statistical Methods
• Data Visualization
• Social Inequality
• +2 more

Ben Jann is a Professor and current Department Head at the University of Bern in the Department of Social Sciences . His methodological expertise spans statistical software development, decomposition analysis, and data visualization. Role: Department Head Institution: University of Bern Department: Department of Social Sciences Research Interests : Jann specializes in creating Stata modules for advanced statistical analysis, including geospatial mapping (geoplot), robust regression (robreg10), and inequality decomposition (oaxaca-blinder methods). His substantive work examines social inequality through economic and sociological lenses, analyzing how living costs and taxation systems impact income distribution in Switzerland. He also investigates educational transitions and gender disparities in STEM occupational choices through longitudinal studies like TREE2. Recent Publications Trends : Jann’s 15 most recent articles (2025-2023) demonstrate his focus on statistical software development for social science applications. Key contributions include methods for marginal odds ratios (2023), two-level model variance decomposition (2025), and list experiment analysis (2025). His empirical work connects statistical methodology to pressing social issues like gender wage gaps (2021) and teacher content knowledge in developing countries (2021).

• Medical Data Science
• Anomaly Detection
• Generative AI
• +3 more

Dr. Thomas Sutter is a Researcher affiliated with the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich , specifically part of the Professorship for Medical Data Science. His work focuses on advanced machine learning techniques applied to medical data, including anomaly detection, generative AI, and multimodal learning. He contributes to healthcare innovation through projects like improving radiology diagnostics via Vision-Language Models (RadVLM) and developing denoising techniques for physiological signals in cardiology. Research Interests: Medical Data Science, Anomaly Detection in Healthcare, Generative AI for Biomedical Signals, Multimodal Representation Learning, and Cardiac Function Prediction using Echocardiograms. His methods often combine deep learning with domain-specific medical challenges. Key Publications Trends: Recent work emphasizes medical imaging analysis (e.g., MIMIC-CXR studies), generative models for signal denoising, and contrastive learning for anomaly detection. His research bridges computer science theory with clinical applications, particularly in cardiology and radiology. Awards & Grants: No specific awards or grants mentioned in the provided texts. Advising & Teams: While no advisees are listed, he collaborates within the Medical Data Science research group at ETH Zurich, contributing to interdisciplinary projects in healthcare AI.

Alexandre de SpindlerView profile

Professor

• Conversational Agents
• Generative AI
• Information Systems
• +8 more

Prof. Dr. Alexandre de Spindler is a Professor of Information Systems at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) within the School of Management and Law . He co-leads the Center for Information Systems and Technologies and focuses on application development frameworks for conversational interactions with information systems, leveraging multimodal foundation models while enhancing their controllability and reliability. His work extends to improving social skills in digital interactions and teaching agile requirements engineering. University: Zurich University of Applied Sciences School: School of Management and Law Department: Institute of Business Information Technology Academic Rank: Professor His research explores conversational systems , generative AI , and stateful prompt orchestration for complex interactions, particularly in healthcare and financial sectors. Recent work includes frameworks like PROMISE for model-driven prompt management and Science Fiction Prototyping for responsible AI innovation. Teaching contributions span data science programs (BSc, MSc, CAS) covering machine learning, generative AI, and full-stack application validation. He collaborates across disciplines including gerontology and forensic phonetics, with a focus on applying AI to societal challenges.