Prof. Angelika Steger is a Full Professor in the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, leading research in theoretical computer science since 2003. She holds a Master's in Applied Mathematics from Stony Brook University (1985) and a PhD from the University of Bonn (1990). Her career includes roles at Kiel, Duisburg, and TU München before joining ETH. She is a Leopoldina member (2007), ICM speaker (2014), and Collegium Helveticum Fellow (2009+). Research focuses on probabilistic methods, randomized algorithms, graph theory, and combinatorial optimization. She has contributed to understanding discrete structures, neural networks, and algorithmic resilience. Awards include recognition in both computer science and mathematics circles. Her work bridges theoretical foundations with applications in AI, neuroscience, and distributed systems.
Maciej Besta is a leading researcher at ETH Zurich's Institute for Computing Platforms, where he heads research initiatives at the Scalable Parallel Computing Lab (SPCL) and contributes to the ETH Future Computing Laboratory (EFCL). Working under the mentorship of Professor Torsten Hoefler, he has established himself as a prominent figure in high-performance computing, graph processing, and large language models. Position: Researcher at Institute for Computing Platforms, ETH Zurich Research Leadership: Head of Sparse Graph Computations and Large Language Models Research at SPCL Collaboration: Leads project management for SPCL's contributions to ETH Future Computing Laboratory Besta's research spans multiple abstraction levels, from hardware and network topologies to middleware, algorithms, and programming models. His primary focus areas include graph-enhanced language models, graph neural networks, graph databases, and sparse models, with applications across various computational settings. He approaches these problems through rigorous performance modeling and formal reasoning, emphasizing both scalability and practical implementation. His recent publications reveal a clear trend toward integrating graph structures with language models and AI systems. Besta has pioneered work on graph databases, knowledge graphs of thoughts, and higher-order graph neural networks, while maintaining his strong foundation in high-performance computing and network topology design. His research bridges traditional HPC with cutting-edge AI, creating novel approaches for efficient large-scale computation. IEEE TCSC Award for Excellence in Scalable Computing (Early Career, 2023) Multiple Best Paper Awards at Supercomputing conferences (2022, 2023) ACM SIGHPC Doctoral Dissertation Award (2022) ETH Medal for outstanding doctoral thesis (2021) Fellow of The Explorers Club (2022) Besta actively mentors ETH Zurich students through semester projects, Bachelor's, and Master's theses, focusing on graph processing and related computer science challenges. His mentorship extends beyond technical guidance, incorporating lessons from his extensive polar and mountaineering expeditions that emphasize mental resilience, efficient risk management, and leadership. He has supervised numerous student projects that have resulted in high-impact publications at top-tier conferences. As a core member of the Scalable Parallel Computing Lab, Besta collaborates with researchers across ETH Zurich and international institutions. His unique approach integrates insights from extreme environment expeditions into research methodology, creating a distinctive framework for tackling complex computational problems. The lab's work under his leadership spans theoretical modeling, practical implementation, and real-world deployment of high-performance systems.
Hans-Joachim Böckenhauer is a Lecturer at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zürich, specializing in theoretical computer science with a focus on algorithms, online algorithms, and computational complexity. His research explores algorithmic optimization in problems like knapsack, graph exploration, and parameterized complexity. Affiliation: ETH Zürich, Department of Computer Science Research Interests: Online Algorithms, Graph Theory, Algorithm Design, Computational Complexity His work emphasizes the theoretical foundations of algorithms, including advice complexity and reoptimization strategies. Recent contributions address online knapsack variants, graph exploration with limited memory, and parameterized problem-solving.
Cansin Yaman Evrenosoglu is a Principal Expert at the Research Center for Energy Networks (FEN) at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. His academic journey includes a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Power Engineering from Istanbul Technical University (1998–2001) and a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Texas A&M University (2006). Prior to FEN, he held roles such as Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech (2011–2013) and University of Nevada Reno (2008–2011), and Principal Scientist at ABB Corporate Research (2013–2019). His research focuses on electric power grids, including design, operation, and protection of transmission/distribution systems. Key areas include secure integration of renewable energy sources, high-penetration scenarios with energy storage systems, electric vehicles, solar PVs, and heat pumps. He is a Senior Member of IEEE and served as Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid (2014–2019). Evrenosoglu has supervised numerous students, including PhD graduates Meghana M. Reddy and Alexandra Weinberger, and has contributed to projects like the Arrangements and Drawings initiative. His work spans academic and industrial collaborations, emphasizing infrastructure planning and smart grid technologies.
Dr. Blazhe Gjorgiev is a Lecturer at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zürich. His research focuses on power systems reliability, energy transition modeling, and grid risk engineering. He leads the Reliability and Risk Engineering group, addressing challenges in grid resilience, renewable integration, and cascading failure mitigation. His work bridges machine learning applications with physical grid systems, emphasizing data-driven approaches for infrastructure optimization. Key research interests include: Power grid reliability and vulnerability analysis Renewable energy integration and policy implications Data-driven modeling of transmission and distribution systems Machine learning for fault detection and grid operation Recent publications highlight advancements in anomaly detection for power line inspection, European energy transition policies, and graph-based power grid benchmarking. His work often intersects with socio-technical issues, such as energy inequities and infrastructure resilience in aging systems. Dr. Gjorgiev collaborates on projects like the Nexus-e platform for energy-economic assessments and the Cascades-Risk model for expansion planning. His research has practical implications for grid modernization, policy design, and sustainable energy systems.
Tianyi Zhang is a Researcher at the Professorship for Theoretical Computer Science, ETH Zurich, located at OAT Z 29, Andreasstrasse 5. His research focuses on advancing fundamental algorithms in graph theory, with particular expertise in dynamic graph problems, efficient spanner constructions, edge coloring optimizations, and shortest-path computations. Dr. Zhang develops both theoretical frameworks and practical implementations for complex computational challenges. His core research areas include the design of near-linear and subquadratic time algorithms for graph optimization problems, fault-tolerant network structures, streaming-optimized graph coloring, and geometric graph embeddings. Recent work emphasizes breakthroughs in Vizing's theorem implementations, dynamic set cover deamortization, and space-efficient distance oracles. Dr. Zhang's publications demonstrate consistent innovation in algorithm efficiency for planar graphs, Euclidean spaces, and dynamic network settings. His 2023-2025 articles reveal concentrated efforts on: 1) Optimizing edge coloring through multi-step Vizing chains and streaming adaptations, 2) Enhancing spanner constructions for doubling metrics and planar environments, and 3) Developing failure-resistant path algorithms with improved time/space complexity. These contributions address scalability challenges in large-scale network processing. He collaborates within the Theoretical Computer Science research group at ETH Zurich, contributing to the institution's leadership in algorithmic innovation. No information about awarded grants, supervised students, or educational background is available in the source materials.
Fabio Widmer is a PhD researcher at the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control (IDSC) within ETH Zürich's Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in mechanical engineering from ETH Zürich in 2015 and 2017, respectively, with distinction, focusing on electric mobility and energy flows during his studies. His academic background includes: B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, ETH Zürich (2015) M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, ETH Zürich (2017) Widmer's research centers on model-based optimization of thermal and energy management systems for electrified public transport vehicles. His work spans electric buses, hydrogen hybrid vehicles, and charging infrastructure optimization. He has made significant contributions to understanding energy-comfort trade-offs in HVAC systems, developing optimization methods for charging strategies, and creating online-capable control algorithms for hydrogen vehicles. His research combines theoretical modeling with practical applications, utilizing dynamic programming, model predictive control, and scenario-based optimization approaches to address real-world transportation challenges. Widmer has received recognition for his academic achievements, including two Outstanding Bachelor Awards and a scholarship from ETH Zürich's Excellence Scholarship and Opportunity Programme. His research has resulted in numerous publications in high-impact journals such as Control Engineering Practice, Energy, and Energies, demonstrating both theoretical rigor and practical relevance to sustainable transportation systems. As part of his research activities, Widmer has contributed to projects including ISOTHERM and Swiss eBus Plus. He was also actively involved with ETH's formula student team AMZ, where student teams develop and compete with self-developed electric race cars, reflecting his hands-on approach to electric mobility research.
Micha Wasem is an Associate Professor at the Fribourg School of Engineering and Architecture (HES-SO), affiliated with the Institute for Intelligent and Secure Systems. His research spans mathematical modeling, geometric analysis, and statistical methods with applications in engineering contexts. Current projects include FRISAM-Swisslos (statistical game analysis) and metamodeling techniques for geotechnical applications. His publications demonstrate expertise in computational mathematics, algebraic structures, and geometric equilibria. Teaching responsibilities include mathematics courses across engineering programs including civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering disciplines.
Andreas Fischer is an Ordentlicher Professor at the Fribourg School of Engineering and Architecture (HES-SO), specializing in Pattern Recognition, Machine Learning, and Document Analysis. His research focuses on handwriting recognition, graph-based methods, and applications in cultural heritage preservation and medical imaging. Education: BSc in Computer Science from Fribourg School of Engineering and Architecture Research Interests: Graph Neural Networks for automata universality analysis Hybrid systems for Vietnamese stele keyword spotting Medical image analysis (colorectal cancer, tumor budding) Large language models for post-OCR correction Key Projects: TAINA Technology (handwriting validation for tax forms) Swisscom (Swiss German to High German translation) Hasler Foundation (Vietnamese stele graph-based analysis) Publications: Over 30 peer-reviewed articles in top journals/conferences (IEEE Access, Medical Image Analysis, Pattern Recognition, etc.), with focus on graph-based methods, handwriting recognition, and medical applications. Grants & Roles: Principal Applicant for multiple industry-funded projects (TAINA, Swisscom) Co-developer of DIVA-DAF deep learning framework
Dimosthenis Pasadakis is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Computing (CI) of the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), where he serves as the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Huawei Research Center Zürich-funded project on Directed Acyclic Graph Partitioning for Scheduling Tasks. His research focuses on graph learning, combinatorial optimization, and large-scale algorithms for clustering, anomaly detection, and data analysis. He also holds the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Panua Technologies Sagl, a Lugano-based software company specializing in high-end solutions for graph analytics and optimization. His academic journey includes a PhD successfully defended in 2023, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) project on Balanced Graph Partition Refinement. He has organized minisymposia at SIAM LA 24 and PASC 24, and his work has been recognized with awards such as the IEEE HPEC Outstanding Paper Award (2024) and the IEEE SDS24 Best Poster Award (2024). Key research interests include spectral clustering, graph-based fraud detection, and high-performance computing. He actively collaborates with industry through grants and maintains an academic-industrial bridge through Panua Technologies.
Prof. Gunnar Rätsch is a Full Professor in the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zürich and Deputy Head of the Institute for Machine Learning. His research focuses on developing machine learning methods for biomedical applications, including genomics, medical imaging, and clinical decision support systems. He specializes in integrating multi-omics data, spatial transcriptomics, and time-series analysis to address challenges in precision medicine and critical care. His work emphasizes ethical AI frameworks, algorithmic fairness, and robust clinical prediction models. Key research areas include: Deep learning for medical imaging and histopathology Single-cell analysis and tumor profiling Reinforcement learning for treatment optimization in ICUs Multimodal data integration for clinical applications Recent work highlights advancements in: Standardizing single-cell cytometry readouts for clinical use Developing foundation models for critical care time-series analysis Creating interpretable survival models for ICU patients His contributions span foundational machine learning theory and applied healthcare technologies, with a focus on translational research to improve clinical outcomes. Current projects include the Tumor Profiler Study for multi-omic tumor analysis and ethical frameworks for clinical AI systems.
Markus Püschel is a Professor of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, leading the Advanced Computing Laboratory. He previously served as Head of the Department of Computer Science at ETH from 2013 to 2016. Before joining ETH in 2010, he was a Professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and retains adjunct status there. He holds a PhD in Computer Science (1998) and a Mathematics Diploma (1995) from the University of Karlsruhe. His research focuses on program generation for performance, Fourier analysis, signal processing, machine learning, and compiler optimization. He pioneered the SPIRAL system for generating optimized signal processing libraries and has contributed to algebraic signal processing theory. His work bridges mathematical foundations with practical high-performance computing, emphasizing automated code generation and domain-specific languages. Research trends in his articles include causal inference on directed acyclic graphs, quantized neural network inference, and efficient compiler techniques. His work on graph signal processing and causal analysis has led to novel methods in time-series data and DAG learning. Awards: IEEE Fellow (2020), Golden Owl Teaching Award (2015), NSF Discovery Grant (2008), and multiple best paper awards. Grants/Projects: Co-PI for Making Program Analysis Fast (SNF), SPIRAL GPU projects, and collaborations with industry partners like Intel and AMD. He advises over 40 PhD and master’s students, many of whom contribute to impactful projects in compilers, machine learning, and signal processing. His lab also co-founded the Swiss Data Science Center.
Kai Hormann is a full professor in the Faculty of Informatics at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI Lugano). He earned his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg in 2002 and has held positions at Clausthal University of Technology, Caltech, and the CNR in Pisa. His research focuses on mathematical foundations of geometry processing, including barycentric coordinates, subdivision algorithms, and rational interpolation. Hormann has authored over 100 publications and serves as an associate editor for journals like Computer Aided Geometric Design and Dolomites Research Notes on Approximation . In 2024, he received the prestigious John A. Gregory Award for his contributions to geometric modeling. Education : Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg (2002) Diploma in Mathematics, University of Erlangen (1997) Abitur, Leibniz-Gymnasium Bad Schwartau (1992) Research Interests : Hormann’s work bridges computer science, applied mathematics, and engineering. His current projects include interactive shape deformations, time-dependent object processing, 3D visualization, and GPU-accelerated algorithms. His research areas encompass geometry processing, computational sciences, and numerical analysis. Publications : His recent articles focus on barycentric coordinates, subdivision schemes, and surface reconstruction. Themes include transfinite coordinates, curvature continuity, and efficient interpolation methods. Awards : John A. Gregory Award (2024) Chair of SIAM Activity Group on Geometric Design (2017–2018) Advising & Grants : He has advised numerous PhD students, including work on barycentric rational curves and subdivision schemes. He has organized conferences such as the SIAM GD and GMP series, reflecting his leadership in computational geometry. Labs & Teams : Hormann is affiliated with the Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IDSIA USI-SUPSI), collaborating on interdisciplinary projects in AI and geometry processing.
Cesare Alippi is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Informatics, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), and also holds a professorship at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He serves as a visiting Professor at Guangdong University of Technology (China) and Consultant Professor at Northwestern Polytechnic of Xi'an (China). His academic leadership extends to multiple international institutions where he has served as a visiting researcher including UCL (UK), MIT (USA), ESPCI (France), CASIA (China), A*STAR (Singapore), and University of Kobe (Japan). Professor Alippi's research interests center around graph-based learning, adaptation and learning in non-stationary environments, and intelligence for embedded, cyber-physical systems and IoT. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in sensor networks, environmental monitoring, and industrial processes. He has established significant research infrastructure including the Wireless Embedded Systems (WEmSy) Lab and the Internet of Things Lab, with notable deployments for marine environment monitoring in Queensland, Australia and the Fiji Islands, as well as rockfall and landslide monitoring systems across Italy and Switzerland. His research output shows a clear evolution toward graph-based deep learning approaches for time series analysis, anomaly detection, and spatiotemporal forecasting, reflecting the growing importance of graph neural networks in handling complex relational data in non-stationary environments. Major Awards: IEEE CIS Enrique Ruspini Meritorious Service Award (2024) IEEE CIS Outstanding Computational Intelligence Magazine Paper Award (2018) Gabor Award from International Neural Network Society (2016) IBM Faculty Award (2013) IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society Young Engineer Award (2004) Professor Alippi has held significant leadership roles including Past Board of Governors member of the International Neural Network Society, Past member of the Administrative Committee of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society, and Past Vice-President for Education of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society. He has served as Associate Editor for Proceedings of IEEE and several other prestigious journals. His research has been supported through numerous grants including an IBM Faculty Award in 2013 specifically for research on Intelligent Embedded Systems working in non-stationary environments. His research infrastructure includes the Wireless Embedded Systems (WEmSy) Lab and the Internet of Things Lab, with notable deployments including a sophisticated automatic, adaptive, sustainable and reliable wireless monitoring system for marine environments deployed in Queensland, Australia (2007) and under deployment at the Fiji Islands (2014-2015). He has also led several top-world deployments for rockfall and landslide monitoring across Italy and Switzerland since 2010, demonstrating the practical impact of his research in real-world harsh environments.
Marco Zaffalon is Professor and Scientific Director at IDSIA (Istituto Dalle Molle di Studi sull'Intelligenza Artificiale), affiliated with the Università della Svizzera italiana's Faculty of Informatics. He leads a 30-member research group on probabilistic machine learning and has published over 150 papers. Education: M.Sc. in Computer Science (Università degli Studi di Milano) Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics (Università degli Studi di Milano) Research spans probabilistic machine learning, causal AI, imprecise probabilities, and quantum computation. His work develops theoretical foundations for uncertainty reasoning and applies them to AI systems. Recent publications focus on causal inference with LLMs, counterfactual computation, and quantum decision models. Articles consistently explore intersections of probability theory, computational methods, and real-world applications like healthcare. Trends include advancing tractability in causal queries and bridging logical frameworks with machine learning. Administrative roles include co-founding Artificialy (as Chief Scientist) and directing IDSIA since 2019. He teaches courses in Causal AI, Uncertain Reasoning, and Probability.
