Dr. Cécile Münch-Alligné is an Ordinary Professor at the School of Engineering, HES-SO Valais-Wallis. She leads the Hydroelectricity research group and Renewable Energies orientation, focusing on sustainable energy systems and advanced turbine technologies. BSc in Industrial Systems from HES-SO Valais-Wallis MSc in Engineering from HES-SO Master Her research spans hydropower innovation, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, and flexible energy systems. Key projects include: Swiss Competence Center for Electricity (SCCER) phases I & II Xflex Hydro for hydraulic short-circuit technology TUNE micro-turbine deployment in urban networks Scientific contributions emphasize Pelton/Francis turbine dynamics, vortex rope behavior, and pumped storage optimization. She pioneered counter-rotating microturbine applications in water networks and advanced diagnostic methods for turbine fatigue analysis. Collaborations include industry partners like Stahleinbau GmbH, The Ark, and FMHL/FMHL+ hydropower plants. Her work bridges numerical simulations with field validation, targeting energy efficiency improvements and operational longevity.
Matthias Stark serves as Professor of Energy Systems Engineering at the Institute of Thermal and Fluid Engineering, School of Engineering and Environment, FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (Windisch) since 2020. Previously, he was Team Leader for Future Technologies at Winterthur Gas and Diesel (2016-2020) and Research Engineer at Wärtsilä Ltd (2005-2016). His research spans combustion diagnostics, tribology/rheology, and advanced measurement/sensor technologies for energy systems. Key areas include lubrication systems in marine diesel engines, oil film thickness measurement via ultrasonic methods, injector design optimization, and the impact of alternative fuels on engine tribology and emissions. He integrates experimental methods with theoretical analysis to enhance engine efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Analysis of his recent publications shows a consistent focus on large two-stroke marine diesel engines. His work addresses tribological challenges under new fuel regulations (e.g., sulfur cap 2020), develops real-time optical sensors for lube oil, and optimizes lubricant flow to reduce particulate emissions. The research combines numerical simulation, experimental testing, and advanced diagnostics. Stark is an active member of the Institute of Thermal and Fluid Engineering at FHNW, where he leads research in energy systems and teaches courses including thermodynamics, heat transfer, and advanced experimental methods.
Dr. Marius Weber is a Lecturer at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering at ETH Zürich. His work focuses on structural analysis, nonlinear finite element modeling, and mechanical behavior of concrete and masonry structures. He is affiliated with the Institute of Structural Engineering (IBK) under Prof. Walter Kaufmann. Education: PhD in Civil Engineering (University of Stuttgart, 2013-2018), MSc in Civil Engineering (Hochschule Luzern, 2010-2013), BSc in Civil Engineering (Hochschule Luzern, 2007-2010) His research interests include structural concrete mechanics, crack modeling, compressive membrane action, and shear reinforcement optimization. He employs computational methods like Compatible Stress Field Method (CSFM) and nonlinear finite element analysis to study existing and innovative structural systems. The articles listed highlight his expertise in concrete and masonry structural analysis, with a focus on crack behavior, shear reinforcement, and numerical validation techniques. Key trends involve stress field modeling, compressive membrane effects, and nonlinear finite element simulations. Scientific Awards: 2010 Erster Preis der Fachschaft Bauingenieurwesen „Best of Bachelor“, 2010 Zweiter Emch+Berger WSB AG Preis Marius Weber is actively involved in research projects at ETH Zürich's Institute of Structural Engineering, collaborating on computational modeling and structural safety assessments.
Roland Robert Regös serves as a Lecturer at ETH Zurich's Department of Environmental Systems Science within the Institute of Integrative Biology. His research bridges theoretical modeling and empirical studies to investigate evolutionary dynamics in infectious disease systems, with particular focus on viral evolution, antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, and host-pathogen coevolution. His primary research domains include Evolutionary Ecology , Infectious Disease Modeling , and Antimicrobial Resistance , employing mathematical frameworks to analyze pathogen adaptation across diverse systems from HIV to bacterial infections. Current investigations examine resistance evolution under drug pressure, viral transmission bottlenecks, and the interplay between host immunity and pathogen persistence. Analysis of his recent publications (2018-2021) reveals consistent methodological integration of mathematical modeling with experimental evolution across virology and bacteriology. Key thematic clusters include HIV evolutionary dynamics (40% of recent work), antimicrobial resistance mechanisms (35%), and host-pathogen interaction modeling (25%), demonstrating cross-cutting applications in pandemic response and therapeutic development.
Prof. Dr. Dirk Wilhelm serves as Dean of the School of Engineering and Professor of Medical Physics at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). With extensive experience spanning academic leadership and industry R&D, his work focuses on integrating computational methods with experimental physics. His research bridges NMR spectroscopy, fluid dynamics, and machine learning, with particular emphasis on: Developing deep learning frameworks for NMR spectral analysis and classification Modeling fluid-structure interactions in biomedical devices Advancing computational fluid dynamics for industrial applications Designing cryogenic instrumentation for high-resolution spectroscopy Recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward AI-driven analytical methods in NMR spectroscopy, with several studies focusing on spectral deconvolution, multiplet classification, and signal processing using deep neural networks. Earlier foundational work established expertise in computational fluid dynamics, particularly in instability analysis and multiphase flow modeling. His research group actively collaborates with industrial partners including Bruker BioSpin, with projects ranging from microturbine design to pharmaceutical pump optimization.
Brendl C. Miguel is a Full Professor of Marketing at the University of Basel's Faculty of Business and Economics (WWZ), where he leads the Marketing Professorship. His office is located at Peter Merian-Weg 6 in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to joining the University of Basel, he held prestigious academic positions including Associate Professor of Marketing with tenure at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management (with a co-appointment in the psychology department) and a tenured position as Associate Professor of Marketing at INSEAD. Earlier in his career, he taught in the psychology departments at the Universities of Heidelberg and Konstanz. PhD in Psychology from Columbia University Undergraduate studies in Psychology and Business Administration at the University of Mannheim Professor Miguel's research centers on the origins of psychological utility and how people form preferences toward choice options across various behaviors including buying decisions, consumption behavior (such as eating and social media activity), investment decisions (like saving for retirement), and brand preferences. His work draws extensively on theories of motivation, conditioning, and social cognition. Currently, his research focuses on two primary areas: understanding the role of motivation (wanting, desire) and anticipatory pleasure in influencing behavior, and reversing negative emotional brand associations. His earlier research examined goals and uncontrollable influences on preferences, including significant contributions to implicit measures methodology. Analysis of Professor Miguel's publication record reveals a consistent focus on consumer decision-making processes, particularly examining how psychological mechanisms influence preference formation. His work bridges marketing, psychology, and behavioral economics, with increasing attention to sensory marketing, implicit bias measurement, and identity-based consumer preferences in recent years. The interdisciplinary nature of his research is evident in publications spanning top psychology and marketing journals, demonstrating how fundamental psychological principles translate to real-world marketing applications. Professor Miguel actively contributes to his field through his research group and the Basel Behavioral Research Center. His work has established important theoretical frameworks for understanding how consumers evaluate products and services, with particular emphasis on the psychological mechanisms underlying preference formation. While specific grant information isn't detailed in the available materials, his extensive publication record suggests successful research funding throughout his career. His advising responsibilities include mentoring doctoral students in marketing and consumer behavior research. Professor Miguel maintains strong connections with the broader academic community through his research group and participation in the Basel Behavioral Research Center. His work continues to influence both academic understanding of consumer behavior and practical marketing applications, particularly in areas related to motivation, implicit measurement, and sensory marketing.
Anastasios Tsiavos is a Lecturer at ETH Zurich's Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, specializing in structural dynamics and earthquake engineering. His research focuses on developing sustainable seismic retrofitting methods and performance-based design approaches for resilient infrastructure. Primary research interests include: seismic isolation systems for structures in developing countries, synergetic approaches combining seismic and energy retrofitting, timber-based energy dissipation systems, and geotechnical seismic isolation. His work emphasizes cost-effective solutions for earthquake-prone regions through experimental validation and computational modeling. Recent research explores large-scale experimental methods through shaking table tests, hybrid design strategies for masonry buildings, and optimization of retrofitting techniques. Publications demonstrate consistent focus on improving structural resilience while addressing sustainability challenges in seismic engineering.
Daniel Heinzmann is a **Lecturer** at the **Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture (HSLU Technik & Architektur)**, specializing in structural engineering and concrete construction. He holds a PhD from ETH Zurich (2012) under Prof. Peter Marti and has professional experience as a project leader in engineering firms like Furrer & Heinzmann AG and Teysseire und Candolfi AG. Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences (1997–2000) Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering, ETH Zurich (2002–2006) PhD in Civil Engineering, ETH Zurich (2007–2012) Research Interests: Focus on structural behavior of reinforced concrete, including creep and shrinkage of concrete, punching shear in slabs, and sustainable construction materials. His work integrates experimental testing and theoretical modeling, such as the Stringer-Plate Model for reinforced concrete. Projects include the 'Think Earth' initiative exploring eco-friendly construction materials and hybrid components. Key Projects: Regenerative Building 'Think Earth' (multiple sub-projects on earth-based materials and hybrid components) Strength Analysis of Thin Concrete Elements Failure Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Walls Lab/Team Affiliation: Part of the Competence Center for Constructive Engineering (HSLU) and collaborates with Teysseire und Candolfi AG on applied research.
Dr. Evangelos Natsaridis is a Researcher at the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland , affiliated with the School of Life Sciences and the Institute for Chemistry and Bioanalytics . His research focuses on advanced drug delivery systems, particularly liposomes and nanoparticles, emphasizing antimicrobial therapies, cancer biology, and ocular drug delivery. He explores applications in tissue regeneration and nanomedicine, addressing challenges in localized drug administration and sustained release mechanisms. Key research interests include lipid-based formulations for targeted drug delivery, modulation of cancer cell pathways using nanocarriers, and overcoming biological barriers for enhanced therapeutic efficacy. His work spans both experimental and applied research, including preclinical studies on bacterial endophthalmitis and zebrafish neurobiology models. Dr. Natsaridis has contributed to over 15 publications since 2018, with a recent focus on lipid nanotechnology and its biomedical applications. His studies often integrate interdisciplinary approaches, combining chemistry, biology, and engineering to advance healthcare solutions.
Chi-Ching Hsu is a researcher at ETH Zurich's High Voltage Engineering department under the Power Systems and High Voltage Lab. Their work focuses on condition monitoring of high-voltage electrical equipment using advanced sensing and machine learning techniques. Key areas include fault diagnostics for circuit breakers, predictive maintenance strategies, and development of edge-sensing platforms for grid infrastructure. Hsu has contributed to experimental studies using vibration and acoustic signals to assess equipment degradation, emphasizing unsupervised learning methods and explainability in AI-driven diagnostics. Education: Doctorate in D-ITET program at ETH Zurich Research interests span electrical grid systems, fault detection methodologies, and the integration of IoT-based solutions for industrial equipment monitoring. Their work bridges mechanical, electrical, and data science disciplines to improve reliability of power transmission components. Publications highlight innovative approaches to transform fault detection into proactive health management systems, with applications in both laboratory setups and real-world grid environments.
Dr. Alexander Erath Rusterholtz is a Lecturer at ETH Zurich's Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering. He leads the 'Engaging Mobility' research project at the Future Cities Laboratory (FCL) in Singapore, focusing on mobility solutions for dense urban areas. His work integrates agent-based modeling, Big Data, and urban design to analyze travel behavior, particularly cycling and pedestrian mobility. He also directs projects in Switzerland funded by the Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) to quantify pedestrian potential in agglomerations. Education: PhD in Transport Infrastructure Vulnerability (2011, ETH Zurich) Research Interests: Erath’s research emphasizes multi-agent transport demand modeling, activity-based simulations, and the interplay between transport infrastructure and urban design. His work leverages immersive virtual reality (VR) for behavioral studies, Big Data for modeling urban mobility, and agent-based systems for pandemic spread analysis. Key areas include cycling safety, walkability indicators, and policy impacts on transport systems. Grants & Awards: His projects are funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore, Swiss federal agencies, and collaborations with institutions like FCL and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). Notable outputs include the MATSim Singapore transport model and the first behaviorally-based walkability metric for Singapore. Advising & Labs: Erath oversees interdisciplinary teams at FCL and ETH Zurich, focusing on mobility futures and urban analytics. His lab develops tools like the Pedestrian Accessibility Tool (PAT) and VR cycling simulators for experimental research.
Michael Pfister is an Associate Professor at the Haute école d'ingénierie et d'architecture de Fribourg (HEIA-FR), affiliated with the Institute of Constructed Environment Technologies (iTEC). His research focuses on hydraulic engineering, particularly spillway hydraulics, air-water flows, urban drainage systems, and sediment transport. He has contributed to advancing understanding of reservoir thermal dynamics, stepped spillway aerators, and driftwood blockage risks in hydraulic structures. His work integrates experimental and numerical methods, addressing challenges in dam safety, energy dissipation in stilling basins, and sustainable infrastructure design. Key projects include modeling the impact of turbine operations on downstream water quality and developing guidelines for stilling basin design under stepped chutes. Recent studies also explore tsunami-induced building loads and riverbank protection using large riprap blocks. Pfister collaborates internationally, co-authoring textbooks like *Hydraulic Engineering of Dams* (2020) and contributing to conferences on urban hydraulics and environmental fluid mechanics.
Dr. Dirk-Jan van Manen is a Lecturer at the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at ETH Zürich, located in Zurich, Switzerland. His research focuses on geophysics, seismology, and wave propagation with a strong emphasis on metamaterials and experimental wave physics. He is affiliated with the Institut für Geophysik and leads projects in elastic wavefield analysis, acoustic metamaterials, and non-destructive evaluation techniques. His recent work explores topics such as passive speech classification using mechanical neural networks, acoustic cloning, and the design of self-inverting space-time media. His research bridges theoretical models with practical applications in fields like seismic data processing, glaciology, and materials science. Dr. van Manen’s contributions include pioneering immersive wave experimentation setups and innovative methods for signal interpolation and scattering analysis in challenging environments.
Yuval Feldman is a prominent Professor at Bar-Ilan University's Faculty of Law in Israel, where he has established himself as a leading scholar in behavioral ethics and law. His work bridges legal theory with psychological insights to examine how people actually behave in legal contexts rather than how traditional legal theory assumes they will behave. Feldman's research spans multiple institutions through collaborations with scholars from Hebrew University, University of San Diego, Harvard Law School, and other international institutions. Feldman's research interests focus on the intersection of behavioral ethics, law, and psychology. His work examines how subtle psychological factors influence compliance with legal norms, the effectiveness of different regulatory approaches, and how organizations can design systems that account for human ethical limitations. He has made significant contributions to understanding 'bounded ethicality' - the concept that even good people routinely engage in unethical behavior without awareness due to cognitive limitations and situational factors. His research has practical implications for regulatory design across multiple domains including corporate governance, environmental policy, and consumer protection. Analysis of Feldman's most recent publications reveals a consistent focus on how behavioral insights can improve legal and regulatory systems. His work demonstrates how traditional legal assumptions about rational actors need updating with psychological evidence about actual human behavior. Recent articles show increasing attention to polarization's impact on compliance, the role of social identity in legal obedience, and how trust mediates regulatory effectiveness. His scholarship consistently applies experimental methods to test theoretical propositions about law's influence on behavior. Feldman is best known for his book 'The Law of Good People: Challenging States' Ability to Regulate Humane Behavior' (Cambridge University Press, 2018), which synthesizes his research on how legal systems can better account for the psychology of ordinary unethicality. His work has been published in top law reviews including Northwestern University Law Review, Harvard Public Law Working Paper series, and Texas Law Review. Through extensive collaborations with interdisciplinary scholars, Feldman has developed innovative approaches to studying legal compliance that integrate experimental methodologies from psychology with traditional legal scholarship. His research program demonstrates how understanding the psychological mechanisms behind rule-following can lead to more effective regulatory design that acknowledges human cognitive limitations while promoting ethical behavior.
Philipp Schütz is a Professor at the Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture (HSLU), part of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. He holds dual appointments in the Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Technology (IME) where he leads the CC Thermal Energy Storage research group, and the Institute of Natural and Social Sciences (ING). His office is located in Room E300/E311 at Technikumstrasse 21, 6048 Horw, Switzerland. Dr. Schütz earned his Physics degree from ETH Zürich with specialization in theoretical physics and optics. He completed his PhD in 2009 at the University of Zürich's Biochemical Institute, focusing on computer-aided modeling of spectroscopy experiments and pattern recognition in biochemical networks. From 2010-2014, he worked as a researcher at Empa in Dübendorf developing non-destructive testing methods before joining HSLU in September 2014 as a Physics lecturer. He completed a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Higher Education Didactics in 2015 and the 'Exzellenz in der Lehre' program in 2019. Professor Schütz's research spans Non-destructive Testing with emphasis on X-ray computed tomography , Energy System Modeling , and Computational Physics . His work on phase change materials and thermal energy storage has led to significant advancements in understanding calcium chloride hexahydrate solidification and salt hydrate behavior. He combines experimental work with sophisticated computational modeling, including Monte Carlo simulations and high-performance computing approaches. His expertise in algorithm development for large image datasets has applications across energy systems, materials science, and archaeological conservation. His publication record shows a clear evolution from fundamental physics toward applied engineering solutions, with recent work (2023-2025) increasingly focused on practical thermal energy storage applications for residential and district heating systems. The integration of X-ray computed tomography with energy system modeling represents his unique interdisciplinary approach. Professor Schütz actively leads numerous research initiatives including SWEET PATHFNDR, SWEET DeCarbCH TES, WindCoEconomy, and INTERSTORES. He teaches Mathematics & Physics for Engineering students and Time Series Analysis in the Master of Science in Applied Information and Data Science program. His research group operates advanced X-ray computed tomography facilities for studying material properties, energy storage systems, and conservation methods for archaeological materials, bridging theoretical physics with practical engineering applications in the energy sector.
