The ORD Strategy Council

Angelika Kalt was professor of Petrology and Geodynamics at the University of Neuchâtel before becoming Director of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in 2016. Since taking over the helm at the SNSF, she has focused her efforts on modernising SNSF research funding in line with international trends – promoting cross-border collaboration, encouraging Open Access to publications and data, implementing the recommendations of the DORA Declaration,and facilitating Open Science. She is dedicated to improving conditions for researchers in Switzerland, in particular for young researchers and women.

Prof. Joël Mesot, an esteemed physicist with a focus on strongly correlated materials, has been leading as the President of ETH Zurich since January 1, 2019. A graduate of ETH Zurich, his career spans significant roles including a full professorship at ETH Zurich and EPFL-Lausanne, and directorship at the Paul-Scherrer-Institute. His pioneering work on high-temperature superconductors and neutron spectroscopy has been recognized with awards like the Swiss Physical Society’s IBM Prize and the Latsis Prize from ETH Zurich. Mesot’s expertise has also contributed to the development of key research facilities and to the scientific community through his role as Editor of “Neutron News”.

Thierry Dias, Rector of HEP Vaud since July 2019, is an esteemed Education Professor with expertise in mathematics didactics. With a rich teaching history in France and a role in teacher training at IUFM Lyon, his research delves into educational strategies and learning difficulties in math, earning him a Ph.D. from Claude Bernard University Lyon 1. At Haute école pédagogique Vaud since 2010, he’s focused on math learning disorders and founded the RITEAM research team in 2017. Dias is a prolific author on pedagogy, contributes to the Institut Henri Poincaré, and advises the French Ministry of National Education.

Yves Flückiger, President of the Swiss academies of arts and sciences since January 2024, is a distinguished academic with expertise in labor economics, industrial organization, and public finances. He holds a degree in Economics and Sociology and a doctorate in Political Economy from the University of Geneva. Flückiger has an extensive background in research and teaching, having been a research fellow at Harvard and Oxford, and served in various academic positions including Vice-Rector and later Rector of the University of Geneva. He was President of swissuniversities from 2020 to 2023 and President of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) until July 2023.

Prof. Frédéric Herman serves as the Rector of the University of Lausanne (UNIL) since August 1, 2021. An expert on the interplay between climate change and mountain evolution, he navigates the institution through the complexities of the post-Covid era with a focus on human-centric management. Under his leadership, UNIL addresses key societal challenges through research, teaching, and academic engagement, emphasizing health, ecological transition, equality, and science’s societal role. His strategy involves fostering collaborative efforts and maintaining UNIL’s commitment to knowledge-sharing in diverse fields as part of its public-service mandate.

Jean-Marc Piveteau has been the President of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) since 2011. He holds a foundation in Mathematics and Physics from ETH Zurich and is known for his contributions to bridging the gap between academia and startup ecosystems, actively promoting entrepreneurship at ZHAW.

Martin Vetterli, President of EPFL since 2017 and professor in the Audiovisual Communications Lab, is a prominent figure in Swiss education and research. Educated at ETH Zurich and Stanford, with a Ph.D. from EPFL, he has taught at Columbia University, UC Berkeley, and EPFL. His research, recognized with the Latsis Prize and multiple honorary degrees, spans electrical engineering and computer science, contributing to over 200 publications and numerous startups.

After his apprenticeship as an electrician, Crispino Bergamaschi studied at the polytechnic HTL Brugg-Windisch. He received his MSc in Electrical Engineering and PhD (with honours) in Semiconductor Physics at the ETH Zürich. In 1995 he was elected as Professor of Microelectronics at the HTL Brugg Windisch and, in 1999, appointed Director of Research at the University of Applied Sciences Aargau. From 2001 to 2010 Professor Crispino Bergamaschi was Rector of the School of Engineering and Architecture at the University of Applied Sciences in Lucerne. Since January 2011 Professor Crispino Bergamaschi has been the Rector (President of the Board of Directors) of the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland. From 2015 to 2019 Professor Crispino Bergamaschi was president of the chamber of universities of applied sciences and vice president of swissuniversities.

Katharina M. Fromm was born in Germany and grew up in France, Germany and the USA. She studied chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe and at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes des Industries Chimiques (now ECPM) in Strasbourg, France. She received her PhD for work on organometallic compounds at the University of Karlsruhe, where – after her Habilitation at the University of Geneva in 2002 – she established a research group. Soon after, she accepted an SNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation) research professorship at the University of Basel. In October 2006, she commenced work as a full professor (Chair of Inorganic Chemistry) at the University of Fribourg. The work of her research group is centred on the bioinorganic chemistry of silver, silver compounds and nanoparticles, for example on their antimicrobial effect. A further research area is that of new compounds and nanomaterials for batteries. In the NCCR (National Centre of Competence in Research) “Bioinspired Materials”, the group is investigating polymers with new mechanophores.