We Are ETH

For Michela Puddu, ETH Zurich alumna and Co-Founder of Haelixa Ltd, giving fabrics their own DNA enhancestraceability for consumers and retailers. Moving from Rome to study at ETH Zurich, Michela Puddu’s PhD experience inspired her to become an entrepreneur. Her work has been recognized with several awards, and she is a regular speaker at Swissand international events.  Michela speaks about building her own company, overcoming a fear of public speaking, and why it’s important to have a co-founder – or two!  This is her story.

Biodiversity expert and former ETH faculty Lian Pin Koh is a pioneer in the use of drones in conservation. As an ex-nominated MP in Singapore, and a professor at the National University of Singapore, Lian Pin’s impact extends to different areas of policy and education. We hear about the nexus of nature and technology, the creation of conservation drones, and his love of Star Wars.This is his story.

For Petra Ehmann, ETH Zurich alumna and Chief Innovation Officer of Ringier AG, innovation truly is everything. From product development to encouraging more people into STEM, Petra wants her work to have an impact in every possible area. She is passionate about driving innovation at every level, and credits ETH Zurich with helping her achieve the type of structured thinking required to do this.Find out why she speaks four languages fluently, what brought her to study mechanical engineering at ETH Zurich, and learn about the joys of childhood trips to Technorama, the Swiss Science Centre.This is her story.

For ETH Zurich alumna Nicoletta Piccolrovazzi, integrating small sustainability practices intoour everyday lives can make the topic less complicated.Nicoletta is keen to highlight that, in spite of having a long career in a single company, shewas able to seize the opportunities that came her way. That notably led her to heading thetechnology and sustainability part of Dow’s partnership with the Olympic Games, which laidthe foundations for her current work in sustainability.As we count down to COP28, it’s clear we cannot live as if we had three planets at ourdisposal, when we have only one.In this episode, Nicoletta tells us how her journey in sustainability began – and why makingthe topic real for people can help integrate sustainability into our daily lives.This is her story.

Architect Renata von Tscharner discusses how women in Switzerland got the vote,the importance of swimming in rivers, and learning to play the accordion. Renata’s fascinating life was shaped by the events she witnessed in Paris in May1968, when a student revolt became a general strike that ground the Frencheconomy to a halt. She speaks with host Susan Kish about campaigning to getwomen the vote in Switzerland, her architecture experiences at ETH Zurich and asan urban planner in London and Bern, and how swimming in Switzerland created theCharles River Conservancy in Massachusetts, an NGO she founded, striving to makethe Charles River and its parks a well-maintained network of natural urban places forthe local community.It’s hard to believe that women only got the vote in Switzerland in 1971. Renata vonTscharner, retired President of the Charles River Conservancy, shares candidinsights based on her unique experiences campaigning for the vote. Through theinspiring story of her colourful life, she highlights the importance of swimming inrivers, and learning to play the accordion.Be sure to listen until the end for a musical surprise…

Synthetic biologist and ETH Alumna Sonja Billerbeck discusses microbiology, mushrooms, and metabolisms – as well as the threat and promise of AI in research.From discovering that microbes breathe oxygen and eat sugar, Sonja became enthralled in the world of microorganisms and understanding their applications in agriculture and healthcare. Through stints at ETH Zurich and Columbia University, Sonja’s interest in engineering microbiology has led her to her own lab at the University of Groningen, where she studies how we can engineer yeast for applications in human health and agriculture.How do antifungal proteins in yeast practice forms of warfare against each other? What could this mean for the development of antifungal medicines? Sonja’s in-depth knowledge and passion for the world of fungi helps us understand that mushrooms are more than just a pizza topping…This is her story.

Vincent Bédat thinks it’s time to take robotics to the next level. After successful applications in industrial and manufacturing settings, robots need to find a place in our homes.Vincent’s journey has taken him from Switzerland to Germany and now the US. He studied Mechanical Engineering at ETH Zurich, and went on to do an MBA at MIT. About moving back to Europe, Vincent says he’ll stay in California as long as it remains the place where he thinks he can make the biggest changes, work on the biggest innovations, and have the biggest impact.Ultimately, Vincent would like to science to shift the focus from theory to real applications. He’s not interested in engineering for engineering’s sake, but engineering with purpose. With this in mind, we learn about his work in robotics and how robots are coming out of factory settings into our homes.This is his story.

Rasmus Rothe is all about AI. Co-founder and CTO of Berlin-based company Merantix, he builds and scales AI ventures, and enables an AI co-working community at the Merantix AI Campus.Rasmus Rothe studied Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Oxford, Princeton and ETH Zurich. He is the co-founder and CTO of Merantix, “the world's first artificial intelligence platform dedicated to researching, building and investing in AI companies”. The company works on AI-powered ideas to resolve some of the world's most complex problems, from cancer screening to automated trading.Rasmus says that AI is neither good nor bad. It’s about how it’s applied. In this episode, we learn about the potential and the pitfalls of AI, hear about the profound impact of ChatGPT, and the need for government spending and regulations in Europe.What are the biggest challenges around the successful application of generative artificial intelligence over the next few years? What are the politics of AI? How does Rasmus think it will evolve?This is his story.

According to Felix Graf, media was the first one to be hit by the internet, so it will be the first one to be hit by AI. At the same time, quality journalism has never been more important.Felix Graf changed career direction several times: from music to physics, consulting to telecom, then energy and media. But one thing stood him in good stead throughout his journey that eventually led him to the helm of NZZ: his ETH Zurich experience. It was there he says he learned how to learn, how to be curious, and how to surround oneself with smart people.In this episode, we get to know Felix’ passion for jazz and fundamental physics. Having completed a PhD in quantum optics at ETH Zurich, he intended to become a professor – until he realised that he wanted to change field because what he was working on was so niche, no one really knew about it.We learn about developing resilience; how sometimes you just have to do something completely different; and that you need to learn from setbacks, and not only define yourself through your profession.This is his story.

While Maya Bundt originally set out to study biology and geoscience, her career led her to become an expert in cybersecurity after spending 20 years in reinsurance.Maya Bundt is a Member of the Board of several companies and organisations, including the Cyber Peace Institute. She also chairs the Cyber Resilience Chapter at the Swiss Risk Association, and she is member of the Cybersecurity Commission of digitalswitzerland.Maya explains how her research took her to Zurich, and we hear about her fascinating soil experiments, which she conducted by engaging large groups of people to help her take hundreds of samples. We learn about her non-linear career path, which took her first into management consulting and reinsurance, eventually leading her to the topic of cybersecurity.As Maya Bundt puts it herself: “life happens.” In this podcast, she helps us connect the dots to explain a colourful career that includes soil science at ETH, a stint in management consulting, and a long stretch in reinsurance. This sets the scene for how she became the leading expert in cybersecurity she is today.She explains why we are vulnerable to cyberthreats, and why we need to understand and manage those risks personally as well as a society.This is her story.