We Are ETH

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.

Hans Gut’s career took him all over the world and through some difficult moments, before he dedicated himself to the Careum Foundation in Zurich.Studying at mechanical engineering at ETH Zurich at a time before computers where ubiquitous, Hans Gut explains you had to queue to submit your punch cards into a machine. While he was at ETH, Hans completed two internships that both led him to future employers. His global business career eventually led him to become the President of the Careum Foundation which specialises in healthcare training, where he worked for 20 years before retiring recently.In this episode, Hans Gut explains how he successfully put out an ad in the NZZ saying he was looking for a job, and was overwhelmed by the response. We learn about the importance of family, and having to go through some situations where you don’t like parts of the job you are doing.Hans tells us about taking opportunities to build up something from scratch, surrounding yourself with the right people, and building powerful teams.This is his story.

Joe Paradiso’s time at ETH Zurich was a period that helped him grow as a researcher, and develop a deep appreciation for Europe – as well Swiss food! Joe’s extraordinary and prolific career has taken him from high energy physics to spacecraft control systems, past wearables, sensors and synthesizers. He is currently the Alexander W. Dreyfoos Professor in Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab.In this episode, we learn about what happened when Joe came to Zurich having been warned that ETH was a conservative place. He tells us that when he makes choices, he wants to take a road that will lead to other roads. We hear about Joe’s definition of the metaverse; his love of electronic music and science fiction; a Proustian moment involving a sip from a Hürlimann beer; and whyhe came to a small technical college called ETH…This is his story.

After studying at ETH Zurich, Ogi Stanovcic connected the dots between cybersecurity and videoconferencing. And he certainly didn’t think he would end up staying in the same company for 25 years.When Ogi was recommended to leave former Yugoslavia and go study at ETH Zurich, he didn’t have Switzerland on his radar. But when he was here, he started to love it so much it was clear he was going to stay. Literally everything in his life today is still very closely connected to ETH: his professional choices, his circle of friends, the professors that made an impact whom he collaborates with to this day, and the students that come to Open Systems to work with top experts in cybersecurity.In this episode, we learn what first made Ogi Stanovcic come to Switzerland, and then ultimately made him decide to stay. We hear about the promise and perils of ChatGPT, about how one time the best bandwidth to be had in the country was at ETH Zurich, and how it’s actually possible to be friends with those with whom you are in business with.This is his story.

ETH alumna Mulan Sun says being an architect is a job where you must use all your sensitivity to identify problems, and all your creativity to solve them. Born and raised in China, Mulan Sun moved to Switzerland, learned German and completed her studies in architecture at ETH Zurich. She is the President of the Swiss Chinese Chamber of Architects and Artists. She's also the founder of an architectural and interior design firm based in Zurich, and a lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Mulan is also a passionate expert in chado, the Japanese tea ceremony.In this episode, Mulan explains how she made up her mind to move from China to study architecture, and specifically to ETH to do this. She faced many challenges, and tells us how she turned them into an advantage, becoming a unique architect bringing together East and West, with values and perspectives shaped by her time at ETH and her upbringing in China. This is her story.

Alumni and former decathlete Luca Di Tizio is a recent graduate from ETH Zurich, now working for deep tech startup Microcaps, an ETH spinoff company.Luca Di Tizio is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from ETH Zurich, with a focus on Biomedical Engineering. He currently works on bringing Swiss precision to the world of microencapsulation with Microcaps AG. When he was still a student, he participated in Elon Musk's Hyperloop Pod Competition for two consecutive years. Swissloop placed second out of over 2000 international student teams, and the students continue to develop hyperloop technology to this day.In this episode, you’ll get to know some great insights from the world of sports that apply to research and development, and even life in general. We also learn why Luca thinks that sports and ETH overlap too little in his view, and get to know the fascinating worlds of fluidics and hyperloop technology.This is his story.