The ETH Board has appointed the following individuals as professors:

Torsten Hoefler (*1981), currently Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, USA, as Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) of Computational Science. Torsten Hoefler is internationally regarded as one of the leading young scientists in the field of high-performance computing. At the University of Illinois, he is currently involved in the development of one of the world’s most efficient supercomputers. His research interests focus on system design, programming and efficiency analysis. Torsten Hoefler will provide the Department of Computer Science, the research focus “Scientific Computing and Simulation” and the CSCS (Swiss National Supercomputing Centre) with important stimuli.

Arnulf Jentzen (*1983), currently a post-doctoral researcher at Princeton University in Princeton NJ, USA, as Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics. Arnulf Jentzen’s wide-ranging scientific productivity and his publications in reputable journals in the last five years are impressive. His field of research is the numerical solution of differential equations; most recently, he has been focusing on stochastic partial differential equations, which are considered to be highly complex. Arnulf Jentzen will be an ideal addition to the competencies of the Seminar for Applied Mathematics.

Markus Josef Niederberger (*1970), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, as Associate Professor of Multifunctional Materials. Markus Niederberger has headed the Multifunctional Materials Group at ETH Zurich since 2007 and is a key player in the Department of Materials. He maintains an excellent international network, and he is one of the most-cited materials scientists. In particular, his research focuses on synthetic procedures for the production of new types of functional materials and their application in gas sensor technology, electronics, as well as energy storage and conversion.

Sai T. Reddy (*1980), currently Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado in Boulder, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering. With his scientific work and publications about the development of nanoparticles in new vaccines, Sai Reddy has gained worldwide recognition. He is regarded as one of the co-founders of system immunology research. He will continue to work on nanoparticle vaccines and the development of new therapeutic antibodies at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering and will constitute a crucial reinforcement to the field of medicine-oriented engineering sciences.

Johan O. A. Robertsson (*1967), currently Research Director in Geophysics at the Schlumberger Cambridge Research Center in Cambridge, UK, as Full Professor of Applied Geophysics. To date, Johan Robertsson has published numerous articles in reputable journals and supervised scientific work despite his successful career in industry. Dozens of his patents have been registered, and a great number of them are applied in industry today. The focus of his research is the modelling and inversion of seismic data, particularly in a marine environment. Johan Robertsson will contribute towards a further extension of the top position of the Institute of Geophysics in applied and explorative environmental geophysics.

Kristina Shea (*1971), currently Associate Professor at Technische Universität München, as Full Professor of Engineering Design and Computing. Kristina Shea is an internationally recognised expert on the development of tools and computer-based methods for the generation of innovative and optimised systems by means of artificial intelligence. She pursues an interdisciplinary approach which goes far beyond mechanical engineering design. Kristina Shea has a great deal of teaching experience and will further strengthen the field of computer-based design at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering.

Klaas Enno Stephan (*1972), currently Associate Professor of Computational Neuroeconomics at the University of Zurich, as Full Professor of Translational Neuromodeling (joint professorship with the University of Zurich). His research focus is the transfer of control-engineering concepts onto brain modelling. On the basis of his internationally recognised expertise, he will channel his work in the direction of modelling functional pathologies of the brain. His joint professorship at the Medical Faculty of the University of Zurich and at the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering constitutes an ideal framework for the extension of cooperation with clinical partners in Zurich.

Derek Vance (*1964), currently Full Professor at the University of Bristol, UK, as Full Professor of Geochemistry. Derek Vance is a specialist in isotope chemistry, who has gained worldwide recognition. His major field of research concerns the geochemical interactions between the surface of the earth, water, the atmosphere and life on earth. At ETH Zurich, his research foci will include the feedback between rock weathering and the global carbon cycle. With his appointment, the Department of Earth Sciences will extend an important key field and thus enhance its international attraction.

Andreas Wallraff (*1971), currently Associate Professor of Solid-State Physics at ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Solid-State Physics. In the last two years, Andreas Wallraff has distinguished himself by a great deal of ground-breaking work, including projects in the field of cavity quantum electrodynamics, the fabrication of a single-photon source in the microwave range and the implementation of a quantum computer which makes use of logic gates needed for error correction. In 2011, Andreas Wallraff was awarded the renowned Max Rössler Prize.

Michael Bruce Zimmermann (*1958), currently Full Professor at Wageningen University, NL, as Full Professor of Human Nutrition. In particular, Michael Zimmermann’s research focuses on the health impact of micronutrient deficiencies and on strategies for overcoming such deficiencies. With the appointment of this internationally renowned scientist, who also has a great deal of teaching experience, the Department of Health Sciences and Technology reinforces the key domain of human nutrition, in which the latter occupies a top position worldwide. In doing so, it intends to increase its contribution to the solution of current nutrition problems.

The ETH Board has appointed the following individuals as adjunct professor:

Adrian Biland, Group Leader at the Institute for Particle Physics, as Adjunct Professor of ETH Zurich

Michael Graff, Head of Division at the KOF Swiss Economic Institute, as Adjunct Professor at ETH Zurich

Remco I. Leine, Privat Docent at the Institute for Mechanical Systems, as Adjunct Professor of ETH Zurich

Roy S. Smith, Scientist at the Automatic Control Laboratory, as Adjunct Professor of ETH Zurich

Giuseppe Storti, Scientist at the Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, as Adjunct Professor of ETH Zurich

Linda Thöny-Meyer, Head of the Biomaterials Laboratory at Empa and Lecturer at the Department of Biology, as Adjunct Professor of ETH Zurich

The ETH Board has taken note of the resignation of the following professor:

Alan B. Thompson (*1947), currently a double professor at ETH Zürich and the University of Zurich. Alan Thompson rendered great services to science through the exploration of the metamorphosis of pelitic rocks and the reaction of rocks in amphibolite, greenschist and blueschist facies. His models of the pressure-temperature path for the creation of metamorphic rocks and his papers on the significance of fluids in the Earth’s crust have attracted strong interest even beyond the field of petrology. Alan Thompson will take slightly early retirement on 1 June 2012.