D-INFK news channel

What does a life scientist do at the Department of Computer Science? Martina Baumann is a science coordinator and supports her group in setting up complex research projects with sensitive medical data, among other things. She is an expert at mediating between internal and external bodies

Riccardo Roveri è cofondatore di Animatico, una spin-off del Politecnico Federale di Zurigo che ha creato avatar interattivi ed è stata acquisita nel 2022 da NVIDIA. In questa intervista, ci parla del suo amore per la grafica digitale e di cosa abbia significato per lui trasferirsi da Lugano a Zurigo per portare avanti gli studi.

Riccardo Roveri has co-founded Animatico, an ETH spin-off that creates interactive avatars and was acquired by NVIDIA in 2022. In this interview, he talks about his love for computer graphics and how he experienced moving from Lugano to Zurich for his studies.

A team of three ETH computer science Master’s students won a silver medal at the World Finals of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) and became European Champions – the best placement by an ETH team in the history of the contest.

Three teams of researchers from the Department of Computer Science have received awards at the ACM Computer and Communications Security Conference (CCS), one of the top conferences in the field of security.

Four D-INFK doctoral graduates have received ETH Medals for their outstanding dissertations. Congratulations, Marco Eilers, Timon Gehr, Yifan Wang and Gaspard Zoss!

Ralf Jung joined the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich in November 2022 as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science. Get to know him in this short interview.

Eight students from the Department of Computer Science have been awarded with an Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP) scholarship. The scholarship allows them to develop to their full potential and to focus on their studies and research. Congratulations!

Johanna Pirker, Assistant Professor at Graz University of Technology, spent September and October as a visiting professor at the Game Technology Center (GTC) of ETH Zurich. In this interview, she explains what we can learn from video games and why our image of gamers does not correspond to reality.

Florian Tramèr joined the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich in August 2022 as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science. Get to know him in this short interview.

Professor Zhendong Su, along with his group members Dominik Winterer and Chengyu Zhang, has received the prestigious Amazon Research Award for their work in the field of automated reasoning.

Dennis Komm joined the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich in June 2022 as Associate Professor of Algorithms and Didactics. Get to know him in this short interview.

Founded by students, the ETH organisation Cyber Group ETH Student Initiative is dedicated to cyber security. Its co-founder and former president, Karin Holzhauser, and current president Christian Knabenhans explain where Cyber Group came from and where it’s headed.

Theodoros Rekatsinas joined the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich in May 2022 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science. Get to know him in this short interview.

Five Master's graduates from the Department of Computer Science have won prizes for their outstanding performance. Four have received the ETH Medal and one the Willi Studer Prize. Congratulations!

The Computer Graphics Laboratory, led by Professor Markus Gross, is working with Align Technology to advance the field of digital dentistry.

Theodoros Theodoridis, doctoral student in the Advanced Software Technologies Lab, has won two awards at the ASPLOS 2022 conference.

Postdoc Moritz Geilinger visited the Pestalozzi School Camps to show children what a robotics researcher does and how robots can be used in the real world.

In this video, postdoc Ece Özkan Elsen talks about her return to research, why she loves medical data science, and how she works to support other women in computer science.

Professor Ueli Maurer was Director of Studies at the Department of Computer Science (D-INFK) from January 2020 to December 2021. In his farewell interview, he looks back on an intense but rewarding time.

Remo Gisi studied computer science at ETH Zurich from 2005 to 2012. A few years later, he founded the spin-off Tastelab, which operates at the intersection of food, science and sustainability. His knowledge of computer science also helps him with tasks and hobbies that have nothing to do with programming.

Almost 70 D-INFK researchers and students attended a talk and Q&A session on October 28 to learn about the complex process of applying for – and getting – faculty positions.

Christian Plattner completed his diploma in computer science at ETH Zurich in 2002. Already a coder while at secondary school, he worked in industry while studying at ETH and founded his own company while still a doctoral student.

Professor Otmar Hilliges and his collaborators have received lasting impact honours for two papers published ten years ago at the conferences IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR) and ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) respectively.

On October 12, a small get-together was held in the CAB building in honour of D-INFK founders Niklaus Wirth and Carl August Zehnder. Alumni, former employees and professors from the founding period of the department 40 years ago attended the event.

Fredi Schmid was a co-founder and the first President of the Association of Computer Science Students at ETH Zurich (VIS). In the interview he remembers the founding, the parties, and studying computer science in the 1980s.

The Swiss business magazine Bilanz has published its annual list of Digital Shapers, the 100 top contributors to digitalisation in Switzerland. It includes Professor Adrian Perrig as well a number of alumni and spin-offs from the Department of Computer Science.

On June 23, 1970, the SRF programme Antenne reported on the installation of a new large-scale computer system in the purpose-built computing centre of ETH Zurich.

About 2000 math enthusiasts from around the world participated in the Online World Math Contest on August 28, organised by the Swiss Federation of Mathematical Games and supported by the Department of Computer Science.

Pelin Dogan Schönberger, postdoc with the Media Technology Center, has received the ARD/ZDF Award "Women + Media Technology" for her doctoral thesis.

Sarah Hauser completed her Master's degree in computer science at ETH Zurich in 2008. As a professor and Vice Dean at the computer science department at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, she now shapes the next generation of computer science students.

Daniel Schenker received his diploma in computer science from ETH Zurich in 1988. Afterwards, he turned his hobby into his job and vice versa: today, he is a jazz musician and music professor who enjoys coding in his free time.

Gabriela Keller studied computer science at ETH Zurich from 1988 to 1993. Today, she is the CEO of Ergon Informatik, where she started working as a software developer shortly after graduating. She still feels connected to the department today.

The SRF programme Mensch, Technik, Wissenschaft from September 9, 1988, reported on the supercomputer Cray X-MP/28, which can still be found at ETH Zurich today – albeit in a somewhat different function.

How does the Internet of Things change our lives? What does computer science mean for society? Before his retirement in 2020, Professor Friedemann Mattern studied small things in a big context.

Florian Hanke studied computer science at ETH Zurich from 1997 to 2004. He especially appreciates his discipline’s universal applicability, which has taken him as far as Papua New Guinea.

Professor Markus Gross, head of the Computer Graphics Laboratory at ETH Zurich and Vice President of Research for The Walt Disney Studios, has received the prestigious Steven Anson Coons Award for Outstanding Creative Contributions to Computer Graphics.

Professor emeritus Peter Läuchli passed away on May 12 at the age of 92. He was one of the founders of the Department of Computer Science.

The programme Karussell, broadcast by SRF on September 6, 1983, presented the novel computer Lilith that had been developed by Professor Niklaus Wirth and his team at ETH Zurich.

The Zurich City Councillor Michael Baumer studied computer science at ETH Zurich from 1994 to 1999 and was president of the Association of Computer Science Students (VIS). Today, he is applying the skills and experiences he gained during his studies on the political stage.

Team Argonauts, composed of ETH students and trained by the student organisation Cyber Group, took first place at the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge in Geneva.

Researchers from the Sensing, Interaction & Perception Lab have developed CapContact, an AI solution that enables touchscreens to sense with eight times higher resolution than currently existing devices.

How does one find what one is looking for among the numerous publications and research areas of ETH Zurich? To answer this question, ETH staff teamed up with students from the Master’s in Data Science.

Master's student and Excellence Scholar Václav Volhejn was awarded first runner-up at the TCS CodeVita coding competition, winning against more than 350'000 other students.

Christina Pöpper, a professor at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), studied and earned her doctorate at ETH Zurich, where she also advocated for women at the Department of Computer Science. Today, she shows her students the elegance and beauty of computer science.

Gifted children are often not challenged enough at school. As a result, their motivation and love of learning suffer. The Centre for Gifted Education at the Department of Computer Science aims to counteract this with extracurricular courses.

At the end of his two-year term as Head of the Department of Computer Science, Professor David Basin looks back on a turbulent time and explains how running a department has helped him better understand the inner workings of ETH Zurich.

Computer science is a young science that builds on old ideas. Friedemann Mattern has taught this for more than seven years in his computer science lecture for electrical engineering students. With his retirement, an era comes to an end.

Niao He joined the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Data Science. Get to know her in this short interview.

Christian Reiter has co-founded several successful start-ups and does not shy away from new ideas, industries and business areas. In this interview, he explains how his studies in computer science have helped him along the way.

Felix Berkenkamp, a former doctoral student in the Learning & Adaptive Systems Group, has received the annual ELLIS PhD Award for his doctoral thesis.

Shweta Shinde joined the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich in October 2020 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science. Get to know her in this short interview.

Professor Onur Mutlu has left the Department of Computer Science to join the Department of Electiral Engineering. He remains affiliated with D-​INFK and will continue to teach and mentor students. 

Ana Klimovic officially joined the Department of Computer Science of ETH Zurich in August 2020 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering. Due to the coronavirus crisis, her arrival was postponed until September. Get to know her in this short interview.

Doctoral student Johannes de Fine Licht and Bachelor student Manuel Burger from the Scalable Parallel Computer Laboratory have won in two categories at the Xilinx Open Hardware Design Contest.

Mrinmaya Sachan officially joined the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich in July 2020 as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing. Due to the coronavirus crisis, his arrival was postponed until August. Get to know him in this short interview.

From an early age, Patrice Becker had an interest in computer science. He was fascinated by the idea of being able to reach the whole world with just a laptop and some programming skills. Today, the computer science student successfully combines studies and entrepreneurship at ETH Zurich.

Twenty international teams competed in the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge 2020, including five teams from ETH Zurich. In an unprecedented winning streak, the ETH Zurich teams not only took the top five places, but also won all the special prizes. The thorough preparation by the student organisation Cyber Group was one of the reasons for their success.

Professor Markus Gross has been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his technical contributions to filmmaking.

The Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems has just been renewed for another five years. Co-director Prof. Thomas Hofmann explains the role he sees for the center in Europe.

For 25 years, Marianna Berger held various administrative positions at ETH Zurich, in particular at D-INFK. Before her retirement at the end of June, she looks back on her varied career at the university.

Entrepreneur, app developer, ESOP scholarship holder: at the age of only 24, Larissa Laich has already achieved a lot. Her curiosity and enthusiasm for her field have shaped the young computer scientist’s career from her first programming attempts at school to her Master’s degree at ETH Zurich.

Nicola Rüegsegger and Pascal Wacker are studying computer science at ETH Zurich as a second career path. With their know-how, they helped set up two platforms that help place students and personnel in the most affected hospitals.

The research group of Prof. Gunnar Rätsch wants to track the spread of coronavirus in Switzerland using a short questionnaire. Every person currently living in Switzerland can participate.

As Director of Studies, Professor Ueli Maurer is responsible for teaching at the Department of Computer Science. When ETH Zurich discontinued all classroom teaching on March 16, he, too, was faced with the challenge of ensuring that the department’s more than 1'000 Bachelor's and Master's students could continue their studies.

During the CSNOW taster week, 37 young women visited the Department of Computer Science for a week. They coded their own app, met students and researchers and created a basis for choosing a field of study.

Ryan Cotterell officially joined ETH Zurich’s Department of Computer Science in February 2020 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science. Get to know him in this short interview.

Dennis Hofheinz ist ab Februar 2020 offiziell als ordentlicher Professor für Informatik am Departement Informatik der ETH Zürich tätig. In diesem kurzen Interview stellt er sich vor.

Siyu Tang officially joined the Department of Computer Science of ETH Zurich in January 2020 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Vision. Get to know her in this short interview.

Fanny Yang officially joined the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich in January 2020 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science. Get to know her in this short interview.

Three Master's graduates from the Department of Computer Science have won the ETH Medal for their outstanding Master's theses. Many congratulations!

The CSNOW (Network of Women in Computer Science) supports and connects women the Department of Computer Science. At the turn of the year, the organisation’s leadership changed.

Initially, he wanted to be a particle physicist. Today, he helps protect the rainforest using artificial intelligence and blockchain. David Dao, a doctoral student at the DS3Lab at the Department of Computer Science, travelled to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid in December to present his research. In an interview, he explains how artificial intelligence can help the climate, but how it also poses risks.

Dr. David Cock, a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Computing Platforms, received the ACM SIGOPS 2019 Hall of Fame award for a paper he co-authored ten years ago.

Professor David Basin has been selected as an individual member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW).

Senior scientist Dr. Barbara Solenthaler received one of the first grants from the Botnar Research Centre for Child Health. Her project aims to optimise the surgical treatment of cleft lip and palate with the use of machine learning algorithms, smartphone images and 3D printing.

Hector Garcia-Molina, professor of computer science and electrical engineering at Stanford University and honorary doctor of the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, passed away at 65.

The ACM Gordon Bell Prize, the most prestigious prize in the area of supercomputing, has been awarded to two research teams from the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Electrical Engineering for developing a simulation that maps heat in transistors.

At the age of 81, the ETH professor emeritus of Computer Science Jürg Nievergelt passed away this October. He had been instrumental in the founding of the Department of Computer Science.

Professor Timothy Roscoe was invited to speak at the Unix 50 event at Nokia Bell Labs, celebrating 50 years of Unix operating systems and providing an outlook to the future of computing.

Professor Markus Gross is among the thirty-two computer visualisation leaders who have been inducted into the IEEE Visualization Academy. The Academy recognises individuals who have made substantial contributions to the field of visualisation.

They are lecturers, scientists, software developers and innovators: the Senior Scientists Focus Education at the Department of Computer Science are responsible for teaching computer science at other departments. But they also do much more than just teach.

Can you turn a semester project into a business idea? Yes, of course! The video game Unrailed!, developed by Hendrik Baatz, Thomas Lang, Lukas Rahmann and Thomas Wolf as part of the Game Programming Laboratory course, has garnered worldwide interest at trade shows and in the media. On 9 September 2019, it became the first game developed at the Department of Computer Science to be commercially available.

Christian Holz officially joined the Department of Computer Science of ETH Zurich in August 2019 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science. Get to know him in this short interview.

Rasmus Kyng officially joined the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich at the beginning of September 2019 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Theoretical Computer Science. Get to know him in this short interview.

As a female computer scientist, Julia Chatain has experienced many conscious and unconscious biases. With her work at ETH Zurich’s Game Technology Center, she aims to refute such prejudices for future generations and to show everyone – not least the women themselves – that yes, women can code!

Professor Valentina Boeva officially joined the Department of Computer Science of ETH Zurich in early June 2019 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics. Get to know her in this short interview.

Professor Julia Vogt officially joined the Department of Computer Science of ETH Zurich at the beginning of May 2019 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Medical Data Science. Get to know her in this short interview.

Data science methods have applications in many different fields in academia and industry. To foster the adoption of data-driven science, the Swiss Data Science Center was founded two and a half years ago. Jointly backed by ETH Zurich and EPFL and supported by the computer science departments of both universities, the centre has already made significant progress towards its goal to make data science more open, transparent and accessible in both academia and industry.

Timothy Roscoe is a Full Professor in the Systems Group at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich. He has led the effort to build Enzian, a uniquely flexible research computer that will allow researchers to study many different areas of computer science without requiring specialised hardware, thus bringing academic studies and the realities of industry closer together.

Professor Kenneth Paterson officially joined the Department of Computer Science of ETH Zurich at the beginning of April 2019. He will be leading the newly established Applied Cryptography group. Get to know him in this short interview.

The foundations for internet communication were laid down in the previous century and have undergone very little modernisation since. With their spin-off Anapaya Systems, Adrian Perrig, David Basin and Peter Müller, professors at the ETH Zurich Department of Computer Science, want to bring the internet into the 21st century and make it a secure and reliable means of communication.

After two and a half years as the Head of the Department of Computer Science, Professor Emo Welzl is stepping down. In a wide-ranging interview, the outgoing Department Head talks about the future of computer science, the balance between theory and practice, and the importance of appointing new professors.