D-INFK news channel

Since 1996, Emo Welzl has been a professor at the Institute of Theoretical Computer Science. He has dedicated his career to developing and analysing combinatorial algorithms and discrete mathematics. Among other things, he has worked on algorithmic geometry and the analysis of geometric structures. As he will be retiring at the end of January, we look back on his career in this interview and learn how he found his way into theoretical computer science and what fascinates him about it.

Since May 2006, Simonetta Zysset has been a cherished member of the Department of Computer Science (D-INFK), where she has been working as an administrative assistant. Over the past 17 years, she supported ten different professors in her role. As she is retiring at the end of this month, we look back at her time at ETH Zurich together.

In theory, quantum computers vastly outperform classical computers in terms of computing speed. For them to do so in practice, it is necessary to design more and novel high-​speed algorithms, says ETH supercomputing specialist Torsten Hoefler. 

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.

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.

Ralf Jung is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA. He was appointed as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science. With this, the department boosts its expertise in programming languages.  

Otmar Hilliges has been promoted from Associate Professor to Full Professor of Computer Science. Hilliges conducts research in the areas of human-​machine interaction, machine vision and machine learning. 

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.

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.

Martin Vechev, head of the Secure, Reliable, and Intelligent Systems Lab at the Department of Computer Science, has been promoted from Associate Professor to Full Professor.

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.

Since June 2020, Professor Kenny Paterson has represented the Department of Computer Science in the Commission for Good Scientific Practice at ETH Zurich. In this interview, he talks about the role of scientists and scientific integrity in computer science.

In the last part of this video series, Niklaus Wirth tells us what doors the Turing Award opened for him and how he got one step closer to perfection with each programming language.

In this continuing conversation, Niklaus Wirth talks about the hurdles he had to overcome when introducing computer science to Switzerland and why the label "made in the USA" was absolutely necessary at the time.

Stelian Coros, currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Computational Robotics in the Department of Computer Science.

1970, Prof. em. Niklaus Wirth developed the programming language Pascal and became world famous with it. In this conversation with Prof. em. Friedemann Mattern, Wirth talks about the beginnings of computer science and how he influenced them significantly.

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.

Carl August Zehnder's work not only shaped the Department of Computer Science, but also the Swiss state and society. In this continuing conversation, the founder of D-INFK explains the benefits of associations, how not to lose touch in a fast-moving field and why openness is of great importance for computer scientists.

Professor emeritus Carl August Zehnder is one of the founders of the Department of Computer Science. In this video, he talks about how his research field developed out of practical necessity, the competitive pressure against other departments, and the importance of infrastructure at ETH Zurich.

For a week in September, scientific staff at the Department of Computer Science met in the picturesque mountain town of Scuol, Switzerland for a double-edition of the annual VMI Summer Retreat.

Florian Tramèr is currently a doctoral student at Stanford University. Appointed as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science, he will significantly improve the links between the Department’s research programmes in IT security and machine learning.

Professor emeritus Walter Gander was a strong advocate for computer science since the 80s. He was committed to independent computer science teaching in Swiss schools, supported women in CS and participated in development projects abroad. In the second part of this interview, Walter Gander tells us about his work as head of department, his long-term book projects and how copy & paste was done in the 80s.

Prof. em. Walter Gander helped Switzerland acquire a high-performance computer, promoted the implementation of e-mail at ETH Zurich, and wrote the first book using LaTeX. In this interview with Lukas Fässler, high above the rooftops of Zurich, he talks about the beginnings of the Department of Computer Science and about a career that stretched from St. Gallen to Hong Kong.

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.

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.

For 31 years, Thomas Wick has worked at ETH Zurich in the Facility Management Department. At the beginning of this year, Mr. Wick has retired. In this farewell interview, he shares his experiences and memories.

Forty years ago, ETH Zurich launched its computer science degree programme. However, the history of computer science at ETH began even earlier. Our professor emeritus Carl August Zehnder reveals how he and the other founders of the department fought for their own degree programme.

Kristina Hostáková joined Professor Dennis Hofheinz’s research group at the Institute of Theoretical Computer Science last December as a postdoc. In this interview, she talks about asymmetric cryptography, her experiences on the path to ETH Zurich and the promotion of women in computer science.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Video conferences instead of social coffee breaks and a very short commute to work. In order to slow the rapid spread of the coronavirus, most members of the Department of Computer Science are now working from home. Read how they are experiencing their new reality.

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.

In light of International Women's Day 2020, ETH Zurich puts successful women centre stage. Read about Prof. Julia Vogt, tenure track assistant professor of medical data science, in this article.

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.

Dr. Hermann Lehner is appointed new head of the Academic Services. He takes over from Dr. Dieter Wüest on July 1, 2020, who has served in this important position for 15 years.

Ryan Cotterell's research focuses on human languages with regard to scientific knowledge, automated processing and artificial intelligence.

Professor Peter Müller, the retiring Director of Studies of the Department of Computer Science, looks back on two and a half years in office and takes stock. In this interview, he talks about the highlights of his job and how teaching has changed at D-INFK.

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.

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.

Dennis Hofheinz makes significant contributions to topics such as e-voting, blockchain systems and digital money and will strengthen the important area of cybersecurity.

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.

Professor Thomas Gross is retiring at the end of July, but will still continue to support the department in teaching.

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!

Vasiliki Kalavri didn’t know anything about computer science before she encountered it at university. Today, she is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich. Dr. Kalavri and her team are building Strymon, a next-generation stream processing system that is faster, more flexible and more autonomous than existing systems.

Dr. Rasmus Kyng conducts research in theoretical computer science with a focus on algorithm theory and theoretical aspects of data science.

Dr. Siyu Tang focuses on the development of computer-aided processes for the perception and digitalisation of people and their activities in complex and natural environments.

Mrinmaya Sachan explores concepts and methods of machine learning for the comprehension of natural language.

Dr. Ana Klimovic’s research areas include computer architecture, cloud computing, computer systems and data centre architecture.

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.

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 focus of Julia Vogt's research is on machine learning methods in the life sciences, and the use of algorithms for biomedical data analysis.

Valentina Boeva develops analysis algorithms which are used to investigate changes in genetic information and epigenetic imprinting in tumours.

This February, Professor Peter Widmayer received professor emeritus status after 27 year of teaching and research at ETH Zurich. D-INFK says thank you.

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.

Fan Yang’s research into data analysis and statistics ranges from theoretical studies and statistical methods through practical applications in life sciences. 

Kenneth Paterson, currently Full Professor at Royal Holloway College, London, was appointed by the ETH board as a Full Professor.

Christian Holz, currently a researcher in private industry, is newly appointed as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science. 

Dana Drachsler Cohen is an outstanding IT specialist at ETH Zurich. The Israeli researcher is working on the security of systems such as autonomous vehicles and cryptocurrencies.

Prof. Norrie will retire in August this year. She has worked at ETH Zurich since 1993. Her research focused on the use of object-oriented and web technologies in information systems.

Prof. Su is an expert in software engineering and programming languages. He develops innovative test methods for compilers – the most important software development tool. 

One of Prof. Sorkine-Hornung's main reseach areas is the interactive modelling of surfaces. She is also working on digital fabrication and 3D printing techniques in computer design.

In his research on machine learning and artificial intelligence, Professor Krause develops innovative models and algorithms that can optimize submodular quality functions efficiently.

Assistant professor Torsten Hoefler leads the Scalable Parallel Computing Laboratory. His research areas include high-​performance computing, performance modeling and parallel programming.

Professor Angelika Steger leads the Combinatorial Structures and Algorithms group. Her research areas include algorithms, combinatorics, randomisation and probabilistic methods as well as combinatorial models for optimisation.

Associate professor Martin Vechev leads the Secure, Reliable, and Intelligent Systems Lab. His research areas include concurrency, program analysis and synthesis as well as the application of machine learning to programming languages.

Associate professor Olga Sorkine-​Hornung leads the Interactive Geometry Lab. Her research areas include shape representation and editing, digital geometry processing, fabrication, image and video manipulation, and computer animation.

In the field of theoretical computer science, Professor Steurer is an expert on fundamental questions of efficient computation in relation to optimisation and data analysis.

Prof. Vechev’s specialist areas is the development of parallel software. His projects exploit huge, open source software databases known as "Big Code."

Stelian Coros is an innovative young scientist who demonstrates great potential in the area of finding novel methods and algorithms for digital design, and in the computational fabrication of robots.

Professor Marc Pollefeys leads the Computer Vision and Geometry Group. His research areas include computer vision, 3D modeling, robotic perception and computer graphics.

Professor Timothy Roscoe leads the Network and Operating Systems group within the Systems Group. His research areas include operating systems, distributed systems, networking and enterprise computing.

At the age of 29, Professor of Computer Science Mohsen Ghaffari is one of the youngest professors at ETH Zurich. But in his native Iran he originally studied quite a different subject.

Assistant professor Ankit Singla leads the Network Design and Architecture Lab within the Systems Group. His research areas include networks, data centers, internet architecture and network design.

Professor Ueli Maurer leads the Information Security and Cryptography group. His research areas include cryptography, information security and information theory.

In this interview, two emeriti, Prof. em. Peter Rieder and Carl August Zehnder, talk about how they stay connected to ETH Zurich and how they contribute to society. (German)

Assistant Professor Ce Zhang leads the Data Sciences, Data Systems, and Data Services (DS3) lab. His research areas include data science and data management, machine learning and database systems.

Assistant Professor Otmar Hilliges leads the Advanced Interactive Technologies (AIT) lab. His research areas include human-​computer interaction, augmented and virtual reality as well as human robot interaction.

Gunnar Rätsch joined the Computer Science Department as a Full Professor of Biomedical Informatics in May 2016. Prior to accepting this position, he was conducting research at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, NY, USA. Professor Rätsch develops machine learning algorithms for the analysis of biological and medical data. His research will be central in ETH Zurich's initiative for personalized medicine.

Ce Zhang joined the Department of Computer Science as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor on September 1st of 2016. He joins us from his post-​doctoral research at Stanford University, California, USA. His research interests are in the areas of databases, data processing, machine learning and data science. He links conventional areas of databases and information retrieval with new methods of machine learning.

Mirroring the international spirit at the Department of Computer Science, our students share their points of view and describe their impression of ETH, their studies and future personal as well as professional goals in Switzerland.

On January 12, 2016, Prof. em. Urs Hochstrasser celebrated his 90th birthday. ETH Zurich, especially the Department of Computer Science, organised a symposium in his honour in the Audi Max. (German)

Professor emeritus Carl August Zehnder recounts the early history of computer science in Switzerland that lead first to the creation of a computer science curriculum and finally to the founding of the Department of Computer Science in 1981. (German)

At the end of March 2015, computer science pioneer Friedrich L. Bauer (1924-2015), Professor at TU Munchen, passed away. The mathematician worked on the foundations of computer science such as programming languages, compilers, cryptography and software engineering. F. L. Bauer was a friend of ETH and a personal friend of Heinz Rutishauser, the first computer science professor of ETH Zurich. (German)

A leading light in discrete and algorithmic geometry, Professor Jiří Matoušek passed away on March 9, 2015, a day before his 52nd birthday.

A group of alumni from the second semester of 1964 recently came together in the CAB building to celebrate 50 years of programming at ETH Zurich. ETH bought its first computer, the CDC 1604-​A, on May 12, 1964. (German)

The last 40 years have seen an explosion of innovation and economic growth within the biotechnology industry. For nearly the same amount of time, Prof. Gaston Gonnet has researched at the intersection between technology and life itself: in bioinformatics and computational biology.. In the light of his retirement, these lines pay homage to Prof. Gonnet’s academic achievements spent in the service of humanity.

Prof. Jürg Gutknecht built up numerous partnerships and ventured into areas such as computer-​aided art. As university professor and head of the Computer Science Department, he was influential in the educational establishment and growth of the department. Today, as an advocate for informatics in schools, Prof. Gutknecht’s main concern is to raise the level of awareness of computer literacy as a skill of the contemporary world.

Niklaus Wirth became internationally renowned for developing the Pascal programming language, allowing a generation of computer scientists to learn to program. This pioneering figure celebrates his 80th birthday – which doesn’t mean he isn’t still busy developing the simplest and most elegant programs possible.