With an acclaimed history that began in 1855, when it was founded by the Swiss government, ETH Zurich boasts 21 Nobel Laureates alumnus, including Albert Einstein who, after attending as a student, became a professor.
Today, ‘Quacquarelli Symonds’ World University Rankings places ETH Zurich at 10th in the world overall and 5th the world for the subjects of engineering and technology.
In addition to being a leading University in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Dr. Lino Guzzella, President of ETH Zurich see’s the university playing a much broader role in the development of students.
“A good university doesn’t just teach knowledge but the ability to think,” says Guzzella.
Dr. Guzzella’s philosophy has a far-reaching impact as ETH Zurich’s student population is 38% foreign nationals. The university global focus is seen by the development of the Singapore-ETH Centre (SEC) which was established in 2010 by ETH Zurich and Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF) with a goal of developing sustainable solutions to global challenges.
Through its programs, the center serves as an intellectual hub for research, scholarship, entrepreneurship, postgraduate and postdoctoral training, bringing together principal investigators and researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds.
To promote the exchange of ideas and expertise, researchers at the center actively collaborate with universities and research institutes. Engagement with industry and government agencies also helps researchers translate knowledge to action by providing practical solutions to real-world problems.
In 2017, the Singapore-ETH Centre led the inter-institutional Cooling Singapore research project in developing a roadmap to improve thermal comfort in tropical Singapore, in collaboration with CREATE centers established by MIT, TUM and with NUS.
“We look forward to further collaboration with the Singapore-ETH Centre to respond to the future challenges of global environmental sustainability. We hope to see more faculty and students from Singapore coming to our campus in Switzerland and vice versa,” concludes Dr. Lino Guzzella.
