Tanja Zimmermann
Tanja Zimmermann is Director of Empa and Professor of Materials Science at ETH Zurich and EPF Lausanne. She established the research topic of cellulose nanocomposites at Empa as a group leader and later as Head of Department. She has been a member of Empa’s Executive Board since 2017. Topics such as resource efficiency and net-zero targets are important to her. Tanja Zimmermann is a member of various national and international committees and scientific advisory boards.
Veronique Michaud
Véronique Michaud is head of the Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites at EPFL. She graduated from École des Mines in Paris with an engineering degree in 1987, from MIT with a PhD in Materials Engineering in 1991 and obtained a research habilitation from INPG in France in 1994. Her fields of research address fundamental aspects of composite materials processing, often including economic and environmental aspects to lower the overall product footprint, as well as the development of smart materials and structures.
Mirko Meboldt
Prof Dr Mirko Meboldt has been Full Professor of Product Development and Engineering Design at ETH Zurich since 2012. Previously, he led global R&D and innovation processes at Hilti Schweiz AG in Liechtenstein. His research connects digital technologies, advanced manufacturing, and user-centered design to accelerate and de-risk the journey from ideas to products. With people at the core of innovation, he is also dedicated to rethinking education and industry training.
Nicola Marzari
Nicola Marzari holds the chair of Theory and Simulation of Materials at the EPFL – where he is also Director of the National Centre on Computational Design and Discovery of Novel Materials of the SNSF – and heads the Laboratory for Materials Simulations at PSI. As of 2025, he is also the Cavendish Professor of Physics at the University of Cambridge. Previous tenured appointments include the Toyota Chair for Materials Processing at MIT and the first Statutory Chair of Materials Modelling at the University of Oxford.
Sebastian Heuft
Studied Industrial Engineering and Management and International Business. Worked for Siemens in various procurement roles. Currently driving the sustainable transformation of the Siemens supply chain, with a focus on advancing sustainable products.
Francois Girod
With a lifelong passion for geology, mountain exploration and mineralogy, Francois Girod pursued a Master’s degree and then a PhD in Earth Sciences. His professional journey began in the analytical equipment industry as an application scientist. In 2004, he joined Holcim as Laboratory and Quality Manager, progressing to become Director of the Eclepens cement plant in 2010. Since 2021, he has been actively involved in circular economy and decarbonisation projects, and as of the beginning of this year, he is fully dedicated to these critical strategic initiatives.
Anna Fontcuberta i Morral
Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, a Full Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Physics at EPFL, became the school’s president in January 2025. With a PhD from École Polytechnique in Palaiseau and leadership experience at institutions such as Caltech, TU Munich and EPFL, she has advanced sustainable semiconductors and quantum technologies while co-founding Aonex Technologies to bridge scientific innovation and entrepreneurship. She actively served on the Presiding Board of the Swiss National Foundations’ Research Council. She is a member of the EPFL-WISH foundation, whose goal is to support female students in accomplishing their professional goals.
Professor Fontcuberta i Morral has received numerous prizes and accolades, such as the Emmy Noether Distinction of the European Physical Society, the ERC Starting Grant, the Marie Curie Excellence Grant and the prize for the best teaching from the engineering students at EPFL. Of Spanish and Swiss origin, she is fluent in five languages.
Michele Ceriotti
Michele Ceriotti is a professor at EPFL, where he leads the Laboratory for Computational Science and Modelling and directs the Institute of Materials. His research interests are rooted in the atomistic-scale modelling of matter, bridging quantum mechanics, statistical physics and machine learning.
Xavier Caro
Xavier Caro possesses over 25 years of expertise in packaging and sustainable design within the FMCG industry. After starting at Nestlé in 1998, Xavier has held diverse leadership roles within the company across operations, R&D, and corporate functions. He has cultivated a robust international profile through assignments in Australia, the United States, Singapore, Brazil and Germany. Xavier also gained experience serving as Senior Director of Packaging R&D for EMEA at KENVUE focusing on the development and deployment of new product launches as well as providing support to marketed products across all franchises and channels within the Essential Health, Skin Health, and Self Care categories. Now heading the Nestlé Institute of Packaging Science, he and his team are focusing on the research and development of novel materials for the Nestlé Brands.
Federico Zipoli
Dr Federico Zipoli is a Senior Research Scientist at IBM Research Europe in Zurich. His research activity focuses on leveraging foundation models and generative AI to accelerate discoveries in chemistry and materials science. Before this, he applied atomistic simulations to different types of materials, for example phase-change materials for storage applications and solid-state electrolytes for batteries.