11.07.14 - The Council of Federal Institutes of Technology appointed six faculty at its July meeting. Among them is John P. Donoghue, one of the American pioneers of man-machine interfaces. He will head the Wyss Center in Geneva.
John P. Donoghue appointed Adjunct Professor in a part-time capacity. He will lead EPFL’s Wyss Center for Bio- and Neuro-engineering at the Biotech Campus in Geneva.
The new Wyss Center for Bio-and Neuro-engineering, located at the Biotech Campus in Geneva, has found its director in one of the most renowned neuroscientists in the world. In this capacity John P. Donoghue, founder of the Brown Institute for Brain Science (Rhode Island, USA), was appointed Full Professor at the EPFL and Visiting Professor at the University of Geneva. He is best known for having developed innovative brain-machine interfaces.
John P. Donoghue, Professor of Neuroscience and Engineering at Brown University (Rhode Island, USA) and holder of the Henry Merritt Wriston Chair, is one of the founding fathers of the marriage between neuroscience and cybernetics, today called neuroprosthetics.
He will head the new Wyss Center for Bio-and Neuro-engineering. This research center is currently being established at the Biotech Campus in Geneva, on the former Merck Serono site. The Center will have a dozen new laboratories devoted to research in areas such as immuno-engineering, neuro-engineering and regenerative engineering. It is funded by the Wyss Foundation, which was founded by Swiss entrepreneur Hansjörg Wyss.
John P. Donoghue is the founding Chairman of the Department of Neuroscience at Brown, and he directs the Brown Institute for Brain Science in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
John P. Donoghue is one of the most respected researchers in the field of neuroscience. He has won numerous awards, such as the 2007 K.J. Zülch Prize, Europe’s highest distinction in the field of brain research. Donoghue skillfully combines the qualities of a scientist, engineer and manager, for example by coordinating the multidisciplinary team behind the neural implant prototype BrainGate.
Eric Hoesli appointed Adjunct Professor in the College of Humanities (CDH)
Over the past several years, EPFL has offered its students a curriculum in “area studies,” particularly focused on Asia and the Middle East. The school wishes to develop this program because it considers the ability to operate from an informed position in a globalized world a necessity for young people today.
In collaboration with the University of Geneva and University of Lausanne, EPFL is developing an academic program in “area studies.” The goal is to create a synergy among existing initiatives alongside the joint development of new programs that results in a coordinated offering for EPFL students. The College of Humanities is developing curricula on Russia, and the three Lake Geneva institutions are collaborating on their study of the Russian region within the “Global Geneva” program.
In his capacities as journalist and editor of the most prestigious newspapers in western Switzerland, as well as manager of the media group Edipresse and Tamedia, Eric Hoesli has also become an expert on contemporary Russia. As a journalist, he has devoted numerous articles to the region since the fall of the Berlin Wall. He also published a book in 2006 titled, A la Conquête du Caucase (Paris, Éditions Syrtes), which was a remarkable success.
Edouard Bugnion appointed Adjunct Professor in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences (IC)
Edouard Bugnion is a topflight engineer and researcher with a strong background in the field of complex computer systems. His innovative ideas combined with his ability to overcome technical challenges have changed the course of computing and underlying IT infrastructure of the 21st century.
He is also an outstanding entrepreneur who has successfully tested technology transfer from the academy to the industry in the process of creating a successful business. In fact he founded two innovative companies that became “success stories”: VMware, the global leader in virtualization software, and Nuova Systems, which has since been acquired by Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking.
His range of skills brings a real added value to other teachers, particularly in terms of technology transfer, designated as one of the three main missions of EPFL after teaching and research.
Gaétan de Rassenfosse appointed as tenure-track Assistant Professor of Science and Technology Policy in the College of Management of Technology (CDM)
Gaétan de Rassenfosse’s research aims to provide empirical answers to key policy issues of science and technology. His research is relevant both for policymakers and for those active in the world of innovation (firms and universities, in particular).
One of his areas of research provides a better understanding of the issues related to the pricing of patents. Another line of research focuses on indicators of innovation. In particular, Gaétan de Rassenfosse has developed a new innovation indicator and a tool for improving the use of innovation indicators in the scientific community.
It has been so productive that the innovation indicator developed by Gaétan de Rassenfosse is regularly used in the publications of the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, a Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.
Anna Fontcuberta i Morral appointed Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in the School of Engineering (STI)
Based on the foundations of materials science and engineering, such as the structure, properties and functions of materials, the research of Anna Fontcuberta i Morral expands the frontiers of the field of semiconductor processing at the nanoscale. Her studies focus on the synthesis of semiconductor nanostructures and their properties for applications in mesoscopic physics and energy recovery.
Focusing on nanowires, she explores their growth mechanisms and thus gives a detailed understanding of the growth – structure relationship. The goal is to optimize the structures of the intended application and create new objects with unexpected physical, as well as chemical, properties.
Anna Fontcuberta i Morral is internationally recognized for her many contributions, including the demonstration of the operation of a solar cell that consists of a single nanowire.
Tamar Kohn appointed Associate Professor of Environmental Chemistry in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC)
Tamar Kohn’s major contributions concern the elimination and degradation of chemical pollutants and biological agents and pathogens in aquatic systems. She has brought significant results in her research on the disinfection of pathogenic contaminants using solar photo-inactivation, and she identified a “singlet oxygen” chemical substance that plays a key role in the neutralization of a virus in water.
Her proven expertise in chemistry, biology and photochemistry carries the advantage of being able to produce major contributions in this interdisciplinary topic. Its economic and societal goal is to improve the quality of drinking water through the disinfection of viruses that are responsible for most waterborne diseases.