Global Lecture Series: Improving Public Policy Through Science
7 October 2025 – Scientific insight meets political experience in this timely ETH Global Lecture. Former Federal Chancellor of Switzerland Walter Thurnherr and ETH Professor Tobias Schmidt explore how science can inform governance and decision-making.
What role should scientists play in shaping public policy? And what responsibility do scientists with technical expertise have to make technologies contribute to the common good? In this ETH Global Lecture, Walter Thurnherr, former Chancellor of Switzerland and physicist by training, joins Tobias Schmidt, Full Professor at ETH Zurich and director of the Institute of Science, Technology and Policy, to explore how scientific insight can inform governance and decision-making. Moderated by Julie Cantalou, former Co-Secretary General of the Swiss Green Liberal Party, the conversation marks upcoming developments at ETH at the interface of policymaking and science and will delve into the value of evidence-informed policymaking in an increasingly complex world.
Improving Public Policy Through Science with former Swiss Chancellor Walter Thurnherr and ETH Professor Tobias Schmidt
Date: Tuesday, 7 October 2025
Time: 17:30-18:30 Lecture and Q&A; 18:30-19:30 Apéro
Location: HG F30 Audimax, ETH Main Building, R?mistrasse 101
Registration is required: please click external page here to register!
Speakers
- Walter Thurnherr, Professor of Practice, Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zurich
- Tobias “Tobi” Schmidt, Full Professor, Head of the Energy and Technology Policy Group, Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zurich
Moderated by
- external page Julie Cantalou, Freelance Consultant, ETH Zurich
Speaker Profiles
Walter Thurnherr
Walter Thurnherr served as Switzerland’s Federal Chancellor from 2016 to 2023. A physicist by education, he is now Professor of Practice at ETH Zurich’s Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, where he supports the development of ETH’s new School of Public Policy. His work focuses on bridging the gap between science and governance, advocating for deeper dialogue and mutual understanding between researchers and policymakers. In addition to authoring a forthcoming book, he recently launched a well-received lecture within ETH’s “Science in Perspective” programme, engaging students in the complexities of political decision-making in a technologically driven world.
Tobias“Tobi” Schmidt
Tobias “Tobi” Schmidt is Full Professor at ETH Zurich’s Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, where he heads the Energy and Technology Policy Group. He also serves as Director of the Institute of Science, Technology and Policy. His research explores how energy policy and political dynamics shape technological innovation across both high- and low-income countries. A recipient of ETH’s Golden Owl teaching award, he is deeply committed to education, offering conceptual and applied courses on policy analysis and energy governance, including executive programs. He holds degrees in electrical engineering from TU Munich and a PhD in management, technology, and economics from ETH Zurich.
Julie Cantalou
Julie Cantalou is passionate about the worlds of politics and science. Until recently she was the Co-Secretary General of the Green Liberal Party (GLP), a position she held since the summer of 2021. Before that she worked in strategic development at ETH Zurich and at the interface between science and policy at the University of Southampton, UK.
She advises and supports ETH Zurich in setting up and developing its School of Public Policy. With a passion for science and politics, she is particularly focused on fostering dialogue between the two and strengthening knowledge transfer.