Status of women faculty at ETH Zurich
In November 2021 the Executive Board of ETH Zurich appointed six professors to a commission to investigate the status of women faculty at ETH.
Purpose
The commission's purpose was to investigate what it means to be a women professor at ETH, the experiences of female professors and the support and resources they receive. The commission aimed to dig deeper and discover what obstacles women may face and how these can be overcome.
Approach
To ensure objectivity, the commission, chaired by Professor Dr Gudela Grote, engaged an external team of experts from the University of Lausanne, led by Professor Dr Nicky Le Feuvre. This team conducted a comprehensive study that combined quantitative analysis with in-depth interviews. Ahead of the study, the commission compiled relevant quantitative data and carried out a brief survey of female professors to help shape the interview topics.
Position statement
The ETH Executive Board, the Conference of Department Heads (DVK) and the Lecturers’ Conference (KdL) have issued a joint position statement in response to the recent report “Gendering Academic Careers at ETH Zurich.” The statement reflects on the findings of the report and affirms ETH Zurich’s continued commitment to fostering inclusion and gender equality throughout the institution.
Download Read the full position statement in the PDF here. (PDF, 50 KB)
Next steps
ETH Zurich is committed to translating the findings of the report into meaningful action.
The Executive Board has asked all departments and administrative units to reflect on their specific contexts and develop targeted measures to foster gender equality and inclusion. These departmental measures will be discussed in structured dialogues between the Executive Board and the departments throughout 2026. The goal is to evaluate progress and share good practices.
Through this inclusive and participatory process, ETH Zurich aims to strengthen a culture of mutual respect, transparency, and continuous improvement.
The commission
Members of the commission:
- Prof. Dr. Gudela Grote
- Prof. Dr. Niao He
- Prof. Dr. Judit Szulágyi
- Prof. Dr. Eleni Chatzi
- Prof. Dr. Renato Renner
- Prof. Dr. Nicolas Gruber
Support of the commission:
The commission was supported by the Vice-Presidency for Personnel Development and Leadership and several technical administrative staff members from different departments: