involved@ETH Roundtable Project
A diversity of voices for a thriving ETH Zurich. Learn about our collaborative roundtable project and get involved. We are looking for ambassadors! Find out more below.
About the project
The involved@ETH project aims to make voices from underrepresented and vulnerable groups heard, and offers an opportunity to actively participate in the development of a more inclusive and diversity-sensitive university culture. Collaborative roundtables are a central element of the project. These discussions provide the space to address the situation of university members from underrepresented groups in greater depth, identify obstacles and jointly discuss solutions and strategies. Initial topics were developed in focus group discussions; the aim is to organise one roundtable per semester on a selected current topic.
Once a year, an exchange takes place between selected delegates and members of the university management, where important findings from the roundtables are discussed. In addition, projects and initiatives can be developed within the framework of involved@ETH, with the possibility of receiving modest financial support.
Roundtable I Autumn 2025: Academic Precarity at ETH Zurich
Consultation through focus groups and interviews has revealed that the topic of academic precarity is relevant to many ETH members. Academic precarity refers to the increasing insecurity and instability experienced by academics, particularly due to employment instability related to short-term contracts, lack of long-term stability due to contracts as well as salary (i.e. especially PhD, postdoc and scientific staff), and higher tuition costs for students and increasing cost of living. Research has indicated that precarious academics experience feelings of displacement, marginality, and alienation, which can overall decrease mental health and wellbeing. ETH Zurich has committed itself to fostering inclusion, responsibility and empowerment, and therefore understanding the experiences of its community members in relation to precarity is crucial.
Possible topics could include:
- Increasing student fees
- Short-term contracts
- Experiences of first-generation academics
- Interesections of socioeconomic background and precarity
- Experiences of students and staff from non-EU countries
The roundtable seeks to explore and achieve the following aims:
- Provide a space to listen and be heard, and to connect in solidarity with others
- Better understanding the lived experiences of people in situations of precarity and the kinds of impacts this has on their wellbeing and ability to succeed
- Strengthening an inclusive and responsible institution through dialogue
- Facilitate meaningful exchange between leadership and affected community members and therefore provide decision-makers with personal insights into academic precarity
- Co-develop possible support-systems and other initiatives
- Ideas for community-lead initiatives to support those in precarious positions
- Key insights to share with institutional leaders
- Learnings and output will support our broader strategy on diversity, equality and inclusion, as well as institutional transformation.
All ETH members are welcome to participate
Exact date and location to be decided. Information and registration will be posted here.
Ambassadors
Looking for ambassadors
Want to help shape the roundtable and use your voice to share the key points of the roundtable? Get involved as an ambassador. Find out more below.
The role of ambassador is key to the success of the roundtable project. Ideally, the ambassadors have experience with and interest in the selected theme (academic precarity for autumn 2025), want to share their voice and perspective, and help create space for vulnerable members of the community to be heard. Ambassadors will play an active role in shaping the roundtable, helping to define its structure and focus in collaboration with the project coordinator. They will also represent the key points of the roundtable in conversations with university leadership, advocating for the issues and insights raised by participants.
This is also an opportunity to build visibility for your voice and concerns, develop leadership and communication skills, and help shape institutional conversations about belonging and inclusion.
The time commitment spans one semester (with the option to extend) and includes:
- A few planning meetings in Sept./Oct.
- Presence at the roundtable itself
- Debriefing sessions to define key findings and consider possible initiatives
- A follow-up meeting with university leadership
Overall, the expected time commitment is approximately 10-15 hours of in-person involvement.
We recognize that academic minorities are often asked to do unpaid or ‘invisible’ DEI labor. To honor your contributions, we offer a stipend of about CHF 500 for participation over the course of the semester.
We welcome interest from students, researchers, or staff up until the professorial level. We especially welcome those with experiences of precarity, women and non-binary people in fields of work or courses of study with a high proportion of men; persons affected by racism; persons who have cultural, religious or ideological backgrounds other than the majority society in Switzerland; first-generation academics; people with physical or mental disabilities; and also people who are in vulnerable positions in their academic careers due to power imbalances, such as doctoral students, especially if they belong to underrepresented groups.
- Planning meetings in September
- Roundtable in October or November
- Follow up sessions in November/December
- Meeting with school leadership TBD
Contact
VPPL
ETH Diversity
OCT F