Tanja Stadler awarded prestigious Doron Prize for pioneering work in computational evolution and public health
The Swiss Foundation for the Doron Prize has honoured Professor Tanja Stadler, Head of the Computational Evolution Group at the Department of Biosystems and Engineering Sciences and Deputy Head of the D-BSSE, with one of Switzerland's most prestigious awards for her pioneering contributions to computational evolution and her central role in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his laudatory speech, Professor Yves Flückiger, former President of Swissuniversities and current president of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, highlighted Tanja’s research in phylogenetics – studying evolutionary relationships using genomic data – which significantly advanced the scientific understanding of infectious disease dynamics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tanja played a central role in advising the Swiss Federal Council. In 2021, she was appointed president of the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force and later led the federal scientific advisory board, which evolved in 2025 into the new “Public Health Cluster” under her leadership. Her work has enabled the use of genomic data for real-time monitoring of pathogens, including innovative methods such as wastewater analysis to track disease spread. These contributions have not only shaped Switzerland’s pandemic response but also set new international standards in public health surveillance.
“Scientific engagement in service of public health is a responsibility I take deeply to heart. I am grateful for this recognition and proud to contribute to a healthier, better-informed society.”Tanja Stadler, Head of the D-BSSE Computational Evolution group, at the award ceremony for the Doron Prize
The Doron Prize, endowed with CHF 100,000, recognises individuals and organisations for exceptional achievements in science, culture, and humanitarian work. Reflecting on the honour, Tanja stated: “Scientific engagement in service of public health is a responsibility I take deeply to heart. I am grateful for this recognition and proud to contribute to a healthier, better-informed society.”
The award ceremony took place at the Casino Theater in Zug, marking the 40th and final edition of the Doron Prize.
Find external page media release (in German/French).
Learn about research in the Computational Evolution group led by Tanja Stadler at the ETH-Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE).
Always up to date
Would you like to always receive the most important internal information and news from ETH Zurich? Then subscribe to the "internal news" newsletter and visit Staffnet, the information portal for ETH employees.