Heilbronn news 5/25 – Future professorships have been defined
The Executive Board has established 17 profiles for future professorships at ETH Heilbronn, setting the academic direction for the campus. This paves the way for the first round of faculty appointments to begin.??
The vision for the ETH campus in Heilbronn is taking shape. The Executive Board has approved profiles for the proposed faculty appointments, defining the academic direction for the new Baden-Württemberg location.
The agreement between ETH Zurich and the Dieter Schwarz Foundation stipulates that ETH is to gradually advertise and fill the newly established professorships. The Executive Board has now decided on 17 potential profiles for the 15 open appointments. “It’s important for us to maintain some flexibility regarding future developments in certain fields,” explains ETH President Jo?l Mesot. According to Mesot, this allows ETH to react to opportunities that may arise within the Heilbronn ecosystem, for instance as a result of partnerships.
Strong focus on fundamentals
Seven to eight faculty positions dedicated to the fundamentals of artificial intelligence, information security and cyber security will form the foundation for eight themed professorships, which are to be filled over a longer period. These professorships will be organised into clusters with the goal of addressing emerging global challenges.
The Foundations of AI professorships will focus not only on advancing the fundamentals, but also on developing appropriate AI methodologies. The Foundations of Information & Cyber Security professorships will concentrate on protecting digital infrastructures in terms of data protection and system robustness. The departments of Mathematics, Computer Science and Information Technology and Electrical Engineering all had a hand in defining the profiles of the fundamentals-focused professorships.
Additional focus on socially relevant applications
Drawing on this foundation, the professorships with specific thematic areas will tackle socially relevant fields of application. One main focus involves developing human-centric AI systems that combine technical sophistication with reflections on ethics and social responsibility. These faculty profiles were defined with input from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Architecture.
Another focus is combining basic research and specific applications – particularly in health and environmental sciences – to achieve scientific breakthroughs with tangible benefits for society as a whole. These faculty appointments will use fundamental AI research and domain-specific applications to support decision-making processes in complex systems characterised by uncertainty and variability.
The faculty profiles in the life sciences originate from the departments of Biology, Biosystems and Computer Science. For the Resources & Sustainability cluster, input on the profiles has been incorporated from the departments of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Materials Science and Environmental Systems Science.
Vacancy announcments in preparation
“Approving the profiles for these future faculty appointments marks a significant milestone, achieved through the contributions of many ETH members from across our academic departments and central units,” says Mesot. “I extend my sincere thanks to everyone involved, especially the expert committee for their recommendations, the ETH Zurich 365体育官网_365体育备用【手机在线】 Heilbronn Advisory Board for their valuable input and the Faculty Affairs Office for their meticulous planning and coordination throughout the entire process.”
The Executive Board has approved eight profiles for the initial round of vacancy announcements. Seven of these concern fundamental areas, while the eighth is in the life sciences. The Office for Faculty Affairs and the relevant departments are currently working intensively to prepare the first appointments. In parallel, the Unist for Teaching and Learning, under the leadership of the Rector, is working on the conceptual development of future degree programmes.
The appointment of the first professors will give the ETH campus in Heilbronn a clear thematic direction. “I look forward to speaking with leading researchers who want to join us in Heilbronn to help us shape digital transformation in a responsible way,” says Mesot.
How the professorships were defined
The themes of the professorships were defined in a two-stage evaluation process. First, all departments were invited to submit pre-proposals. Based on recommendations from an expert committee appointed by the ETH President, the Executive Board reached a decision in March regarding which of the submissions should be developed into full proposals.
By June, 28 complete proposals for 30 profiles had been submitted. These were reviewed again by the expert committee, whose recommendations formed the basis for the Executive Board’s decision in October.
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