phd annual report epfl

School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC)

Annual report 2020.

What a year! When I started as the Dean of ENAC in 2020, I never imagined that one of my main challenges would be to perform my duties largely remotely. Both spring and fall classes were moved online, telecommunicating became the norm, and our Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD students, professors, and post-doctoral fellows had to be resourceful in order to meet their class requirements and perform their research. The situation was difficult. I was moved to see how everyone gave their best to deal with it and overcome the burden. It required a lot of patience and flexibility, and I am proud of the resilience and innovativeness of all our people working and studying in their labs, offices and classrooms. I am now looking forward to once again interacting and exchanging personally with everyone to further build our community.

Looking back, I am very satisfied with all the work accomplished in 2020 by the Dean’s Office and the ENAC Board, particularly all the effort and dedication put into recruiting professors and building our strategy.

We defined five key areas to further grow in the years to come:

• disciplinary excellence, inter- and trans-disciplinarity,
• diversity and community feeling,
• data driven approaches and open science,
• strong partnerships and innovation,
• integrated communication.

Based on our vision – “ENAC is the leading faculty for sustainability in the built and natural environment” – we have been further fostering interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration and making it more visible. For example, the CLIMACT Center, a joint initiative with UNIL and co-directed by Prof. Michael Lehning (ENAC) and Prof. Julia Steinberger (UNIL), was launched by EPFL’s upper management, while we put in place interdisciplinary research clusters that allow for bottom-up initiatives within ENAC. Our new cluster manager is spearheading and fostering interdisciplinary development and inviting partners from industry, the public sector and NGOs to collaborate with ENAC on our three challenges: climate change, digitalization and urbanization. The labs have been asked to contribute, and most of them were involved in a series of workshops designed to identify potential problem areas. We now have many exciting projects on the way, all of them aimed at pushing science forward. Moving ahead in the fields of environmental and civil engineering as well as architecture also means encouraging diversity at all levels. The testimonials posted by Polyquity last September left me speechless. In response – and drawing on our students’ experience and commitment – we decided, together with the associate deans, to create a Diversity Office at ENAC, that was officially launched in early 2021 and that builds on the work of the ENAC Gender Equality Working Group (ENGW).

ENGW’s mandate had been to attract excellent female candidates for our faculty searches. The newly created Diversity office, headed by Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, aims to tackle diversity issues by involving the entire ENAC community, namely professors, Bachelor’s and Master’s students, PhD students, postdocs, senior scientists, and technical and administrative staff.

At ENAC, we want to support our faculty members in their efforts to adopt open science practices. For this purpose, we created ENAC-IT4research, a team that offers services in data engineering, data science and data visualization. ENAC-IT4research will also showcase open science research outputs at ENAC and foster links with other EPFL entities involved in data science and open science, such as the Swiss Data Science Center and the EPFL library. And as nothing would be visible without communications, I am thrilled with the look of our new website, the newsletter to our partners, and the wealth of articles published on our news channels showing how diverse and high level the research conducted at ENAC is. I aim to further improve our communications and keep our partners and colleagues well-informed, in close collaboration with Mediacom. Our goal is to share our knowledge on sustainability challenges in the built and natural environment, remain open to future collaborations and reach out to the German-speaking part of Switzerland. I am confident as we move forward in 2021. New collaborations and the high quality of disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and teaching at ENAC show how we actively contribute to the common goal of finding solutions for a sustainable future.

What is ENAC ?

The disciplines grouped in the school of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC) at EPFL are called upon to find solutions to the most important challenge of our time: to guarantee a sustainable living environment for humanity through a successful integration of human activities within the biosphere.

disciplines

researchers

staff members

ENAC sustainability challenges

ENAC aims to play a leading role in the societal and ecological transition by developing science-based responses in the following three strategic focus areas:

Highlights 2020

Within the three teaching sections, 70 laboratories and various research units of ENAC, our students, doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows and professors are advancing knowledge in the fields of architecture, civil engineering and environmental engineering. Here are some highlights of 2020’s achievements.

Awards 2020

The excellent work carried out in 2020 by ENAC students and researchers has been rewarded with multiple prizes in Switzerland and abroad. We are proud to present them here.

Nominations, promotions and departures

Devis tuia was named as associate professor of computational environmental science and engineering, bruno marchand was named as honorary professor, ian smith was named as honorary professor, andreas schüler was promoted to senior scientist, stay tuned with enac.

Cette page appartient aux archives web de l'EPFL et n'est plus tenue à jour.

This page belongs to EPFL's web archive and is no longer updated.

• home  
• search a job in science and research
• ☕ post a job offer on myScience
• how to apply for a job
• other science job markets
• starting a phd
• starting a postdoc
• becoming a professor
• science wire
• evaluation of research
• scientific information
• administration
• associations
• distance universities
• industrial research
• information
• medical research
• personal websites
• private universities
• private universities of applied sciences
• research associations
• research institutions
• research networks
• universities
• universities of applied sciences
• universities of arts and design
• search  
• register  

EPFL introduces a new excellence program for PhD students

This spring, the new EPFL PhD Excellence Programme will get under way. There is space for 45 PhD students, and applications are being accepted now.

This new program aims to prepare EPFL PhD graduates for a bright future - not only as scientists and engineers, but also as engaged, active leaders of society. It’s also intended to help PhD students who plan to go into the business world make the transition from academia. The program is open to all EPFL PhD students who passed their candidacy exam at the start of their PhD studies. It includes a series of classes that go beyond the technical topics typically covered in the School’s PhD programs, so as to equip students with key transferable skills.

The curriculum includes leadership training by professional coaches as well as courses on charisma in scientific fields, management, communication, legal affairs, technology transfer and risk management. Program participants can also attend networking and other types of knowledge-sharing events like seminars, company visits and alumni meetings. This will give them an opportunity to form contacts with business leaders and non-profit organizations.

Developing valuable skills

"These are skills that most people don’t have a chance to acquire this early in their career," says Luisa Lambertini, EPFL’s Associate Vice President for Postgraduate Education. "The EPFL PhD Excellence Programme is a great opportunity, and a unique one, that shouldn’t be missed." Lambertini developed the program in conjunction with her colleagues Philip Mair and Anikó Borbély, EPFL’s Philanthropy Services, and two philanthropic donors: Fondation du Domaine de Villette and Philippe Petitpierre, Chairman & CEO of Holdigaz.

"This program is the latest initiative to receive the generous support of the donors in our EPFL Student Support Program," says Michaël Thémans, the head of EPFL’s Development Office. "It illustrates our commitment to foster talent and grow our impact on society, both now and in years to come, with a particular focus on our PhD students."

For the past few years, EPFL has been putting in place initiatives to help prepare students for careers beyond academia, giving them a more diversified skillset. In addition to the PhD Excellence Programme, the School has two other such programs for PhD students: the EPFLinnovators program, introduced in 2018, and the EPFLglobaLeaders program, introduced in 2020. "This new initiative is one more step in this direction," says Lambertini. "We drew on the experience acquired in the previous two." The first cohort of PhD Excellence students will start in the spring 2022 semester and, if everything goes well, will receive certificates of completion three years later. Plans are already under way for the next two cohorts as well, in the spring 2023 and 2024 semesters.

How to apply

Applications are currently being accepted; the deadline to apply for this round is 28 February 2022. A total of 45 PhD students will be selected by an admissions committee.

• Job offers: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, EPFL
• Science Wire
• News from the Lab - news . myScience

Jobmail & Alerts

• EPFL in figures

Campus population

• French 2021 2020 2019 2018
• German 2021 2020 2019 2018
• English 2021 2020 2019 2018

Postgraduate

Scientists (including assistants)

Administrative staff

Technical staff

PhD students are counted only once in the total

Preparatory math students (not counted in the total)

Innovation Park staff (not counted in the total)

Matriculations

Student 2,367

Budget* 163,142

Student 4,302

Budget* 354,395

Student 11,134

Budget* 639,324

Growth in budget (kCHF) and student numbers

Budget* : 163,142

Student : 2,367

Budget* : 354,395

Student : 4,302

Budget* : 639,324

Student : 11,134

A decade of growth by faculty*

2018 : 11,134

2008 : 6,746

2018 : 2,119

2008 : 1,400

2018 : 1,174

2018 : 3,475

2008 : 1,780

2018 : 1,657

2018 : 2,238

2008 : 1,794

47.7 %

2706 Bachelor's

55.9 %

1709 Master's

50.6 %

4415 Bachelor's+Master's

81.7 %

Women on campus

Templates — École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Templates tagged École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Show all Templates

Related Tags

Have you checked our knowledge base ?

Message sent! Our team will review it and reply by email.

• IP Tool Member-Login
• Privacy Policy

Swiss School of Public Health

Epfl joins ssph+.

EPFL joined SSPH+ full force as of January 2023, bringing its dynamism, excellence and innovation to our discipline. Warm welcome!

Natural Sciences

Conas annual report 2023.

The College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS) is one of the 10 constituent Colleges of Makerere University with over 2,000 students and 153 members of staff spread across 2 schools and seven departments namely: School of Physical Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Geology and Petroleum Studies) and School Biosciences (Departments of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology; Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences; and Department of Biochemistry and Sports Sciences). The College is the cradle of basic sciences at Makerere providing a foundation for all applied sciences offered at the University. This report is a presentation of the performance of the College in 2023.

Key highlights include performance of the College at the 74 th graduation of Makerere University , the award of an Honorary Doctor of Science to Prof. Leif Abrahamsson for his contribution to the development of Mathematics in the East African region, the development of an E-Supervision Web Portal ( https:/mastersresearch.ug/ ) to support the tracking of Masters Research supervision processes, the formation and operationalization of the Biology Society of Uganda (BioSU), support rendered towards the development of aquaculture in the country, the development of five high-value nutritious products (baby food, sauce, maize meal, snacks, and seasoning) using Mukene through the NutriFish Project, the development of an application for tracking fish catches as a measure to prevent overfishing, development of solar tent driers – greenhouse-like structures that reduce the risk of contamination – provide clean and efficient storage and drying, especially during the wet season subsequently reducing post-harvest losses, equipping students and members of the general public with skills needed in the installation and maintenance of solar energy Photovoltaic systems and biogas plants, the Joint African- Nordic Conference in Mathematics, as well as the 2023 Eastern Africa Algebra Research Group and Women in Sage workshops. The report also highlights the research grants received in the course of the year, conferences held, community engagements, activities by students, awards received by the different members of staff, staff publications, and matters of Human Resources at the College.

Management conveys appreciation to all development partners and the Government of Uganda for the support extended towards the different projects at the College. We also thank the University Council and Management for creating a conducive environment for both staff and students to explore their full potential.

Equipping Students with Bioprospecting and Product Development Skills

You may like

Scholars call for incorporating patriotism in education curriculum

School of Law Annual Report 2023

Mak-CAES Skills Agro-processors on Quality Standards

METS Newsletter March 2024

New Study Reveals Breastfeeding Mothers Embrace Nutrient-Rich Dish for Health Benefits

Career Guidance session for finalist students held at CoVAB

By Dr. Alice Nabatanzi

As we train Scientists we ought to equip them with skills that will help them survive beyond the Laboratories, beyond University, and beyond Academia. Thus, the need to Bioprospect and acquire product development skills. I am therefore proud of what my 2024 Biotechnology Product Development Class has been able to achieve. Following bioprospecting and entrepreneurial training, students developed the following products: Exotic beard oil, Herbal cough mixture, Power candy, Laundry bar soap, Moringa snack bars, Prudy Organic hair dye, Hair food, Syphilis remedy, Cornstarch based bioplastic, Nash probiotic drink, Dental care herbal mouthwash, Rosemary – lemongrass infused vinegar, Tea tree hand wash, Scented candles, Aloe fruit jam, Herbal bloom shower gel, Custard, Beetroot yoghurt, Dewormer, Stomach pain killers, Liquid organic fertilizers, Face scrub, Mosquito repellant scented air diffuser, Underarm whitening oil, Essential oil deodorant, Ria hair conditioner, Shower gels, Crochet jacket among others. I am confident that with subsequent incubation, start-ups will emerge.

“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.” Robert Greene

“Build your skills not your resume.” Sheryl Sandberg

Dr. Alice Nabatanzi is a Lecturer of Phytomedicine and Nutraceuticals in the Department of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology, School of Bio-sciences, College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS), Makerere University .

Photo Gallery of some of the products

15 PhD Positions: Human River Systems in the 21st century

Highly qualified applicants from all over the world are invited to apply for the PhD Program “Human River systems in the 21 st century (HR21)”. The 15 positions are fully funded and the Doctoral Programme is providing additional resources for conference presentations, retreats etc.

The 15 PhD research topics are:

• Topic 1: Role of hydrological extremes (floods) for sediment transport and morphodynamics in the human-river system
• Topic 2: Material resources demand and flows of hydraulic structures to prevent societal impact of extreme events (social ecology, environmental history)
• Topic 3: Intermittent flow – hydrological effects and impacts on benthic communities, ecological state and functioning of riverine systems
• Topic 4: Drought, low flow and warming – hydrological effects and impacts on the ecological state and functioning of river systems
• Topic 5: Water transit time distributions as indicators for the vulnerability of riverine ecosystems under different pressures from social metabolism
• Topic 6: Analyzing possible contributions of re-activated former watercourses towards a more sustainable transformation of industrialized riverine landscapes in urban areas
• Topic 7: The role of the latest industrial revolutions on instream processes and ecological vulnerability of IRL
• Topic 8: The effects of infrastructure development on ecological and ecosystem service network properties in river systems
• Topic 9: The impact of urban settlements on organic matter and nutrient flows in industrialized riverine landscapes – What can we learn from the past?
• Topic 10: Urban metabolism, a river’s ecohydrology and industrialization: Vienna and the Danube, 1800-2000
• Topic 11: Impact of external organic matter sources on nutrient, sediment and water transport from cropland into streams
• Topic 12: Impacts of bioenergy crops used as riparian buffer strips on stream ecosystems’ functioning
• Topic 13: Sustainable hydropower & and the water-energy-food nexus in multi-stressed IRLs: Challenges and solutions for science & management
• Topic 14: Integrated modelling of farmers’ climate change impact and adaptation appraisal to inform regional human river nexus management
• Topic 15: Strategic planning approaches to territorial governance of industrialized riverine landscapes

For more information, please visit: https://short.boku.ac.at/q9ry2k

Application deadline: 2 nd April 2024

Dr. Tugume Patience Wins OWSD Early Career Fellowship

Dr Tugume Patience, a Lecturer in the Department of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology at the College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS), Makerere University is one of the 28 women who have been granted the 2023 OWSD Early Career Fellowship .  These scientists will receive up to USD50,000 to lead research projects and establish research groups at their home institutions in 16 countries in the developing world, to maintain an international standard of research and attract scholars from all over the world to collaborate. Funding for the fellowships is generously provided by  Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

During the 3-year fellowship, fellows will receive specific training to build on their leadership and management skills and develop connections with a variety of public and private sector partners to potentially convert their research into marketable products or guarantee its impact on a broader scale. By improving their communication and outreach skills, fellows will also learn to effectively present their research to various audiences, thus attracting new collaborators and potential funders to ensure the sustainability of the research project.

Dr Tugume’s Project – Biological Systems and Organisms

This project will use various forms of bio-wastes from households and urban centres in Uganda as raw materials for production of biogas, as well as an eco-friendly bio-fertilizer and bio-pesticide. Large amounts of unconsumed food are often thrown away in homes and urban centres that could be converted into useful products that would supply energy, enhance agricultural productivity and reduce deforestation. This project will construct anaerobic bio-digester tanks to process different kinds of bio-waste into biogas, a renewable energy source, and evaluate yields of biogas from different bio-wastes and combinations of bio-wastes. It will additionally produce a bio-fertilizer to enrich soil and a bio-pesticide to manage agricultural pests. The project will also equip households with the skills to biologically convert wastes into value-added products, training women and youth in biogas production and usage.

Details on the fellowships at: https://owsd.net/news/news-events/introducing-2023-owsd-early-career-fellows

Congratulations Dr Tugume

View on CoNAS

Mak Luminaries Call for the Promotion of Humanities & Literature in Uganda’s Education System for a Balanced Citizenry with Human & Moral Values

Prof. Justin Epelu-Opio, Our Longest Serving DVC Rests

Free Course: Introduction to Data Science

Dr. Martin Aliker – Celebrating A Life Well Lived