News
Here you find news that are of general interest or relevant to all groups within the D-CHAB. More news that are of interest to a particular Laboratory/Institute are displayed in the respective News Feed.
A map for single-atom catalysts

Scientists led by Javier Pérez-Ramírez and Christophe Copéret, together with colleagues at the Universities of Lyon and Aarhus, have studied the atomic environments of single platinum atoms in solid supports as well as their spatial orientation using nuclear magnetic resonance. In the future, this method can be used to optimize the production of single-atom catalysts.
Making fibrosis visible – before it’s too late

Giuseppe Antoniazzi (Wennemers Group) is developing a diagnostic toolkit that gives early warning of fibrotic diseases. In doing so, this Pioneer Fellow wishes to contribute to the early detection of tissue scarring, which is usually noticed too late and can barely be halted, and enable countermeasures to be implemented.
How urea forms spontaneously

Urea is considered a possible key molecule in the origin of life. ETH researchers led by Ruth Signorell have discovered a previously unknown way in which this building block can form spontaneously on aqueous surfaces without the need for any additional energy.
Albert Eschenmoser in his last big interview

He shaped organic chemistry like few others: Albert Eschenmoser (1925-2023). Shortly before his death, the former ETH professor spoke to Helma Wennemers in detail about his personal and professional life. In Episode 1, he reveals how he got into chemistry - a “very interesting but somewhat complicated story”.
RSC Centenary Prize for Sarbajit Banerjee

Sarbajit Banerjee receives the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Centenary Prize for original insights into structure and chemical bonding far from equilibrium, and for excellence in communicating chemical principles underpinning clean energy to the public.
Better images for humans and computers

Maksym Kovalenko and his team, affiliated with both ETH Zurich and Empa, have developed a new image sensor made of perovskite. This semiconductor material enables better colour reproduction and fewer image artefacts with less light. Perovskite sensors are also particularly well suited for machine vision.
Marie Perrin receives Young Inventors Prize "World builder"

The French-American chemist Marie Perrin has been selected as one of the ten finalists for the European Patent Office’s Young Inventors Prize 2025. She received the prize in the category "World builder". Her innovation enables the environmentally friendly recovery of the rare earth element europium from e-waste like discarded fluorescent lamps.
New appointments at D-CHAB

Victor Mougel, currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, is appointed as Associate Professor of Bioinorganic and Bioinspired Chemistry in the D-CHAB. Dr. Christina Ruob, currently Managing Director of medinform AG and Pharmacist at ApoDoc, Zurich, is appointed as Professor of Practice in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences.
13 Years of Vision and Dedication: Farewell to Dr. Oliver Renn

As Head of the Chemistry | Biology | Pharmacy Information Center, Science Communication and, most recently, Public Relations of the D-CHAB, Dr. Oliver Renn will retire as of June 1, 2025. With outstanding commitment and expertise, he played a key role in shaping information literacy at ETH Zurich and transformed the Information Center from a traditional library into a modern, multifaceted competence center for scientific information.
“Independent research offers a counterbalance to our studies”

Dominik Bögli and Maylin Blunier, students of Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences and Biology, are eager to satisfy their thirst for knowledge both in the lecture halls and beyond. In the newly established Life Science Lab of the ETH Student Project House, they are cultivating special fungi that not only taste good but also contain neuroprotective natural compounds. The first products of their project can now be ordered on their website.