News

The 2025 recipient of the Richard R. Ernst Gold Medal is Dame Clare Grey, Geoffrey-Moorhouse-Gibson Professor of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. Professor Grey is known for her application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to study batteries and supercapacitors. Join us for her lecture “Understanding battery function- new metrologies, new chemistries and new insights” Feb 21, 4 pm, HG F 30.

Peptides act as signal mediators in the body and are on the rise as therapeutic agents. However, their full potential can often be limited by rapid degradation and elimination. Nathalie Grob, the new SNSF assistant professor for peptide-based drug discovery, is researching methods to circumvent these limitations and focuses her efforts on targeting diseases with no or unsatisfactory treatment options, primarily those affecting women and girls.

Ursula Quitterer, Ruth Signorell and Helma Wennemers are among the most experienced women professors at D-CHAB. They have trained countless students, won prizes and set up research groups. But what profession would they have chosen if they hadn't gone into science and what are they most proud of? On today's International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a short questionnaire shows the successful women researchers from a personal perspective.

The IUPAC-Zhejiang NHU International Award for Advancements in Green Chemistry aims to recognize the contributions of one experienced chemist and three early career chemists for their work in advancing the field of green chemistry. This year, the experienced chemist winner is Javier Pérez-Ramìrez who made significant contributions to green chemistry transforming the landscape of sustainable chemical and energy production.

The Alfred Werner Scholarship Program of the SCS Foundation, financed by private donors and the Swiss chemical and pharmaceutical industries, supports highly talented students who earned their BSc degree abroad and perform their Master’s studies in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Pharmaceutical Sciences at a Swiss University or Federal Institute of Technology. This year, the committee selected Tudor Lile, Derek Ong Boon Hong, and Leonardo Kudsk Holberg from D-CHAB. Get to know them!

With the 2024 ETH Zurich Chemical Engineering Medal, the ICB recognizes Prof. Dr. Johan Rockström's cutting-edge research on absolute sustainability and the planetary boundaries framework. These approaches are now being applied to the environmental assessment of chemical processes. Join us in the award ceremony & lecture on January 17, 2025 where Prof. Rockström will talk about “Advancing the Planetary Boundary Framework for World Stewardship of Earth”.

Whether for cling film or hydrogen production, in chemistry, everything strives for efficient, inexpensive catalysts. Surprisingly, little is known about how they work on a molecular level. Prof. Murielle Delley from the University of Basel aims to change this and is developing methods to promote the production of more efficient, sustainable catalysts. She has now been awarded the 2024 Ruzicka Prize for her work on the controlled surface modification of cobalt phosphide with sulfur. A portrait.

Jörg Scheuermann, currently Private Lecturer at ETH is appointed as Adjunct Professor in the D-CHAB. Jörg Scheuermann is an internationally recognised researcher in the field of DNA-Encoded Chemical Libraries (DEL) technology. Prof. Peter Chen, Full Professor of Physical-Organic Chemistry, will retire at the end of July 2025. Peter Chen joined ETH Zurich in 1994. In his research recognized by multiple awards he combines detailed physical measurements with the planning and synthesis of molecules.

Cells constantly process complex signals, be they for survival, metabolism, development, or cell death. Anyone who can spy on this internal communication has a decisive advantage regarding the development of new therapies. Michelle Frei, the new Assistant Professor of Chemical Biology and Molecular Imaging, and her team are developing chemical tools to better visualize and study cellular processes using fluorescent markers. In this article, she introduces herself.