Anna Fontcuberta i Morral to be the next EPFL president

The physicist and materials scientist joined EPFL in 2008, was named full professor in 2019, and became the School’s associate vice president for centers and platforms two years later. Her appointment marks another achievement in an outstanding career.

Anna Fontcuberta i Morral earned a Bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Barcelona in 1997 and went on to attain an impressive series of professional achievements. She obtained a PhD in materials science from Ecole Polytechnique in Palaiseau, France, in 2001; served as a visiting scientist at the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena, from 2004 to 2005; co-founded Aonex Technologies during her time in California; and worked as a team leader at the Technical University of Munich, where she obtained her habilitation in experimental physics. In 2008 she moved to Switzerland and continued her career at EPFL. Fontcuberta i Morral was born in 1975 and holds dual Spanish and Swiss citizenship; her full CV is available here.

Invested in campus life at EPFL
“I need to be stimulated and inspired, and to be part of a team,” she says. “I found all of that as a student and then during my research positions at several major universities. And for the past 16 years, I’ve thrived at EPFL. It’s a highly innovative university that’s just the right size – everyone knows each other, which is what makes it such a special place.” While maintaining an excellent citation index in her field, Fontcuberta i Morral has also invested her vibrant energy outside the realm of research: she received the 2020 best teacher award at EPFL’s School of Engineering; served as vice president of the University of Lausanne-EPFL childcare association between 2012 and 2015; and sits on the Board of the WISH Foundation, whose mission is to promote women in science. She also oversaw the opening and revamping of several R&D centers and platforms including the Research Computing Platform, EcoCloud Center,Bernoulli Center and QSE Center.

A national impact
In addition to her work at EPFL, Fontcuberta i Morral is highly active at the national level. She has been a member of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) since 2015 and was appointed to its Presiding Board in 2020. She helped outline the SNSF’s international strategy and participated in a working group on the recent reforms to the Foundation’s statutes and regulations. As part of this role, she served on official delegations alongside Swiss Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin; informed both the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and the general public on issues related to quantum research and its applications; spoke at the World Economic Forum; and helped incubate the Open Quantum Institute, an initiative spearheaded by the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) and hosted at CERN. “It’s essential that the scientific community reach out to society and to policymakers,” says Fontcuberta i Morral. “Personally, I come from a research background – including basic research – which isn’t the easiest topic to communicate about and whose utility is sometimes called into question. It’s only by speaking and listening to others and explaining what you do that you can build a virtuous circle. I find that through this process, others get a better understanding of all that research entails, and I get a better feel for how science and education can contribute to the good of society as a whole.”

A nine-month transition period
Martin Vetterli is delighted to be handing over the reins to Fontcuberta i Morral. “I’m very happy with the Federal Council’s decision,” he says. “Anna is an exceptional scientist – and one who ‘grew up’ at EPFL, as she completed her tenure track here. I’m looking forward to working with her during the nine-month transition period. That may seem like a lot of time, but it will be very useful in light of the challenges we face and our ongoing initiatives.” These challenges include budget constraints, investments in artificial intelligence, a growing student body, uncertainty in international politics, and more. Fontcuberta i Morral says: “I’m really glad to be able to sit down with Martin and discuss all these issues.”

Regarding her plans as EPFL’s next president, Fontcuberta i Morral will unveil them first to the EPFL community: “I want EPFL researchers, employees and students to be the first to hear about my ideas, but I’d also like to get their feedback, which will help me flesh out my ideas and start 2025 on the right foot.”