Eight appointed professors

Kumar Agrawal as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Chemical Process Engineering in the School of Basic Sciences (SB)
Kumar Agrawal is an outstanding young scientist. His internationally acclaimed research embraces the synthesis and application of membranes as well as the phase changes of fluids in nanoporous structures such as graphene and zeolites. The results of his work open the way to new strategies for the synthesis of nanoporous films, as well as the sequencing of biomolecules. Given the focus of his research, Kumar Agrawal will add to the prestige of EPFL Valais. Among the areas to which he is set to make key contributions is the development of novel energy storage methods.

Michael Herzog as Full Professor of Life Sciences in the School of Life Sciences (SV)
Michael Herzog is a world-renowned expert on the processes of visual perception in the human brain. He works in the traditional research field of psychophysics. His core research interest is the question of why humans can effortlessly perceive the world around them with all its complex objects, while computer-based visual systems are unable to do so. Pursuing a multidisciplinary approach at the interface between biology, neurosciences and mathematics, Michael Herzog has garnered international recognition for his important discoveries regarding the analysis of visual stimuli in the brain.

Brian McCabe as Associate Professor of Life Sciences in the School of Life Sciences (SV)
Brian McCabe's research focuses on the development and functioning of the neuromuscular synapse. This is the junction in the human body where nerve cells meet muscle cells and support muscle activation. With a unique combination of methods from a range of areas including physiology, imaging and biochemistry, he has advanced a deeper understanding of the electrophysiological processes at this crucial site for the locomotor system. He is currently using his findings to improve the treatment of neuromuscular diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy.

Marcel Salathé as Associate Professor of Life Sciences in the School of Life Sciences (SV)
Marcel Salathé is a young researcher who has both enormous potential and entrepreneurial flair. His focus is on the area of digital epidemiology. He attracted international attention by developing new models to forecast infectious disease spread. Marcel Salathé's highly innovative approach utilises digital data, for example on the movements of and contacts between individuals. Against a backdrop of increasing globalisation and the concomitant risk of epidemic outbreaks, his multidisciplinary profile is an excellent fit between informatics and life sciences.

Dimitri Van De Ville as Associate Professor of Bioengineering in the School of Engineering (STI)
Dimitri Van De Ville is a specialist in medical imaging systems. His highly interdisciplinary research is directed at using non-invasive techniques to advance the scientific understanding of how the human brain functions. His findings could lead to the possibility of early detection of certain pathological developments in the brain. Dimitri Van De Ville will continue his internationally recognized scientific research within a joint laboratory at EPFL and Geneva University.

Christophe Van Gerrewey as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Theory of Architecture in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC)
Christophe Van Gerrewey represents a young generation with their own new take on architecture and its historical foundations, renowned for his strong analytical capacity and intellectual rigor . His vision also references philosophy and literature. Christophe Van Gerrewey's remit will be to convey to students the value of the theory of architecture as an important tool in architectural and urban design and discourse.

Matthieu Wyart as Associate Professor of Theoretical Physics in the School of Basic Sciences (SB)
Matthieu Wyart is a highly experienced, internationally renowned physicist whose work focuses on statistical physics. He has made important contributions in fields such as glassy and biological systems, as well as econophysics, an interdisciplinary branch of research where methods and theories from physics are applied to problems in economics. Matthieu Wyart's appointment will strengthen theoretical physics teaching and research at EPFL.

Kenneth Younge as Associate Professor of Corporate Entrepreneurship in the College of Management of Technology (CDM)
Kenneth Younge is an expert in strategic management and corporate entrepreneurship with a diverse background and exceptional résumé. Following study at top U.S. universities at the start of his career, he moved into industry and founded several high-tech companies, before returning to academia. His primary research interest is in corporate innovation, which he investigates through big data analysis of patenting, experimental economics, and the tracking of employee mobility. Kenneth Younge's research focus and broad wealth of practical and entrepreneurial experience will make him a very valuable addition to EPFL and its College of Management of Technology.