EPFL appoints new professors
© 2011 Alain Herzog
Micheal Lehning is one of ten professors nominated today by the Counsel of Swiss Institutes of Technology (ETH board).
Michael Lehning has been appointed EPFL Full Professor of Cryospheric Science at the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering ENAC (at 30%) and at the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, WSL (at 70%). Michael Lehning is internationally recognized for his innovative approaches to the study of the dynamics of snow-cover and the prevention of alpine risks. He pioneered the SNOWPACK and Alpine3D modeling tools. These analytical tools are indispensable today for preventing avalanches in high-risk environments, and he not only developed them but also helps to update them. Michael Lehning has also contributed to developing measurement networks in alpine regions, taking account of the physics and dynamics of snow and climatic variations, as well as the risks of avalanches.