Federal Council renews Martin Vetterli's term as president of EPFL
© EPFL / Olivier Christinat
The Swiss Federal Council has renewed Martin Vetterli’s term as president of EPFL, upon the recommendation of the ETH Board. The professor of communication systems will therefore lead EPFL for a second four-year term that will begin on 1 January 2021.
In renewing Prof. Vetterli’s term, the Federal Council emphasized the importance of continuity and recognized the success of EPFL’s strategy under an experienced decision-maker with a background in Swiss research and academia.
Under Prof. Vetterli’s leadership, EPFL has progressed in its policy of excellence in both teaching and research at the international level, further cementing its position among the world’s top universities. During Prof. Vetterli’s first term, EPFL played an increasingly prominent role in inspiring and promoting innovation for the benefit of the Swiss economy and the entire Swiss society. The School achieved this through a strong focus on basic research and by selectively strengthening its activities in the fields of sustainability and energy, as well as in robotics, digitization, imaging and artificial intelligence. EPFL’s position has also been enhanced by a growing number of successful collaborations with ETH Zurich, Switzerland’s other leading research hub.
“I'm very much looking forward to the next four years at this wonderful school, and I'm 100% dedicated to ensuring EPFL’s success story continues over the next decade,” said Prof. Vetterli. “I'm very happy to be re-elected, and I interpret it as a sign of trust from the Swiss government, which I deeply appreciate.”
Prof. Vetterli was appointed president of EPFL by the Federal Council in 2016 after serving as president of the National Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation from 2013 to 2016. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from ETH Zurich in 1981, a Master’s of Science from Stanford University in 1982 and a PhD from EPFL in 1986. He then focused his career on research and teaching for nearly ten years in the United States, including at the University of California at Berkeley, before returning to EPFL as a full professor in communication systems in 1995. Prof. Vetterli has earned numerous national and international awards for his research in electrical engineering, computer science and applied mathematics, including the National Latsis Prize in 1996.