“I don't work for EPFL – I work for the students”

Alice Emery-Goodman is on a mission to instill confidence in young people and help them achieve their goals. Having raised her own children, she now applies all her energy to supporting students in EPFL’s Summer Research Program. She received the Outstanding Commitment Award at EPFL’s 2024 graduation ceremony in recognition of her hard work behind the scenes.

Emery-Goodman left her native United States in 1989 to take up a job in a lab at ISREC, which at that time was located in Epalinges. Four years later, she gave up her career to raise her children – a decision about which she has “absolutely no regrets.” In 2009, with her children now mostly independent, she decided to step back into the workforce. But she had little hope of returning to a lab-based role after such a lengthy break. She still wanted to pursue a career affiliated to science, so she applied for a position with a large multinational on the shores of Lake Geneva. That application was rejected because the employer felt that she’d spent too long out of the workforce. But Prof. Didier Trono – then dean of EPFL’s School of Life Sciences (SV) – didn’t share the same view. “He completely understood why I’d put my career on hold to raise my children,” says Emery-Goodman. “And he hired me!”

Offer opportunities to people who would otherwise miss out

Trono handed Emery-Goodman the reins to the Summer Research Program, an initiative launched in 2006 whereby high-potential students from anywhere in the world, spend two months in the SV’s research labs, either at the end of their Bachelor’s or at the start of their Master’s. She started in March 2009, and the students were set to arrive in early July, so Alice had no choice but to roll up her sleeves and dive in. “Back then, the Program aimed to attract students from the world’s top-ranked universities,” she explains. “We’ve since changed the criteria to offer opportunities to people who would otherwise miss out.” This diversity is reflected in the 2024 cohort: 21 students from 15 different countries – including one-third from low- and middle-income countries – and more women than men.

The participants are selected from over 1,000 applicants and spend the summer at the Lausanne or the Geneva campus. The School of Life Sciences along with outside funders cover the transportation and accommodation costs. In addition to carrying out in-lab research, participants attend seminars on topics such as ethics, climate change and leadership, as well as talks by professors and senior scientists. A raclette dinner party, a hike in the Alps and other social activities round out this one-of-a-kind experience.

When the students arrive, it’s like Christmas!

Months of meticulous planning and preparation are needed to make sure the Program runs smoothly. Right now, Emery-Goodman is busy thanking this summer’s sponsors and reimbursing expenses. Soon, it’ll be time to launch the application process for next year’s cohort, interviewing and assessing applicants. Once the participants have been selected, Emery-Goodman’s focus will turn to helping with visa applications, arranging accommodation, planning the program and seminars, and putting together a welcome booklet – all while working closely with the research labs involved. By this point, July will have come round once again. “When the students arrive, it’s like Christmas!” she says with a twinkle in her eye. Emery-Goodman supports students throughout their time at EPFL. And on the odd occasion she does take a summer vacation, she inevitably feels a pang of regret.

A recognition of the tireless effort of EPFL’s administrative assistants

Where possible, Emery-Goodman likes to keep track of her protégés as they advance in their careers. “I invite them to connect on LinkedIn, and send them a message three or four years after they finish the Program to see how they’re getting on,” she says. “If they come back to EPFL, that’s the icing on the cake.” Overall, around 80% of Program graduates go on to complete a PhD. Emery-Goodman finds the positive feedback very gratifying, and is happy knowing she’s “played a positive role in a student’s life.” In some cases, that role is nothing short of transformative.

Emery-Goodman also makes time for students who weren’t selected for the Program: “Whenever I get a chance, I like to reach out to unsuccessful applicants. I reassure them that it’s no reflection on their abilities and encourage them to forge their own path. Because when one door closes, another one often opens. Sometimes they thank me. My view is that I don’t work for EPFL – I work for the students.”

Above all, Emery-Goodman sees her Outstanding Commitment Award as recognition of the tireless effort of EPFL’s administrative assistants – mostly women – “without whom the School would come apart at the seams.”

See each other as human beings

Yet Emery-Goodman’s outstanding commitment extends well beyond her role at EPFL. Outside of work, she’s actively involved in two causes close to her heart: climate change and a nonviolent resolution to the conflict in the Middle East. “I spent some time in Israel and Palestine in 2019,” she says. “It was an incredibly moving experience. It’s one thing to hear about the occupation in the news. But it’s another thing to see and feel it for yourself. I wanted to do something. Even before the events of 7 October 2023, I had the idea of inviting Rami and Bassam to EPFL. Both men – one an Israeli, the other a Palestinian – lost a child to the fighting. Now, they’re working to prevent other parents from having to go through the same horrific experience. People like Rami and Bassam hold the key to resolving the conflict. They can coexist peacefully because they see each other as human beings. That’s a lesson we can all apply in our own lives.”

Things moved quickly after the 7 October attacks and, last week, both men gave a talk to the EPFL community at an event held jointly with the EPFL-UNIL's spiritual care service. “My hope is that the Palestinian and Jewish students choose to emulate Bassam and Rami and take the initiative to listen to each other, to understand each other better, and perhaps work together towards peace in their homeland,” says Emery-Goodman. This is a goal that the whole community can pull together to help achieve.