Prof. Christof Holliger left on retirement
Christof Holligerwas involved in the creation of the Ecotox Center. © EPFL
Christof Holliger, a pioneer in environmental biotechnology, has devoted his career to linking fundamental science and engineering to train a new generation of experts committed to protecting our planet.
Always interested in environmental issues, Christof Holliger studied biology at ETH Zurich before going on to do a doctorate in environmental microbiology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He returned to Switzerland in 1992 and had the chance to set up a research group in the same field of microbiology at Eawag, a research institution in the ETH domain where interdisciplinarity is written with a capital "i".
He joined EPFL in autumn 1998 as assistant professor in environmental biotechnology, and was promoted to associate professor in 2004 and full professor in 2013. He headed the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology from 2004 to 2025 and was Director of Environmental Science and Engineering SectionSIE from 2005 to 2013. He was involved in the creation of the Ecotox Center, integrated into Eawag and EPFL, and was committed to the Swiss Microbiology Society.
In both teaching and research, he has always endeavored to establish a link between the basic and engineering sciences. He has taught biochemistry and microbiology to environmental engineering students, as well as applied subjects such as the investigation and remediation of contaminated sites and wastewater treatment.
This same diversity is reflected in his research topics and experimental approaches, as well as in the academic training of the individuals he has mentored, whose research activities have spanned areas from biochemistry and biology to environmental engineering.