Two ENAC professors elected members of the Academia Europaea
Tamar Kohn and Rizlan Bernier-Latmani. © Alain Herzog / EPFL © Hayley Hay
The Academia Europaea has elected Tamar Kohn et Rizlan Bernier-Latmani as members, highlighting the quality of their research carried out at EPFL's Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering.
EPFL’s full professors Tamar Kohn and Rizlan Bernier-Latmani have been elected members of the Academia Europaea.
Environmental Microbiology
Rizlan Bernier-Latmani heads the Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (EML). Her work has focused on harnessing the power of microbial metabolism for engineering solutions to environmental problems and ranges from the remediation of metal contamination to the improvement of the structural safety of nuclear waste repositories.
She uses concepts and techniques drawn from a wide variety of disciplines, such as microbiology, molecular biology, analytical chemistry (including X-ray spectroscopy) and geochemistry. In 2017 she was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant for her research. Rizlan Bernier-Latmani is a role model for women in science, and encouraging the advancement of women is one of the causes to which she is committed at EPFL. “I am honored to be elected and will gladly work to contribute to the important mission of Academia Europaea”, says the professor.
Environmental Chemistry and virology
Tamar Kohn heads the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory (LCE). Her current focus is on the fate of human viruses in the natural and built environment, such as in sewage treatment plants or in aerosol particles. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her research results enabled SARS-CoV-2 viruses to be identified and tracked in wastewater. She serves on a number of expert bodies, has been appointed to advisory committees of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is an Adjunct Researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). “I am honored to be elected, and I am happy to see that the Academia Europaea is further expanding its contingent of environmental engineers”, says the professor.
The Academy of Europe aims to promote European research, advise governments and international organizations in scientific matters, and further interdisciplinary and international research. In 2022, 470 international scholars have been elected to membership in Academia Europaea in the four Classes of humanities; social and related sciences; exact sciences and life sciences.