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| New chapters |
Dear readers,
The new year has just started but the first of its 12 chapters is already almost finished. I hope you had a relaxing break and a successful start into 2024. Let’s see where it takes us in our exciting and rapidly evolving realm of computer science.
There are several changes taking place within the department. Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to Zhendong Su for his great job in the last two years as Study Director. Effective from 1 January, Dennis Hofheinz has assumed this position, and I extend my best wishes to him as he embarks on his new role. Moreover, I would like to acknowledge the forthcoming retirements of Emo Welzl and Juraj Hromkovic at the end of this month. I extend my heartfelt thanks to Emo and Juraj for their outstanding contributions to our department, and I wish them all the best in the next chapter of their life.
Last week marked the beginning of the session examinations. Good luck to all our students in the exams! Remember to stay focused, believe in your abilities, and utilize the knowledge you have acquired throughout the semester.
Explore further news and events at D-INFK in this edition of READ.ME.
Best regards,
Kenny Paterson
Department Head
Title image: Students studying in the library of the CAB building, 29 January 2024
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| Faculty and staff |
We extend a warm welcome to all new staff members who have joined our department in the last month. We look forward to working with you.
Our new staff
To the staff who are leaving us, we wish you the best of luck in your future careers and hope to work with you again someday. |
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Farewell, Emo Welzl
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| Since 1996, Emo Welzl has been working as a professor at the Institute of Theoretical Computer Science. Throughout his career, he has focused on developing and analysing combinatorial algorithms and discrete mathematics. As he is set to retire at the end of January, we reflect on his career in an interview with him. We also learn about his journey into theoretical computer science and what fascinates him most about the field. |
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Farewell, Juraj Hromkovic
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| Juraj Hromkovic is a professor of Information Technology and Education at ETH Zurich. His expertise lies in informatics education, algorithmics, and complexity theory. In order to introduce the subject informatics to the school education, he founded the Centre for Computer Science Education. After almost exactly 20 years he will retire at the end of this month. A farewell interview with him is in the works, and his farewell lecture will take place on 10 April 2024, 17.15 to 18.30, in the main building. |
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Changes of three institute heads
There were three changes made to the head positions of different institutes in our department at the beginning of the year. Otmar Hilliges, the former head of the Institute for Intelligent Interactive Systems, was succeeded by Stelian Coros. The position of institute head at the Institute for Machine Learning was assumed by Thomas Hofmann, succeeding Joachim Buhmann. Finally, Adrian Perrig was superseded by David Basin as the new head of the Institute for Information Security. |
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Welcome, Michael Sammler
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| Michael completed his doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems in Saarbrücken and has been working with Peter Müller's group since January. His research revolves around developing proof techniques and tools for program verification. A particular focus is on techniques that combine a high degree of automation with machine-verifiable proofs. Welcome aboard, Michael! |
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New position for Zuria Bauer
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| This month, Zuria began her postdoctoral position in Marc Pollefeys' Computer Vision and Geometry group. Her research focuses on monocular depth prediction using deep learning algorithms for social robotics. Her work involves utilizing GAN networks to aid visually impaired individuals in navigating outdoor settings. All the best with your new tasks, Zuria! |
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Welcome, Christoph Coijanovic
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| Christoph is a doctoral student at the Chair of IT Security at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany, who is working on anonymous group communication. From 5 February until 22 March, he will join the Applied Cryptography group of Kenny Paterson. Enjoy your time here, Christoph! |
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Welcome, Jennifer Too
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| Jennifer is responsible for organising student events and administratively overseeing the ETH SSRF programme at the D-INFK. Moreover, she provides administrative and organizational support to the Study Administration team, with a particular focus on the doctoral programme. We are delighted to have you on board, Jennifer! |
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“Witnessing the success of students is truly uplifting”
For the past two years, Professor Zhendong Su has been the Director of Studies of our Computer Science department and, therefore, part of the department's executive board. At the beginning of January, he handed over his role to Dennis Hofheinz. In this interview, Zhendong Su talks about the accomplishments and challenges during his term. He also tells us what good teaching means to him, and we find out what four dreams he wants to accomplish before retirement. |
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| Prizes and awards |
Congratulations to our faculty, researchers and students who have won prizes, awards and fellowships for their work. We are proud of you and thank you for asserting our reputation.
Browse our award section |
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Andreas Krause named ACM Fellow
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has named 68 fellows for transformative contributions to computing science and technology. Among them is Professor Andreas Krause, who leads the Learning & Adaptive Systems Group at the D-INFK. The distinction recognises Krause's extensive research contributions to learning-based decision making under uncertainty. Congratulations! |
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| Story of the month |
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World’s most powerful supercomputers support UN SDGs and global sustainability
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and ETH Zurich, in collaboration with their international partners, launched the International Computation and AI Network (ICAIN) at the World Economic Forum 2024 in Davos. Its mission is to develop AI technologies that benefit society as a whole, as well as being accessible to all and sustainable, thereby helping to reduce global inequality. |
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| Tips of the month |
The Communication Academy
The Communication Academy course programme for the Spring 2024 Semester is now online. Through the Communication Academy, ETH’s Corporate Communications aims to raise awareness among researchers of the great opportunities as well as the inherent risks of science communication. It enables scientists to communicate their research in a comprehensible and compelling way to a non-scientific audience.
If you are a doctoral candidate, postdoc, senior scientist, or professor, you can register for the free courses from 5 February to 16 February 2024.
More information here |
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READ.ME survey coming soon
We launched our newsletter READ.ME in 2019 and haven't conducted a survey since then. To enhance our content and better serve our readers, we're seeking your opinion. Do you have any ideas or suggestions for improvement? Please assist us by completing the survey. You'll receive a notification via email once it's available. |
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| Upcoming events |
ETH Global Lecture: Industrial Metaverse. Hype? Hope? A bit of both?, 20 February 2024, HIT E 51
An Industrial Metaverse is evolving as an innovative convergence fueled by the deep digital transformation of the sector as it recognizes and realizes new opportunities which the transformation is revealing. What is it? Where did it come from? What can it do? What will it be able to do? Guests include Peter Körte, CTO and CSO at Siemens, Torbjörn Netland from D-MTEC and the event will be moderated by Chris Luebkeman, who is the leader of the Strategic Foresight Hub in the Office of the President at ETH Zurich.
More information and registration
ZISC: 20 years Celebration, 6 March 2024, Audi Max and Dozentenfoyer
The ZISC center was established 20 years ago to bring the academia and industry together to solve the information security and privacy challenges of tomorrow. There will be a set of speakers, including Turing-Award winner Adi Shamir as the keynote speaker. A panel discussion will provide insights from the global tech industry and Swiss Federation. The full programme and registration are now available online.
More information here
Informatiktage, 18–23 March 2024, ETH CAB building
Join us together with your friends and family at the Informatiktage! As a partner of the Informatiktage, our Department of Computer Science, together with IT services, offers a diverse programme with a focus on the topic of cyber security. On Saturday, 23 March, an open day will feature lectures, a game lounge, a large exhibition area and lots more. Enroll your child/godchild in a workshop, or inform your friends about the diverse range of workshops and courses for all ages during the whole week.
Check out the schedule
Master's Graduation Ceremony, 22 March 2024, HG F 30
Invitations are extended to our Master's graduates and their loved ones to join the official Master's degree graduation ceremony in Audi Max. Registration for this ceremony is currently open. Eligible graduates have received a personal invitation. |
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| Past events |
Hochschultag der Mittelschulen (HSGYM), 25 Januar 2024
The HSGYM Hochschultag took place for the 5th time. The day focuses on further education for secondary school teachers and networking between schools and universities. In the morning, participants gathered in the Audi Max to learn more about "AI in Everyday School Life and Studies," featuring a presentation by Prof. Joachim Buhmann. In the afternoon, participants enjoyed a selection of 19 specialized programmes, networking opportunities, and could listen to three more presentations by Prof. Dennis Komm, Prof. Dennis Hofheinz, and Dr Lukas Fässler. |
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| Open positions |
Communications Specialist (m/f/d) (80%)
On our own behalf: Do you know an avid writer, who is interested in computer science topics? We are looking for a Communications Specialist with a focus on writing in our team. They will be responsible for creating engaging, informative, and high-quality content related to our department. Please spread the word.
More information here
VIS job mailing list
Are you a student interested in open positions, full-time or part-time, and internships? Then the job mailing list by the Association of Computer Science Students (VIS) is for you. |
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| This is a spontaneous, light-hearted and fun segment, where we can share bits and pieces that we see along the way. We are also open to suggestions and submissions from our community! |
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| Winner lunch |
On 25 January, the name giver for our mascot Dr Hoo redeemed his prize and met our department head Kenny Paterson and Duke for lunch. Thanks again for the great name, Moritz! The entry on the history page is in progress and will be published soon.
Photo legend from left:
Kenny Paterson, Duke, Moritz Stocker and Dr Hoo. |
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| Spotted |
| Remains of a programming session in a sun-kissed meeting room in CNB: |
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| D-INFK in the news |
| • | | Prof. Menna El-Assady
Nano: "Künstliche Intelligenz für den Frieden" (German)
Watch here |
| • | | Remo Gisi, Alumnus
Handelszeitung: Im Einsatz für die Zukunft des Essens (German)
Read news |
| • | | Prof. Andreas Krause, Prof. Martin Vechev, Dr Petar Tsankov, Dr Pavol Bielik
Handelszeitung: "Nur die wenigsten Schweizer Startups sind vielversprechend" (German)
Read here |
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Project rETHink
Initiated in 2020 by ETH President Joël Mesot, the rETHink project served as a comprehensive roadmap for the ongoing institutional and organisational development of the university. As we reached the end of 2023, the project concluded with the official dissolution of the project organisation. Discover the achievements of rETHink and gain insight into the future of organisational development at ETH through this insightful interview with ETH President Joël Mesot, and Secretary General Katharina Poiger. |
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