As the global AI landscape consolidates around US and Chinese dominance, every nation outside this duopoly faces an urgent question: how can countries retain meaningful control over a technology increasingly expected to shape their economic competitiveness, national security, and societal resilience? From the viability of sovereign cloud architectures and open-weight foundation models to the governance mechanisms needed to ensure AI systems reflect Swiss values and legal frameworks, this conference brings together industry leaders, researchers, legal experts, policymakers, and civil society actors to assess the concrete levers of AI sovereignty and work toward actionable recommendations for a Swiss sovereign AI strategy.
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Since 2006, the Erna Hamburger Prize is awarded by the EPFL-WISH Foundation (Women In Science and Humanities) and distinguishes influential, leading women scientists who are transforming their field and executing change.
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\r\nThe Erna Hamburger Prize 2026 will be awarded to Prof. Margo Seltzer. The award ceremony will be held on November 11th 2026 at 6:30 pm at SG 1138. On this occasion, the awardee will give a conference on the EPFL Campus. Don’t miss this exceptional opportunity to hear from one of the most influential figures in contemporary computer science.
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\r\nConference abstract
\r\nIt's 2026, and the answer to every problem today seems to be a multiple choice exercise of selecting answers from: AI, Agents, LLMs or machine learning. Is our future really just all about prompt engineering?
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\r\nAt a time when artificial intelligence, autonomous agents and large language models seem to be presented as the answer to every challenge, Margo Seltzer offers a thought-provoking perspective on the value of simplicity in computer science and machine learning. She will demonstrate how simpler and more transparent approaches can deliver performance comparable to that of the most sophisticated models, while providing greater interpretability, more efficient use of resources and a more natural way of addressing issues of fairness and privacy. The lecture will also explore a theme that lies at the heart of her career: collaboration. Drawing on her own experience of collaborative research, Margo Seltzer will explain how working together can broaden one’s impact, help overcome imposter syndrome, and enable individuals to discover and develop their unique strengths.
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\r\nAbout Prof. Margo Seltzer
\r\nProf. Margo Seltzer is Co-Head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), where she moved after two decades as a Full Professor at Harvard University. She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1992 from the University of California, Berkeley. A pioneering computer systems researcher, she is the recipient of numerous prestigious honors, including the 2023 ACM Athena Lecturer Award and the USENIX Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering. Alongside her academic career, Margo Seltzer is an entrepreneur: she co-founded Sleepycat Software, maker of Berkeley DB, a widely used embedded database engine later acquired by Oracle. A recognized leader in her field, she is also a devoted mentor to young women in computer science and founded the \"Systers Lunch,\" the original diversity gathering at SOSP, the flagship conference of the systems research community.
How social robots look, behave, and offer support should reflect the people and environments they encounter. Drawing on studies with older adults in rural Indiana and urban Houston, this talk examines how individual needs, preferences, everyday surroundings, and care relationships can inform the physical forms and interaction styles of future social robots.
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\r\nThrough participatory design, observations, and interviews, I center older adults’ perspectives on meaningful support, acceptable interaction, and personal boundaries. Encounters with robot companions have brought moments of enjoyment, surprise, and support, while revealing challenges involving communication, expectations, privacy, and control. I explore how embodiment, movement, voice, and interaction pacing shape these experiences, and how caregivers can support engagement while preserving older adults’ choices and dignity.
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\r\nThese findings inform design requirements for robots that people can understand, guide, and adjust as their circumstances change. I connect them to opportunities for adaptive robot behavior, accessible interaction, and shared control, including how robots might recognize when assistance is welcome and make their actions easier to interpret or interrupt. The talk positions older adults as active contributors to robotics research, whose lived expertise can shape both future robot companions and the broader systems of support surrounding them.
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\r\nBiography
\r\nChorong Park, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor and Presidential Frontier Faculty at the University of Houston’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design, where she leads the Empathetic Lifespan AI & Robotics for Aging (ELARA) Lab. Her research connects human–robot interaction, human-centered AI, and participatory design to develop social robots and supportive technologies with older adults and caregivers.
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\r\nDrawing on studies in rural Indiana and urban Houston, she investigates how robots’ physical forms and interactions can fit older adults’ needs, surroundings, and everyday lives. Her work centers older adults’ perspectives on companionship, support, privacy, personal boundaries, and dignity, including how caregiver involvement can preserve individual choice and control.
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\r\nHer research is informed by more than 500 hours of volunteer technology support with older adults and people with disabilities and has appeared at ACM CHI, ACM ASSETS, and IEEE robotics venues. She earned her Ph.D. in Technology, with a graduate minor in Gerontology, and her master’s degree in UX Design from Purdue University.
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\r\nFurther information:
\r\nUniversity of Houston research feature
\r\n(https://stories.uh.edu/2026-ai-robots-for-older-adults/index.html)
\r\nELARA Lab website
\r\n(https://elaralab.org/)
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As the global AI landscape consolidates around US and Chinese dominance, every nation outside this duopoly faces an urgent question: how can countries retain meaningful control over a technology increasingly expected to shape their economic competitiveness, national security, and societal resilience? From the viability of sovereign cloud architectures and open-weight foundation models to the governance mechanisms needed to ensure AI systems reflect Swiss values and legal frameworks, this conference brings together industry leaders, researchers, legal experts, policymakers, and civil society actors to assess the concrete levers of AI sovereignty and work toward actionable recommendations for a Swiss sovereign AI strategy.
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This workshop is for staff and researchers working in NGOs and non-profits who aim to bring AI into their workflows with an ethical, careful approach. Join us for a hands-on morning of using and deploying the flagship model of the Swiss AI Initiative, learn first hand from the engineers and scientists working on Apertus.
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\r\nThe workshop runs from 9:30 to 12:30 at the EPFL AI Center Lounge in Lausanne. Doors open at 9:00.
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\r\nBackground: Apertus is a fully open large language model built in Switzerland, which is fully reproducible and can run on your own infrastructure. As a Foundation Model, it has already been adapted to specific contexts through post-training and fine-tuning processes. In addition to open access at all Swiss academic institutions, a growing number of Swiss and international commercial providers support Apertus for production deployment.
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\r\nThis workshop is also designed as a two-way conversation: alongside learning how to use and deploy Apertus, we want to hear how your organization is already working with AI, and where today's tools still fall short for you. We would like to hear about the languages, legal contexts, and use cases you operate in. This input will give us the opportunity to prioritize improvements for non-profit organizations on the Apertus roadmap.
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\r\nAt this workshop, you will have the chance to:\r\n
Following the success of the Unil+EFPL Health Days on the Ecublens campus, the EPFL Valais Wallis campus will host its first Health Day in Sion, featuring health check-ups and tests, information booths, workshops, and an expert talk.
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\r\n11:00-14:30 – Health Check-ups & Tests, Innovation & Sports\r\n