The ISIC Faculty retreat will be replaced by an on-site ISIC Council followed by a lunch and Faculty discussion.
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\r\nDraft Agenda
\r\n09:00 – 9:30 Welcome Coffee
\r\n09:30 – 11:00 ISIC Council
\r\n11:00 – 12:00 Faculty Discussion
\r\n12:00 – 13:30 Standing lunch
\r\n13:30 – 17:00 Faculty Discussion
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The MARVEL Junior Seminar series is continuing in hybrid mode, in order to maintain in-person contacts and allow off-campus attendees to follow the seminars remotely! The MARVEL Junior Seminars aim to intensify interactions between the MARVEL Junior scientists belonging to different research groups. The seminar consists of two 25-minute presentations, followed by time for discussion.
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\r\nZacharie Waysenson
\r\nLaboratoire de Physique de l’École Normale Supérieure, Sorbonne Université
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\r\nMaria Andolfatto
\r\nLaboratory for Materials Simulations, PSI
The notion of semi-abelian category, introduced by G. Janelidze, L. Márki and W. Tholen in 2002, generalizes that of abelian category, and captures the homological properties that the categories of groups, associative algebras, Lie algebras and cocommutative Hopf algebras over a field have in common. Internal structures behave surprisingly well in semi-abelian categories. For example, any internal reflexive graph admits at most one internal category structure, and the categories of internal categories and internal groupoids are isomorphic. Moreover, the category of internal groupoids is equivalent to the category of internal crossed modules. The notion of internal crossed module in any semi-abelian category was introduced by G. Janelidze in 2003, and recovers in particular the classical notion of crossed module of groups. The fact that the category of internal groupoids in a semi-abelian category is itself semi-abelian implies that also the category of internal n-fold groupoids is well-behaved.
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\r\nIn this talk, I will prove that the full subcategory of internal n-groupoids in a semi-abelian category is a Birkhoff subcategory of the category of internal n-fold groupoids, and provide a simple description of the corresponding reflection for n=2. In the abelian context, the internal n-groupoids yield a torsion-free subcategory of the category of internal n-fold groupoids, and it is possible to characterize (higher) central extensions and compute generalized Hopf formulae for homology.
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\r\nPart of this talk is based on joint work with Marino Gran
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The programme aims to support innovative, interdisciplinary research that places natural daylight at the centre of the research question and research plan.
\r\nThe ambition is to:\r\n
The project aims to further investigate the structural, architectural, environmental, and social dimensions of TRC and its applications, particularly in the context of a new Multi-Purpose Space for the Department of Architecture & Interior Design Kenyatta University Campus, Nairobi, Kenya in collaboration with Urko Sanchez Architects. The space is intended to support academic, social, and experimental activities while serving as a living laboratory for sustainable and alternative construction methods. The pavilion should function not only as a usable academic space but also as a pedagogical tool, demonstrating climate-responsive design, material innovation, and adaptability over time. \r\n
![\"\"](\"//memento.epfl.ch/public/upload/fckeditorimage/7a/dc/2b0d232e.jpg\")
","image_description":"Summer workshop EPFL Fribourg 2025, photo: Nicolas Gemelli","creation_date":"2026-01-14T13:38:32","last_modification_date":"2026-01-30T11:31:06","link_label":"","link_url":"https://www.epfl.ch/schools/enac/education/fr/projeter-ensemble-fr/cours/enac-summer-workshops/a-prototype-pavillon-in-textile-reinforced-concrete-2/","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"EPFL Fribourg","url_place_and_room":"","url_online_room":"","spoken_languages":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/spoken_languages/1/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/spoken_languages/2/?format=json"],"speaker":"","organizer":"Patricia Guaita, ENAC EPFL Projecter Ensemble","contact":" patricia.guaita@epfl.ch ","is_internal":"True","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/119303/","category":{"id":1,"code":"CONF","fr_label":"Conférences - Séminaires","en_label":"Conferences - Seminars","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/8/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/1/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/4/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/32/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/6/?format=json"]},{"id":71327,"title":"SPOT FULLY CLOSED - ENJOY BALELEC","slug":"spot-fully-closed-enjoy-balelec","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/spot-fully-closed-enjoy-balelec","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/32681/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/32681/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/32681/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-05-01","end_date":"2026-05-03","start_time":"17:00:00","end_time":"08:00:00","description":"The SPOT closes its doors for the Balelec festival
","image_description":"","creation_date":"2026-03-09T10:29:02","last_modification_date":"2026-03-09T10:29:02","link_label":"","link_url":"","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"DLLEL 0 28","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==DLLEL%200%2028","url_online_room":"","spoken_languages":[],"speaker":"","organizer":"","contact":"make@epfl.ch","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/120013/","category":{"id":1,"code":"CONF","fr_label":"Conférences - Séminaires","en_label":"Conferences - Seminars","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/398/?format=json"]},{"id":71200,"title":"Swiss Final of the Competition Ma thèse en 180 secondes (MT180)","slug":"swiss-final-of-the-competition-ma-these-en-180-sec","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/swiss-final-of-the-competition-ma-these-en-180-sec","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/32730/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/32730/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/32730/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-05-21","end_date":"2026-05-21","start_time":"18:30:00","end_time":"20:00:00","description":"The Swiss French Final of the competition \"Ma thèse en 180 secondes (MT180)\" will take place this year at EPFL with 12 to 14 PhD students from Higher Education Institutions, among which three from EPFL. Their challenge ? Present their research in just 3 minutes to a non-specialist audience, in French, effectively and in an engaging way, all with just a single slide !
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\r\nThe winners of the EPFL Final Ali Mehdi Gadiri, Camille Lambert and Antoni Gralak will be present at the event. Save the date of 21 May and come to cheer on them !
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\r\nThe name of all Finalists and their Thesis will be known after the local Finals; you can find the dates on the website mt180.ch.
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The Swiss startup days (SUD) are the leading deep-tech catalyst event where Switzerland’s innovation bridges are built.
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\r\nFrom mindset to connection to action, SUD empowers entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, and enablers to create a stronger, more connected, and more resilient startup ecosystem - all in a single day.
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\r\nOn 21 May 2026, the entire ecosystem comes together for a full day of keynotes, sessions, and startup pitches, plus 1:1 meetings, a buzzing exhibition area, and 1,500 participants ready to exchange ideas, insights, and opportunities.
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\r\nBe part of the catalyst event to accelerate your innovation journey.
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\r\nFree tickets (limited to EPFL Startups and first come first serve) - contact Aurelie
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The ultrafast motion of electrons is a frontier problem for photochemical processes, as electron motion is a key ingredient of all chemical reactions. Electronic rearrangement is also the means by which light energy is harnessed in photochemistry. The timescale for coherent electron dynamics is set by the energetic splitting of the electronic states, which in small molecular systems, is on the scale of an electron volt (eV). This sets the natural timescale for electronic motion to be few-to-sub femtosecond (fs).
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\r\nTo approach these extreme timescales, we can use short pulses of light to excite small quantum systems. For instance, the impulsive interactions between a light field and a quantum system can induce time-dependent oscillations in the charge density. Such electronic wavepacket motion (in the absence of nuclear motion) has come to be referred to as charge migration [1]. While the initial charge dynamics following impulsive excitation (or ionization) begins as purely electronic motion, this wavepacket will couple to other degrees of freedom in the system (i.e. nuclear motion or chemical dynamics) and lead to localization of the charge. The transfer of electronic charge across molecular bonds is fundamental to an understanding of charge transfer phenomena.
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\r\nThe study of these fundamental phenomena requires state-of-the-art light sources, such as the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), an X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) facility which produces high-brightness, ultrashort pulses, with wavelength continuously tunable across the x-ray regime. Schemes to provide isolated, sub-femtosecond pulses from an FEL are being explored at facilities world-wide, and recently we have demonstrated such pulses at the LCLS [2]; opening the door for time-resolved measurements of ultrafast electron dynamics on their natural timescale. In my talk, I will highlight our recent developments in probing electronic motion in small molecular systems. We have employed sub-femtosecond pulses from the XFEL to study ultrafast charge dynamics in both core-excited [3,4,5] and low-lying cationic systems [6]. We are also developing nonlinear x-ray spectroscopies [7,8] to initiate and control electron dynamics. The control of coherent electron motion represents a significant step towards achieving charge-directed reactivity [9], a grand challenge for the field of attosecond science.
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\r\n[1] Cederbaum and Zobeley 1999 Chemical Physics Letters 307 205–210
\r\n[2] Duris and Li et al. 2020 Nature Photonics 14 30-36
\r\n[3] Li and Driver et al. 2022 Science 375 285-290
\r\n[4] Driver et al. 2024 Nature 632 762-767 (2024)
\r\n[5] Wang and Driver et al. Phys. Rev. X 15 011008 (2005)
\r\n[6] Driver et al. ArXiv:2411.01700
\r\n[7] O’Neal et al. 2020 Phys. Rev. Lett. 125 073203
\r\n[8] Biggs et al. 2023 Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 110 15597-15601
\r\n[9] F. Remacle, R. D. Levine, and M. A. Ratner 1998 Chem. Phys. Lett. 285, 25
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The EPFL AI Center is delighted to invite you to join the exchange session about the Research Computing Platform (RCP).
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\r\nAre you building, training ML models? Are you currently facing challenges regarding IT infrastructure, and looking for reliable, collaborative, high-capacity, and affordable storage solutions to manage your research data? Are you seeking information about the computing costs?
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\r\nThe Research Computing Platform (RCP) offers campus-wide IT infrastructure geared for the research community. The offering includes a GPU infrastructure (> 400) aiming at making AI compute as accessible as possible throughout the campus.
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\r\nThis event will provide insights into the various services RCP offers to the EPFL research community.
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\r\nEvent Details:\r\n