Empa – the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology – focuses on developing materials and technologies that address societal challenges and enable sustainable innovation. Positioned at the interface between cutting-edge research and application, Empa translates advances in materials science into solutions with tangible impact for industry and society.
\r\nThis talk provides an overview of key Empa activities across energy, mobility, health and the built environment, highlighting examples such as circular materials, advanced manufacturing, functional surfaces, and energy systems. Emphasis is also placed on interdisciplinary initiatives and technology transfer platforms like NEST, move, the Coating Competence Center, or the Climate Solutions Hub which accelerate the transfer of research into scalable applications.
\r\nBuilding on these examples, closer collaborations with the EPFL School of Engineering (STI), e.g. at the intersection of materials, intelligent systems, and advanced engineering are foreseen.
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\r\nBio:
\r\nTanja Zimmermann has a Master in Wood Science and Technology from the University of Hamburg and a Master of Advanced Studies in Secondary and Higher education from ETH Zürich. She received her PhD from the University of Hamburg in 2007. Tanja Zimmermann built up the cellulose nanocomposites research topic at Empa as group leader and later as head of the laboratory \"Applied Wood Materials\". She became a member of the Directorate of Empa in 2017, leading the department \"Functional Materials\" as well as the research focus area of \"Sustainable Construction\" dealing with different materials such as e.g. concrete and asphalt, wood, ceramics, advanced polymer fibers, or energy materials and components. Tanja Zimmermann is an elected member of Academia Europaea and part of various national and international committees and scientific advisory boards. Since June 2022 she has been Director of Empa and Professor for Materials Science at ETH Zurich and EPF Lausanne.
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Directeur de thèse : Prof. A. Züttel,
\r\nProgramme doctoral en Chimie et génie chimique
\r\nThèse n° 11688
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\r\nPour participer à la soutenance publique, merci de contacter directement l’intervenant
After two successful editions in 2024 and 2025, we are delighted to announce the third edition of the Lausanne Event on Machine Learning and Neural Network Theory (LemanTh), which will be held at the Bernoulli Centre at EPFL from 20–24 April 2026.
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\r\nOver the past decade, machine learning has undergone a remarkable transformation: algorithms now tackle problems and process volumes of data that, not long ago, belonged to the realm of science fiction. This year’s program will focus on the theoretical foundations of machine learning and neural networks, and their deep connections with high-dimensional statistics, statistical physics, and computer science. It will foster discussions at the crossroads of probability theory, statistical physics, optimization, and theoretical computer science.
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\r\nRegistration
\r\nRegistration is free, but due to space constraints it is mandatory and on a first come, first served basis.
\r\nYou can register here.
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\r\nProgramme
\r\nAvailable here.
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\r\nVenue
\r\nBernoulli Center, EPFL, Lausanne.
Thesis Directors: Prof. G. Boero, Dr H. Furci
\r\nMicrosystems and Microelectronics doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11256
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker
Thesis Directors: Prof. A. Buffa, Dr E. Sande
\r\nMathematics doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11727
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker
The talk is jointly organized by the EPFL AI Center and the AIMM Lab as part of the AI for Science seminar series.
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\r\nHosting professor: Prof. Charlotte Bunne (AIMM)
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\r\nRegistration with an EPFL email is required: HERE.
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\r\n! This event is restricted to EPFL members. The Zoom live stream is also restricted and requires authentication with an EPFL email address for access. !
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\r\nTitle
\r\nAI for Science at Anthropic: Building Tools for Scientific Discovery
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\r\nAbstract
\r\nThis talk will explore Anthropic's approach to developing AI systems that can meaningfully accelerate scientific research. I'll discuss our AI for Science program, share examples of how researchers are using Claude across domains from molecular biology to materials science, and outline our thinking on what makes AI genuinely useful for working scientists. I'll also touch on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and how it enables integration with scientific tools and data sources.
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\r\nBio
\r\nJonah Cool leads life sciences partnerships and deployment at Anthropic, where he works directly with researchers, academic institutions, and biotech startups to apply frontier AI to scientific discovery. His focus is on understanding where large language models can meaningfully accelerate biological research and building the partnerships, evaluation frameworks, and deployment practices to make that happen responsibly.
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\r\nBefore Anthropic, Jonah served as VP of Science & Partnerships at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where he launched the Single Cell Biology program and led cross-sector technology development spanning biotech, academia, and philanthropy. He holds a PhD in cell biology (AHA fellow) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute (NIH fellow). His career has moved across academia, biotech startups, large-scale philanthropy, and now frontier AI, connected by a consistent focus on finding the leverage points where new technology can change how science gets done.
The Innovation Booster Fashion & Lifestyle empowers operational, technological, and social innovations developed with and for the Swiss Fashion and Lifestyle sector.
\r\nLeveraging the Leading House community and network, the Innovation Booster Fashion & Lifestyle creates a unique ecosystem enabling the dissemination of radical solutions to the challenges of the sector.\r\n
Thesis Directors: Prof. P. Scarlino, Dr P. Harvey-Collard
\r\nPhysics doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11800
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker