Honorary Lecture - Prof. Christof Holliger

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Event details

Date 20.03.2025
Hour 18:0019:30
Speaker Prof. Christof Holliger
Location
Category Inaugural lectures - Honorary Lecture
Event Language French
Date: 20 March 2025
Time: 18:00 – 19:30
Introduction by the Dean Katrin Beyer and IIE Director Tamar Kohn, lecture by Prof. Christof Holliger, conclusion by Prof. Pierre Dillenbourg. Followed by an Apero.
Place: CE 6



Title:
The challenge of the great divide

Abstract
We, humans, have a profound impact on what happens on planet Earth through our various activities. The most widely discussed example today is climate change. However, we must not forget that we also have a negative impact on terrestrial and aquatic systems with our aqueous and gaseous effluents and the use of various chemicals in agriculture. Environmental biotechnology can help mitigate the impact humans have on the environment. The most important application of this technology is the biological treatment of wastewater, but it is also used in the bioremediation of contaminated soil.
This is the context in which LBE (Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology) has been working for decades, both in research and teaching. And we faced the challenge of several significant gaps. One major gap, and probably the most important, was the one between basic and engineering sciences. For example, the study of bacteria involved in soil and water decontamination revealed some fascinating biochemical phenomena, although it is not necessary to understand all these details to apply these depolluting bacteria. Another major gap existed between different cultures, as demonstrated by a project between Switzerland and India that lasted over 10 years. And finally, the great divide between dozens of opinions to find a consensus on the analysis of a single parameter. This lecture will therefore explore how we addressed the challenge of these substantial gaps.


About the speaker
Always interested in environmental issues, Christof Holliger studied biology at ETH Zurich before going on to do a doctorate in environmental microbiology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He returned to Switzerland in 1992 and had the chance to set up a research group in the same field of microbiology at Eawag, a research institution in the ETH domain where interdisciplinarity is written with a capital "i". He joined EPFL in autumn 1998 as assistant professor in environmental biotechnology, and was promoted to associate professor in 2004 and full professor in 2013. He headed the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology from 2004 to 2025 and was Director of Environmental Science and Engineering Section SIE from 2005 to 2013. He was involved in the creation of the Ecotox Center, integrated into Eawag and EPFL, and was committed to the Swiss Microbiology Society. In both teaching and research, he has always endeavored to establish a link between the basic and engineering sciences. He has taught biochemistry and microbiology to environmental engineering students, as well as applied subjects such as the investigation and remediation of contaminated sites and wastewater treatment. This same diversity is reflected in his research topics and experimental approaches, as well as in the academic training of the individuals he has mentored, whose research activities have spanned areas from biochemistry and biology to environmental engineering.


 
 

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  • Informed public
  • Registration required

Organizer

  • SSIE - Christina Treier

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