“Our contributions should benefit all of society, beyond national borders”

Is there anyone who you admire?

MALEACHI BÜHRINGER – There are so many admirable people that I don’t want to name anyone in particular. In general I’m impressed by researchers who dedicate their lives to science.

You studied at ETH Zurich. Why is that?

After finishing high school in Munich, I felt drawn to a new city. Studying at ETH Zurich was a dream combination for me: an amazing university with a great reputation, a culturally diverse city and the Alps a stone’s throw away.

Are there any special experiences from your time at ETH that you can share?

The celebratory atmosphere of the graduation ceremony was a great experience! But when I look back today, it’s mostly the conversations that I had with professors and classmates that have stuck with me. There are so many smart people at ETH, and the intellectual input is enormous!

What lessons did you learn at ETH that still impact you today?

How to be disciplined, but also openness to new things – whether it was interacting with other students or being interested in continuing education or athletics or some of the many professional associations. The mechanical engineering club, for example, had a photography lab where students could develop black and white photos.

Today you are Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung. What does this role mean to you?

My work for the foundation means a lot to me personally. Alexander Tutsek was my stepfather, and he laid the cornerstone of our family business, which I have the honor of leading today in the third generation.

He and my mother founded the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung together in order to share some of this success with the rest of society. In light of current developments, it’s more important than ever to remind ourselves that we are all members of a society. Working for our communities and engaging in philanthropy are becoming increasingly important.

The Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung funded the establishment of ETH Professor André Studart’s Powder Processing Lab in 2020. Why?

First and foremost, because ETH is an excellent institution. For the Powder Processing Lab, we were also confident in the overall concept. By embedding this laboratory in the Bachelor’s degree program, students have the opportunity to gain practical experience early on. The balance between practical applications and theoretical foundations is very important in a degree program, I think. We are happy that we could do our part to help make this lab possible.

The main location of your foundation is Munich. What’s the motivation for supporting research projects in Switzerland?

As a Munich-based foundation, we support a lot of regional projects, for example the Technical University of Munich, the museums and the Academy of Fine Arts. But we also keep our eyes open on an international level for innovative research projects. Our contributions should benefit all of society, beyond national borders.