Dieter Schwarz Foundation funds professorships and talented researchers at ETH Zurich
Thanks to the generous support of the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, ETH is able to establish two new professorships at the interface of education, digital transformation and artificial intelligence and boost the fellowship programmes of the ETH AI Center with the aim of contribution to solutions to the greatest challenges of the future through research.
© ETH Foundation / Valeriano di Domenico
© ETH Foundation / Valeriano di Domenico
Digitalisation has had a major impact on our modern information society and affects every area of our lives. The support from the charitable foundation of German entrepreneur Dieter Schwarz enables ETH to continue generating cutting-edge knowledge through new professorships in education technology and computer visualisation. In addition, a boost for the fellowship programmes will provide significant further support for talented researchers at the ETH AI Center. “Digitalisation and artificial intelligence have far-reaching consequences for our society. Thanks to the support of the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, we can better understand these developments and play an active part in shaping them,” explains Joël Mesot, ETH President. “We are very grateful for the opportunities that arise from our collaboration with ETH Zurich. These professorships in the field of artificial intelligence will allow research into the myriad challenges and help develop applications in related areas,” explains Professor Reinhold Geilsdörfer, Managing Director of the Dieter Schwarz Foundation.
Lifelong learning
Swift technological change is challenging the education sector at every level. Lifelong learning, especially in the field of digital technologies and computer science, is becoming more important in ensuring that businesses remain competitive.
The new Professorship in Educational Technology will look at topics including the role of education and its methodologies, while playing a part in effectively shaping how teaching is undertaken in the future.
The Professorship in Computer Visualisation will focus on the ever-growing amount of research data and on new methods to depict this data. This research is intended to assist with visualising large, complex volumes of data. In turn, it will help in communicating findings to the public and facilitate interactive, collaborative research.
Trustworthy AI applications
The fellowship programme enables the research at the ETH AI Center to be greatly expanded. Around 102 professors and more than 1500 researchers from every one of ETH’s 16 departments belong to the Center. Its work focuses on the foundations, applications and impact of artificial intelligence, with a particular emphasis on researching and developing trustworthy, broadly accessible applications.
