News

T. Konstantin Rusch starts his position as new Group Leader

He will join the ELLIS Institute Tübingen as PI and Hector Endowed Fellow and have a co-affiliation with the MPI-IS and the Tübingen AI Center as an Independent Research Group Leader. Dr. T. Konstantin Rusch’s new group is named "Computational Applied Mathematics & Artificial Intelligence Lab (CAMAIL)" and aims to advance AI by addressing fundamental limitations, including the lack of rigorous safety guarantees and computational inefficiencies.

Marco Hutter promoted to Full Professor

Professor Marco Hutter, currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, has been promoted to Full Professor of Robotic Systems in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering. Marco Hutter has carried out pioneering work in the field of legged robots and is a globally recognised progressive thinker and leader in his area of expertise. He develops intelligent robotic systems for use in challenging environments, such as industrial inspections or search and rescue. Marco Hutter holds six patents, has received numerous prizes for technology transfer and was awarded an ERC Starting Grant in 2019. Congratulations, Marco!

Making augmented reality suitable for society

ETH Zurich is establishing a new research hub for augmented reality that involves close collaboration with Google. One of the ETH-Co-heads, Christian Holz, explains the importance of networking in this field. (Image: ETH Zürich / Adobe Stock, ipopa).

First team members join the new RoCoCo Group of Buse Aktaş

On February 1, 2025, Buse Aktaş established the new Robotic Composites and Compositions (RoCoCo ) Group at the Stuttgart site of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. Last week, two new students joined her newly founded Robotic Composites and Compositions Group: Kira Koch (Ph.D.) and Rohit Patil (Master’s Student). Buse Aktaş recently joined the faculty of CLS. Welcome!

Janneke Schwaner starts MPI-IS Neuromechanics of Movement research group

From May 1, 2025, Janneke Schwaner will lead the Neuromechanics of Movement research group at the Stuttgart site of the Max-Planck-Institute for Intelligent Systems. Janneke presented her research at the 2024 Scientific Symposium and thereafter received the call to join the Institute. Janneke Schwaner recently joined the faculty of CLS. Welcome!

Zhijing Jin Selected Young Researcher for the Heidelberg Laureate Forum 2025

CLS Associate Zhijing Jin, who is an incoming Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto starting in Fall 2025, and currently a postdoc in the Empirical Inference Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen, has been selected to attend the prestigious Heidelberg Laureate Forum 2025. The invitation comes a year after Zhijing attended the 73rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in June 2024.

What keeps alternating current in sync when large power generators go offline?

Traditional large-scale power generators ensure a stable frequency of alternating current in the European power grid. Now, researchers from ETH Zurich in the group led by Florian Dörfler, Professor of Complex Systems Control, have found a solution so that wind and solar power plants can take over – paving the way for the energy transition. Image: ETH Zurich, courtesy of Hitachi Energy.

Strengthening Switzerland as an AI hub and tackling the skilled labour shortage

ETH Zurich is making a significant contribution to positioning Switzerland as a top global location for developing and deploying transparent and trustworthy AI. Image: ETH Zurich.

Trustworthy AI – reliable and predictable

Trust in AI models is about more than just technical performance – ethical principles and human values are equally important. This text appeared in the 25/01 issue of the ETH magazine Globe. (Image: AI-generated with Adobe Firefly; prompt: ETH Zurich).

Neural network deciphers gravitational waves from merging neutron stars in a second

Machine learning method could revolutionize multi-messenger astronomy

Binary neutron star mergers emit gravitational waves followed by light. To fully exploit these observations and avoid missing key signals, speed is crucial. In a study to be published in Nature on March 5, 2025, an interdisciplinary team of researchers presents a novel machine learning method that can analyze gravitational waves emitted by neutron star collisions almost instantaneously – even before the merger is fully observed. A neural network processes the data and enables a fast search for visible light and other electromagnetic signals emitted during the collisions. This new method could be instrumental in preparing the field for the next generation of observatories. (Image: MPI-IS / A. Posada)

CLS Fellow Julian Nubert is a co-founder of Flexion Robotics

Flexion Robotics is a young company in Zurich working on the next generation of humanoid robot software to enable robots to perform useful tasks autonomously. Good luck for this venture!

Can poisoned AI models be “cured”?

Data poisoning poses a serious threat to AI language models such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek. This manipulation technique can significantly impair the performance and reliability of the models. New research results from ETH Zurich show how difficult it is to remove malicious data once it has been injected. Florian Tramèr, Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, heads the Secure and Private AI (SPY) Lab, which focusses on the security, data protection and trustworthiness of AI systems. His research team develops attack methods to uncover and defend against precisely these security risks for learning systems. (Photo: Adobe Stock).

A miniature swimming robot inspired by marine flatworms A miniature swimming robot inspired by marine flatworms

EPFL and MPI-IS engineers, including Max Planck Research Group Leader Florian Hartmann, have developed a versatile swimming robot that nimbly navigates cluttered water surfaces. Inspired by marine flatworms, the innovative device offers new possibilities for environmental monitoring and ecological research.

Fascination Medical Imaging: We make the invisible visible

Klaas Prüssmann is professor of Bioimaging and the head of the Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBT). In this interview, he speaks about his mission to generate images from inside the human body and how he came to ETH Zurich rather accidentally.

Andreas Krause named IEEE Fellow

Professor Andreas Krause from the Department of Computer Science, ETH Zurich, has been named IEEE Fellow for his contributions to active sensing, Bayesian optimization and learning-based control. Big congratulations!

German premiere for European Robotics Forum

Over 1,300 attendees from European research, industry, and politics, with more than 60 sponsors and an extensive program on robotics and artificial intelligence (AI): The European Robotics Forum (ERF) will take place in Stuttgart's Liederhalle from March 25-27, 2025. Cyber Valley, along with the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the Fraunhofer institutes IPA and IAO, and the University of Stuttgart are cooperation partners. The state capital Stuttgart and other partners also support ERF.

Mehmet Fatih Yanik receives an SNSF Advanced Grant

Mehmet Fatih Yanik, Full Professor at the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (D-ITET), ETH Zurich, and Deputy Head of Institute of Neuroinformatics, has been awarded one of the prestigious grants of the Swiss National Science Foundation. In his Advanced Grant project, Yanik will investigate neurological processes that extend across multiple areas of the brain. He wants to be able to distinguish between pathological and normal processes and to modify the pathological processes without affecting healthy brain functions with utmost precision. Congratulations!

Zhijing Jin receives two best paper awards at NeurIPS 2024

CLS associate fellow Zhijing Jin received two Best Paper Awards at NeurIPS 2024 Workshops : (1) Pluralistic Alignment Workshop and (2) Causality and Language Models Workshop.

The view from space – and what it tells us

Earth-observation satellites deliver data for a wealth of applications – from monitoring climate change and documenting war crimes to planning disaster relief and assessing snow depth. ETH researchers, including the team of Konrad Schindler, Professor of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (D-BAUG), are also big beneficiaries. Image: European Space Agency (ESA).

Daniela Macari awarded the 2024 MPI-IS Gender Equality Prize

CLS doctoral fellow Daniela Macari has been awarded the 2024 MPI-IS Gender Equality Prize. This prize is awarded by the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems to honor a member of the institute who has contributed significantly to gender equality in recent years. In 2024, the prize is being awarded for the fourth time. Daniela shares the 2024 prize with fellow MPI-IS researcher Ksenia Keplinger.

Diversity and inclusion accelerate the pace of innovation in robotics

Diverse and inclusive teams are not merely a moral imperative but also a catalyst for scientific excellence in robotics, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems point out in a study. The team now published an article in which they outline how a scientific community can benefit if its leadership fosters an environment of diversity and inclusion, and propose a leadership guide for roboticists to help reap these benefits.

Alexis E. Block writes in the We Are ETH Podcast

A Secret Nap Room at ETH

Alexis E. Block reveals in the We Are ETH Podcast her favorite space in Zurich: a secret nap room in CAB. Alexis completed her PhD through CLS in 2021, and is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering, Case Western Reserve University.

Antonio Orvieto appointed AI2050 Early Career Fellow

For the third time now, Schmidt Sciences from New York selected 25 scientists to benefit from $12 million in research funding. Among the 25 scientists that sent in a proposal and got selected to be part of the AI2050 group is Principal Investigator Antonio Orvieto. Congratulations! Image: ELLIS Institute Tübingen.

Introducing our new Principal Investigators joining in 2025

The ELLIS Institute Tübingen is thrilled to announce the addition of two exceptional Principal Investigators (PIs) to the Institute. Dr. T. Konstantin Rusch and Dr. Shiwei Liu will join the ELLIS Institute Tübingen as PIs and Hector Endowed Fellows in June and July 2025, respectively. They will also have a co-affiliation with the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS). We welcome Konstantin and Shiwei to the faculty of CLS.

Christian Holz promoted to Associate Professor

Congratulations, Christian!

Professor Christian Holz, currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Computer Science in the Department of Computer Science. Christian Holz is a leading technical researcher in the field of human-computer interaction. His research focuses on designing intelligent interfaces and technologies that will complement human beings in future and enable them to interact with content. This is of pioneering importance to several areas of industry, including personalised health technologies as well as augmented and virtual reality. Christian Holz has received several awards and been successful at obtaining third-party funding, including from the EU, the Swiss National Science Foundation and industry. His appointment maintains and enhances the Department's reputation as a world leader in the field of computer science.

Niao He promoted to Associate Professor

Congratulations, Niao!

Professor Niao He, currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Computer Science in the Department of Computer Science. Niao He is a highly regarded scientist with international visibility. She works in the general field of mathematical optimisation, particularly the basics and methods of intelligent decision-making, contributing to many areas of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Niao He has extensive teaching experience and is very successful at attracting funding; among other awards, she has received an SNSF Starting Grant. Her research significantly complements the existing expertise in the Department and strengthens ETH Zurich’s activities in the area of artificial intelligence. Since June 2023, Niao He has been CLS Co-Director for the ETH side; together with Bernhard Schölkopf, Co-Director for the MPI side, she leads the activities of the Center.

Antonio Orvieto awarded ETH Silver Medal

In recognition of his exceptional doctoral thesis, Antonio Orvieto will receive the Silver Medal of ETH Zurich and a financial prize. The prize will be awarded at the upcoming doctoral awards ceremony on 24 January 2025.

Last week to apply - deadline November 5th

In our fully-funded doctoral fellowship program, PhD students are co-supervised by one advisor from ETH Zurich and one from the Max Planck Society, primarily the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (Stuttgart / Tübingen, Germany). Additional participating faculty are drawn from the MPI for Informatics (Saarbrücken), and the ELLIS Institute Tübingen. All doctoral fellows will register as graduate students at ETH Zurich and, upon successful completion of their PhD project, will be granted a doctoral degree by ETH.

Menna El-Assady honoured with Significant New Researcher Award

Professor Mennatallah El-Assady, head of the Interactive Visualization and Intelligence Augmentation Lab, has been awarded the 2024 Visualization Significant New Researcher Award at the IEEE VIS Conference. The prize honours her ground-breaking work at the intersection of visualization and machine learning. Congratulations!

Biofabrication should be sustainable

While living matter can advance technology and render human activities more efficient and eco-friendly, the way in which we currently fabricate materials containing living cells is far from sustainable. Miriam Filippi calls us to rethink our biofabrication practices. Miriam is an established researcher in the Soft Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich, led by CLS Faculty Member Robert Katzschmann, and conducts research in biofabrication and bio-hybrid robotics. (Image: Miriam Filippi, Soft Robotics Lab).

Yao Feng chosen as an EECS Rising Star of 2024

The 2024 Rising Stars in EECS Workshop will be held at MIT during October 24-25, 2024. Rising Stars is a two-day intensive workshop for graduate students and postdocs with historically marginalized or underrepresented genders, who are interested in pursuing academic careers in electrical engineering, computer science, and artificial intelligence and decision making. Participants are chosen through a competitive application process. Congratulations goes to Yao Feng, who recently graduated from CLS, for being chosen as an EECS Rising Star of 2024!

Forty years of robotics research showcased at ICRA@40

The fortieth anniversary of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA@40) took place from September 23 to 26 and showcased everything from robot design and control to AI tools and materials. The robotics community decided to celebrate this anniversary by holding a special conference in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The aim of the gathering was to look back at the robotic innovations that have shaped our past and to look forward to the technologies that will define the future of this research field. 82 distinguished faculty speakers from around the world took the stage to deliver short talks about their vision of robotics research. Among them was Katherine J. Kuchenbecker, Director of the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS).

New CLS representatives team

The CLS student representatives team changed! Julian Nubert and Hamza Keurti have stepped down and are replaced by Anna Kerekes and Taiki Nakano who join Vivian Nastl and Malte Prinzler to form the new team.

ETH Zurich remains in top place in THE Rankings

ETH Zurich has once again been recognised as one of the world’s top universities in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings. The rankings also identify areas where the university has potential for further development. Image: ETH Zürich / Alessandro Della Bella.

ETH Zurich and EPFL enhance collaboration to boost AI in Switzerland

ETH Zurich and EPF Lausanne (EPFL) are intensifying their collaboration in artificial intelligence (AI). They have founded the Swiss National AI Institute (SNAI) with the aim of addressing challenges in AI by leveraging their broad scientific expertise. Funding for the related research programs has been secured. Image: ETH Zurich.

Application open for PhD positions in CLS

In our fully-funded doctoral fellowship program, PhD students are co-supervised by one advisor from ETH Zurich and one from the Max Planck Society, primarily the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (Stuttgart / Tübingen, Germany). Additional participating faculty are drawn from the MPI for Informatics (Saarbrücken), and the ELLIS Institute Tübingen. All doctoral fellows will register as graduate students at ETH Zurich and, upon successful completion of their PhD project, will be granted a doctoral degree by ETH.

Benjamin Grewe promoted to Associate Professor

Professor Benjamin Grewe (*1980), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Neuronal Learning and Intelligent Systems in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. Benjamin Grewe’s research programme at the intersection between traditional neurobiology and information science builds bridges between the experimental neurosciences and Deep Learning. He investigates intelligence in mammals and uses the results to advance the development of neural networks in the direction of artificial intelligence (AI). He has already identified several core abilities of the brain which AI systems lack. Benjamin Grewe has an excellent international network and participates actively in teaching, as well as in committee work and departmental processes. Image: ETH Zurich.

Register for AI Incubator Batch #5

Supercharge your start-up idea! The AI Incubator empowers scientists and entrepreneurs with ingenious AI ideas. Begin your entrepreneurial journey and give your business ideas a successful lift-off! Take advantage of start-up experts from the Cyber Valley Community, who will be on board to support the success of all participating teams.

New research infrastructure: 'Alps' supercomputer inaugurated

On 14 September, ETH Zurich officially inaugurated the new 'Alps' supercomputer at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano.

The new supercomputer is a central element of the Swiss AI initiative. It was launched by ETH Zurich and EPFL to position Switzerland as the world's leading hub for the development and implementation of transparent and trustworthy AI solutions. "Alps makes it possible to train complex AI models for important applications, for example, in medicine and climate research," says Andreas Krause, who heads the AI Centre at ETH Zurich. At the same time, thanks to the new research infrastructure, methodological progress can be made in the areas of transparency, reliability and sustainability of AI. Image: CSCS/ Creative Commons License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).

CLS Researchers gather at the 2024 Retreat

Event over three days at Hotel Schloss Reinach, near Freiburg, Germany

During 8 - 10 September 2024, the CLS community assembled for the CLS2024 Retreat. The event was attended by 50 people, including CLS doctoral fellows, postdoctoral researchers and faculty, including CLS Co-Directors Bernhard Schölkopf and Niao He.

Artificial muscles propel a robotic leg to walk and jump

Researchers at ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have developed a robotic leg with artificial muscles. Inspired by living creatures, it jumps across different terrains in an agile and energy-efficient manner. The CLS team was led by Robert Katzschmann, Soft Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich and Christoph Keplinger at MPI-IS. Their doctoral students Thomas Buchner and Toshihiko Fukushima are the co-first authors of the team’s publication team has now reported on an their animal-inspired musculoskeletal robotic leg in Nature Communications. (Image: Thomas Buchner / ETH Zurich und Toshihiko Fukushima / Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme).

Flexible tentacle electrodes precisely record brain activity

Researchers with Mehmet Fatih Yanik, Professor of Neurotechnology at ETH Zurich, have developed ultra-flexible brain probes that accurately record brain activity without causing tissue damage. This opens up new avenues for the treatment of a range of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. (Image: Yasar TB et al. Nature Communications 2024, modified).

A successful year for CLS publications

More than thirty papers at top conferences since the start of 2024!

Good bye to Caterina De Bacco and her research group PIO

On August 31, 2024, the Cyber Valley Research Group Physics for Inference and Optimization, led by Caterina De Bacco, will end. As of September 1st, Caterina will work as an Associate Professor at the Department of Quantum and Computer Engineering, Delft University of Technology, NL. Thank you Caterina, for being in CLS and best wishes for your new position!

Good bye to Justus Thies and his research group NCS

A year ago, Research Group Leader Justus Thies joined the Technical University Darmstadt as a full professor for 3D Graphics and Vision. He has continued his Tübingen research group Neural Capture and Synthesis which ends August 31st, 2024. Thank you, Justus, for the interesting and great cooperation in CLS. We wish you much success in the new position in Darmstadt.

Mennatallah El-Assady honoured with GI-Dissertation Award

Mennatallah El-Assady, Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science, ETH Zurich, receives the dissertation prize of the German, Austrian and Swiss Informatics Associations for her research work on human-machine interaction. The prize is awarded to particularly significant work by young scientists. Congratulations!

Richard Hahnloser awarded a fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS)

Richard Hahnloser of the Institute of Neuroinformatics (ETH Zurich and UZH) was awarded a prestigious fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) in Princeton. The fellowship for the 2024–25 academic year recognizes the significance of a scholars' work, and it is an opportunity to advance their research and exchange ideas with scholars from around the world.

Justus Thies receives Eurographics Young Researcher Award 2024

The EUROGRAPHICS Young Researcher Award is given each year to two young researchers in the field who have already made a significant contribution. The intent of this award is to recognize people early on in their career who have already made a notable contribution and are likely to make more. Justus Thies is one of the 2024 recipients. Justus has been head of the Neural Capture and Synthesis Group at MPI-IS since 2021. From September 1, 2024, he completes his transition to become a Full Professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt where he is leading the 3D Graphics & Vision group. The second recipient is Thomas Müller, a Principal Research Scientist at Nvidia.

Yao Feng chosen as a WiGRAPH Rising Star of 2024

WiGRAPH’s Rising Stars program is a two-year program of mentorship and workshops co-located with SIGGRAPH 2024 and 2025. The ten 10 up-and-coming researchers selected to participate benefit from the chance to explore potential career trajectories as they enter the job market. Yao Feng has been selected as one of the 2024 Rising Stars. Yao is conducting her doctorate in CLS, supervised by Michael Black (MPI-IS) and Marc Pollefeys (D-INFK, ETH Zurich).

European Robotics Forum 2025 (ERF2025)

Cyber Valley co-hosts the 16th edition of ERF in Stuttgart

On behalf of the ERF Programme Committee and the ERF Scientific Board, we invite you to contribute to the 16th edition of the European Robotics Forum (ERF2025). The conference will take place on March 25–27, 2025 in Stuttgart, Germany. Image: Cyber Valley.

Eva Remlova receives an ETH medal for an outstanding MSc thesis

The Willi Studer Prize and three ETH medals were awarded at the Master's graduation ceremony of the Health Sciences and Technology study programme on 31 May 2024. Eva Remlova, who joined CLS as a doctoral fellow in May 2023, received an ETH medal for her outstanding MSc thesis "Activated Metals to Generate Heat for Biomedical Applications", supervised by Dr. Vivian Feig, Prof. Dr. Giovanni Traverso and Prof. Dr. Simone Schürle-Finke.

Welcome to the CLS class of 2024!

Eight young researchers join the CLS doctoral fellowship program

The eight successful applicants were selected from over 1000 applications received during our CLS2024 recruitment. Three will join with ETH Zurich as their main base; four at the MPI for Intelligent Systems and one at the MPI for Informatics in Saarbrücken. The first of the group already began their PhD research in July 2024; the remainder will start soon.

Peter Bühlmann: 2024 Wald Memorial Award and Lecture

Peter Bühlmann, Professor at the Seminar for Statistics, Department of Mathematics, ETH Zurich, received the 2024 Wald Memorial Award and Lecture and will deliver the Wald Lecture at the World Congress in Probability and Statistics in Bochum.

“Being a PhD student in Europe is one of the best experiences of my life.”

Zhijing Jin joined ELLIS in 2021 as an ELLIS PhD student and is also a CLS associate PhD fellow. Nearing the end of her dissertation phase, Zhijing is about to embrace a new challenge. She will soon begin her career as an Assistant Professor in Natural Language Processing (NLP) at the University of Toronto in Canada, where she will hold a CIFAR AI Chair and be a faculty member at the Vector Institute. Originally from Shanghai, she studied in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the USA before joining the ELLIS network, benefiting from joint supervision from Bernhard Schölkopf at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) and Mrinmaya Sachan at ETH Zurich. In this interview, she shares her experiences as a young researcher in Europe, her future plans, and her reflections on the ELLIS PhD Program. Image credit: Zhijing Jin.

Computer Graphics Lab: 30 years at the forefront of research and innovation

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Computer Graphics Lab (CGL) at ETH Zurich, founded in 1994 and still led today by Professor Markus Gross. CGL celebrated this milestone last week with a symposium attended by numerous guests and former members of the lab. It was an opportunity to reflect on CGL’s legacy, discuss current hot topics and look to the future. Image: Adobe Stock, edited by ETH Zurich.

Good bye to Jörg Stückler and his EV research group

Jörg Stückler, head of the Cyber Valley research group Embodied Vision in Tübingen, was appointed professor for "Intelligent Perception in Technical Systems" at the University of Augsburg, Germany. He has continued his research group at MPI-IS which will end June 30, 2024. Farewell and best wishes for the furure, Jörg!

Niao He talks about the challenges of the academic path

In this interview, Niao He, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich and CLS Co-Director, talks about the challenges of the academic path, what it means for her to be a good teacher and how working as an assistant professor has also boosted her self-confidence.

Marco Hutter awarded the 2024 Rössler Prize

Marco Hutter, a pioneer in mobile robotics, has been awarded this year’s Rössler Prize, the most highly endowed research award at ETH Zurich. The Rössler Prize is worth 200,000 Swiss francs, making it the most highly endowed research award at ETH Zurich. It is conferred annually at the ETH Foundation’s “Thanks Giving” event. The accompanying image shows award winner Marco Hutter with Max Rössler (Photograph: ETH Foundation / Alessandro Della Bella).

World's first ELLIS Institute opens

At the finale of the Cyber Valley Days, and Science Minister Petra Olschowski opened the ELLIS Institute Tübingen, heralding the next phase of the AI Innovation Campus. The new ELLIS Institute stands for the convergence of European AI research and will attract bright minds from all over the world. Accompanying image: Anna Christmann, Yann LeCun, Bernhard Schölkopf, Patrick Cramer, Rebecca C. Reisch and Petra Olschowski at the Cyber Valley Days Grand Finale. Photo credit: Cyber Valley/Flügelmann.

SPY Lab researchers first to ever peek into ChatGPT’s black box

In a world-first, researchers from the SPY Lab led by Professor Florian Tramèr along with collaborators have succeeded in extracting secret information on the large language model behind ChatGPT. The team responsibly disclosed the results of their “model stealing attack” to OpenAI. Following the disclosure, the company immediately implemented countermeasures to protect the model. Image: Adobe Stock (AI generated).

RobotX Innovation Day 2024

At the RobotX Inovation Day on 14 June 2024, partners from research and industry had the opportunity to gain an insight into current research areas at ETH Zurich and experience the next generation of robots. Research groups and start-ups presented themselves in the newly renovated historic machine hall on the ETH Zentrum campus. Visitors were able to view robotics applications from the fields of assistance, mobility, logistics, construction and inspection. On display were snake-shaped, one- and four-legged robots, aerial and underwater drones, autonomous football-playing robots and self-driving Matchbox cars.

How top-flight researchers draw global companies to Switzerland

Marc Pollefeys is Professor in the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich. He also heads the Microsoft Mixed Reality & AI Lab in Zurich. This article looks at how ETH’s outstanding reputation attracts top-flight researchers from all over the world. This pool of talent makes Zurich a major draw for global companies such as Microsoft. Accompanying image: Students kitted out with mixed-reality headsets and mobile phones paced around the Main Hall as part of a joint research project by ETH Zurich and Microsoft. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Microsoft).

Almost 70 AI spin-offs: Cyber Valley's Start-up Network continues to grow

Cyber Valley is entering a new phase: the opening of the ELLIS Institute and Start-up Network Expo at Cyber Valley Days from June 19–21. Photo: Cyber Valley.

Cyber Valley Podcast: Episode 4 – Wieland Brendel

Education & farming will completely change with AI!

Wieland Brendel is a Principal Investigator at the ELLIS Institute Tübingen leading the Robust Machine Learning team. In the fourth episode of the Cyber Valley Podcast, he considers artificial intelligence’s potential to create a more sustainable and efficient world, specifically in the education and farming sectors. Image: Cyber Valley.

Cyber Valley Research Fund’s self-supervised robot project

Research group of Jörg Stückler

Led by Prof. Dr. Jörg Stückler, Research Group Leader, and a dedicated team of researchers, the project, “Self-supervised learning of mobility affordances for vision-based navigation", has advanced the field of mobile robotics. They believe that mobile robots, whether in logistics or autonomous vehicles, should be able to properly adapt their navigation actions according to the surrounding environment. The Cyber Valley Research Fund supported the project from March 2020 until its conclusion in October 2023. Image: Cyber Valley.

ETH Zurich again in seventh place

ETH Zurich maintains its excellent ranking from the previous year in the QS rankings just published. Alongside top scores for its academic reputation and international outlook, the university’s efforts in the area of sustainability have also helped it to retain seventh place. The faculty-student ratio remains the indicator in which the university scores lowest. (Photograph: ETH Zürich / Gian Marco Castelberg)

EuroEAP 2024 comes to Stuttgart!

The International Conference on Soft Transducers and Electromechanically Active Polymers, EuroEAP 2024, organized by the EuroEAP Society, will take place at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart from June 11 to 13, 2024, and will be accompanied by a EuroEAP Society Challenge.

"AI helps us to grasp more and more complex facts"

Since 2003, when Joachim Buhmann became an ETH professor, he has helped shape the explosive development of machine learning. It is not technical progress that worries him, but how society deals with it. Shortly before his retirement, he looks back on his academic career. Photograph: ETH Zurich / Leonid Leiva Ariosa).

Farewell Lecture by Prof. Dr. Joachim Buhmann

The farewell lecture of Prof. Dr. Joachim Buhmann, a core faculty member at CLS and deeply involved in our initiatives, is scheduled for Thursday, 30th May 2024, from 17:15 to 18:30 at HG F 30. His lecture, titled "Lernst du noch oder nutzt du schon KI?" ("Are you still learning, or are you already using AI?"), promises to encapsulate his significant contributions to the field and his unique perspective on the integration of AI in everyday life. This event marks Prof. Buhmann's retirement, although he will continue to teach next semester.

Cyber Valley Podcast: Episode 3 – Celestine Mendler-Dünner

How AI predictions impact our daily lives

Celestine Mendler-Dünner is a Principal Investigator at the ELLIS Institute Tübingen leading the Algorithms and Society group. In the third episode of the Cyber Valley Podcast, she considers the impact of artificial intelligence on society. Image: Cyber Valley.

Florian Dörfler promoted to Full Professor

Professor Florian Dörfler (*1982), currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, is promoted to Full Professor of Complex Systems Control in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. Florian Dörfler is an internationally acclaimed expert on automatic control, systems theory and optimisation. The main focus of his research is on decision-​making in complex systems, with the aim of developing methods in the areas of control, optimisation, game theory and learning. His methods are used in industrial environments, for example, and particularly in power supply systems. Florian Dörfler has published numerous articles in leading journals and has received many awards. He has also made a name for himself as a gripping speaker and dedicated teacher. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Stefan Weiss).

Katherine Kuchenbecker debates about the peer-review process at ICRA 2024

At this year’s five-day event in Yokohama, Kuchenbecker and other leading scientists from the robotics community argued the pros and cons of three controversial topics: single-blind peer review, generative AI, and the relevance of universities for modern robotics.

Sara van de Geer 2024 Abel Prize lecturer

Sara van de Geer will hold the lecture "A statistician's selection of the work of Michel Talagrand" as part of the Abel Week at the University of Oslo on 22 May 2024. Sara van de Geer has been a professor at the Seminar for Statistics until Juli 2023 and is now retired. She was the first woman mathematics professor at ETH Zurich.

Unveiling anomalies for safer connections

Innovative project led by Dr. Caterina De Bacco

A recently concluded research project funded by the Cyber Valley Research Fund has highlighted the critical significance of identifying abnormal behavior within social networks and beyond. Led by Dr. Caterina De Bacco, Research Group Leader, alongside her team members Hadiseh Safdari, Postdoctoral Researcher, and Martina Contisciani, Ph.D. Student, the project "Anomaly Detection in Networks: Reciprocated and Dynamic Networks," has been a pivotal endeavor. It was supported by the Cyber Valley Research Fund since September 2021 and concluded in December 2023. Image: Cyber Valley.

SIB Remarkable Outputs 2023

The Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB) released a shortlist of outstanding works produced during the year 2023 by their members. The list is featuring an output from the Biomedical Informatics Group led by Gunnar Rätsch, in collaboration with the Learning & Adaptive Systems Group led by Andreas Krause. Image: SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics.

Eurographics Gold Medal for Markus Gross

Professor Markus Gross, head of the Computer Graphics Laboratory at ETH Zurich, receives the Eurographics Medal 2024 for his outstanding research contributions, for his contributions to bridging industry and academia and for his leadership in the field at large. Congratulations!

Cyber Valley Podcast: Episode 2 – Jonas Geiping

Exploring the minds behind the ELLIS Institute Tübingen

For the very first time, the Cyber Valley Podcast is getting a glimpse into the minds that are shaping the future of artificial intelligence. Episodes will feature exclusive interviews with Principal Investigators from the first ever established ELLIS Institute Tübingen, providing listeners with their insights on what artificial intelligence truly means. Jonas Geiping, the second guest of this podcast series, is a Principal Investigator leading the Safety- & Efficiency- Aligned Learning (SEAL) team. Geiping, a CLS faculty member, discusses his expectations of the current developments in artificial intelligence while shedding light on the misconceptions surrounding AI, and touching on themes of trustworthiness, privacy concerns, bias, and much more. Image: Cyber Valley.

Justus Thies receives Eurographics Young Researcher Award 2024

Justus Thies has been selected as the recipient of the Eurographics Young Researcher Award 2024 by the European Association for Computer Graphics. This esteemed prize is bestowed annually upon two promising young scientists who have already made a significant impact in their field of research through their contributions to the field. (Original article: TU Darmstadt. Picture: Patrick Bal).

Cross-border collaboration in Machine Learning and Computer Vision: ELLIS program directors share insights

The ELLIS Program ‘Machine Learning and Computer Vision’ fosters collaboration among researchers in this dynamic field in Europe and Israel, and aims to bridge the gap between classical vision algorithms and modern machine learning to allow for greater insights and breakthroughs. Three renowned researchers lead the program: Bernt Schiele, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics (Germany), Cordelia Schmid, Research Director at INRIA (France), and Yair Weiss, Professor at the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel). The three directors jointly prepared the following answers to give us an insight into how the members of their program collaborate across borders and to explain emerging trends in the area of machine learning and computer vision. Image credit: AdobeStock_541928537/MPI-IS/A. Posada.

Roland Siegwart achieves top ranking

Roland Siegwart, Professor of Autonomous Systems at ETH Zurich, is honored by the academic platform research.com in the field of mechanical and aerospace engineering as well as in the field of electronics and electrical engineering.

The Cyber Valley Podcast: Episode 1: Antonio Orvieto

Inside the minds of the ELLIS Institute Tübingen

For the very first time, the Cyber Valley Podcast is getting a glimpse into the minds that are shaping the future of artificial intelligence. Episodes will feature exclusive interviews with Principal Investigators from the first ever established ELLIS Institute Tübingen, providing listeners with their insights on what artificial intelligence truly means. The first guest is Antonio Orvieto, a Principal Investigator leading the Deep Models and Optimization Group. Orvieto, a CLS faculty member, will offer insights on his current research, shedding light on the challenges it addresses, discussing the limitations of AI, and sharing his vision for the future. Image: Cyber Valley.

Cyber Valley grants 500K to CELL’n’ROLL via 2023 Innovation Fellowship Program

Next step for CLS postdoctoral fellow Alp Can Karacakol

Cyber Valley is pleased to announce it has awarded funding of 500K EUR to the CELL’n’ROLL team through the 2023 Cyber Valley Innovation Fellowship program, funded by the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung. CELL’n’ROLL aims to develop next-generation diagnostic solutions for detecting complex diseases such as cancer. CELL’n’ROLL envisions a future where diagnostics are not only swift and precise but also accessible in resource-constrained settings by harnessing the power of robotics, artificial intelligence, and microfluidics. The CELL’n’ROLL team consists of three emerging scientific talents from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems: Postdoctoral Researchers Alp Can Karacakol, Erdost Yildiz, and the project leader Ugur Bozuyuk. Since 2023, Alp Can Karacakol has held a one-year CLS postdoctoral fellowship.

ETH Zurich places 7th in the world in QS rankings for “Data Science and Artificial Intelligence”

QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) unveiled its 2024 World University Rankings by Subject.

Zhijing Jin and Andrew Schulz selected to join the 73rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Zhijing Jin, a doctoral researcher from the Empirical Inference Department at MPI-IS Tübingen, and a CLS associate fellow, is one of two scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems selected to attend this year’s 73rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. From June 30 to July 5, 2024, Zhijing and Andrew will be among 650 young scientists from more than 90 countries who will be able to meet each other and around 30 Nobel Laureates in person.

Amazon and Max Planck Society announce recipients of gift awards

Amazon and the Max Planck Society announced the formation of a Science Hub in May 2022. The collaboration marked the first Amazon Science Hub outside the United States. The hub’s goal is to promote research in AI, computer vision, and machine learning whose benefits are shared broadly across all sectors of society. CLS faculty member Justus Thies, Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen and Professor at the Technical University Darmstadt receives an award for the project “Material estimation of clothing for controllable human avatars”. Image: Cyber Valley.

Faster diagnosis of endometriosis with AI

AI expert Fabian Laumer and gynaecologist Michael Bajka founded the spin-​off dAIgnose in the summer of 2023. Their goal is to develop an algorithm to assist doctors in interpreting the ultrasound data of the womb during the initial examination in order to diagnose endometriosis reliable and much faster. They are receiving specialist support from the ETH AI Center and their two co-​founders ETH Computer Science Professor Joachim Buhmann and Julian Metzler, an endometriosis specialist at University Hospital Zurich. (Photograph: Fabian Laumer and Michael Bajka).

Register for AI Incubator Batch #4

Craft your own AI prototype and business model

The AI Incubator Batch #4 will begin in May and applications are now open! The eight-week program empowers scientists and entrepreneurs with ingenious AI ideas. Begin your entrepreneurial journey and give your business ideas a successful lift-off. The AI Incubator is organized by Cyber Valley & funded by Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung. Register before April 15. Places are limited!

ANYmal can do parkour and walk across rubble

The quadrupedal robot ANYmal went back to school and has learned a lot. ETH Zurich researchers used machine learning to teach it new skills: the robot can now climb over obstacles and successfully negotiate pitfalls. To teach ANYmal these new skills, two teams, both from the group led by ETH Professor Marco Hutter of the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, followed different approaches. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Nikita Rudin)

Artificial intelligence detects heart defects in newborns

Researchers from the group led by Julia Vogt, who runs the Medical Data Science Group at ETH Zurich, recently teamed up with neonatologists at KUNO Klinik St. Hedwig to develop an algorithm that provides an automatic and reliable method of detecting a certain heart defect in newborns. (Photo: Adobe Stock).

Marco Hutter appointed member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences

Marco Hutter is professor at the Robotic Systems Lab at D-​MAVT. He was appointed full member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) for his research in the field of autonomous walking robots and his commitment as co-​founder of various robotics start-​ups.

Marco Hutter elected full member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences

Marco Hutter, Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich has been elected a full member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences.

Strengthening Switzerland’s start-up ecosystem

ETH Zurich and UBS held an initial joint investor event for start-ups at the start of March. The event is part of the partnership the two organisations entered into in August 2022. Over 200 investors had the opportunity to engage in dialogue with around 50 ETH spin-offs, thereby helping to strengthen Switzerland’s start-up ecosystem. The event is also intended to assist ETH spin-offs in finding investors more quickly so that they can create jobs in Switzerland and contribute to a sustainable and competitive economy. (Photograph: ETH Zurich/ Monika Estermann).

Faster to the target – new microrobotic catheter to improve the treatment of strokes

A new magnetically controlled microrobot helps navigate catheters faster and more accurately in brain surgery. Its unique surface structure improves catheter guidance in tortuous blood vessels. This tech, from the research group of Brad Nelson, Professor at the Multi-​Scale Robotics Lab (MSRL) at ETH Zurich, aids emergency stroke or aneurysm surgeries, enhancing patient recovery chances. Marco Rosasco Photography

Launch of Europe’s independent AI research lab: Kyutai

Kyutai, the first European private-initiative laboratory dedicated to open research in artificial intelligence, was launched on November 17, 2023, at Station F in Paris. Part of Kyutai’s Scientific Committee is Bernhard Schölkopf, CLS Co-Director, Cyber Valley Board Member and President of ELLIS (European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems).

Max Planck Institute for Informatics and Google are expanding their strategic partnership on artificial intelligence

New research area “Vision and Language Models (VLMs)” at the Saarbrücken Research Center for Visual Computing, Interaction and Artificial Intelligence under the direction of Professor Bernt Schiele. Photo: Manuela Meyer.

Visualising multiple sclerosis with a new MRI procedure

The loss of myelin sheaths in the brain is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis. Researchers from the Institute for Biomedical Engineering at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich have now developed an MRI method that maps the condition of this nerve insulation layer more accurately than before.

Artificial muscles – lighter, safer, more robust

Researchers at ETH Zurich have recently developed artificial muscles for robot motion. Their solution offers several advantages over previous technologies: it can be used wherever robots need to be soft rather than rigid or where they need more sensitivity when interacting with their environment. The idea of developing artificial muscles is not new, but until now, there has been a major obstacle to realising it: electrostatic actuators worked only with extremely high voltages of around 6,000 to 10,000 volts. This requirement had several ramifications: for instance, the muscles had to be connected to large, heavy voltage amplifiers; they did not work in water; and they weren’t entirely safe for humans. A new solution has now been developed by Robert Katzschmann and colleagues. They have published their version of an artificial muscle that offers several advantages in Science Advances. (Photograph: Screenshot from video by Gravert et al. Science Advances 2024)

Andreas Krause named ACM Fellow

Professor Andreas Krause from the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich has been named ACM Fellow for his contributions to learning-​based decision making under uncertainty. Big congratulations!

Honouring Yann LeCun: Benjamin Grewe Speaks at the 2023 Global Swiss AI Award Ceremony

On the occasion of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2024 in Davos, AI pioneer Yann LeCun, VP & Chief AI Scientist at Meta, was awarded the Global Swiss AI Award 2023. Jury member Prof. Benjamin Grewe, representing the ETH AI Center as Head of the Neural Learning and Intelligent Systems Group at the Institute of Neuroinformatics at ETH Zurich, gave the laudatory speech and provided background information and rationale for the AI jury's decision.

International Computation and AI Network of Excellence Initiative (ICAIN) launched at Davos

Today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, ETH Zurich and the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) have announced the launch of the International Computation and AI Network of Excellence Initiative (ICAIN). The new network aims to broaden access to supercomputing, data and software infrastructures, and will operate at the intersection of public and private sectors, academia, and civil society. By broadening access to such resources and expertise, the founders of ICAIN aim to enable international research projects that benefit society as a whole and are in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to ELLIS and ETH Zurich, ICAIN’s founding members include the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), EPFL, Data Science Africa and the Finnish IT Center for Science (CSC), which is the hosting member of the LUMI consortium. Photo credit: Cyber Valley/ Rebecca Beiter.

Zhijing Jin receives three Rising Star Awards Zhijing Jin receives three Rising Star Awards

Zhijing Jin, a CLS associate doctoral fellow in the Empirical Inference department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen and at ETH Zurich, was awarded three Rising Star awards to recognize her outstanding research in Natural Language Processing, Responsible AI, and Causality. Zhijing is mentored by Bernhard Schölkopf, Mrinmaya Sachan and Ryan Cotterell. Congratulations, Zhijing!

Watt d’Or for efficient and sustainable power supply with photovoltaics

ETH Zurich researchers from the Automatic Control Laboratory, led by Florian Dörfler, and the electricity supplier AEW Energie AG have won the 2024 Watt d’Or award in the Energy Technologies category. Their algorithm, which was implemented at AEW Energie, makes it possible to optimise electricity grid operations.

ETH spin-offs – an annual record set in 2023

A total of 43 new spin-​offs were founded at ETH Zurich over the past year, a new record. A particularly large number of young companies were created in the areas of artificial intelligence and biotechnology. In addition, an increasing number of ETH spin-​offs are being set up by women.

AI House Davos during World Economic Forum 2024

Together with partners from around the world, ETH AI Center is launching a dedicated platform to discuss pressing questions around AI during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting, 15th-​19th January 2024. The Swiss Foreign Ministry will be the hosting country partner of this year’s edition. AI House Davos is a joint initiative by the ETH AI Center and Merantix, together with Swisscom, UTokyo Institute for AI and Beyond, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). Cyber Valley is a further contributor to the planned program.

Christian Theobalt joins as CLS Senior Fellow

We welcome Prof. Dr. Christian Theobalt, Director of the Visual Computing and Artificial Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics in Saarbrücken, who joins our Center as a CLS Senior Fellow. His research investigates foundational research problems at the intersection of Computer Graphics, Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence.

Accurate snow measurement thanks to AI and satellites

How much snow is there up in the mountains, and where exactly is it? Today, snow monitoring in Switzerland is based mainly on data provided by meteorological stations. But as there are only around 400 of these in the entire country, snow data for many places is rather imprecise. This is now set to change: ETH researchers led by Konrad Schindler, Professor of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing at ETH Zurich, teamed up with the Swiss company ExoLabs, a University of Zurich spin-​off, to develop a technology that uses satellite images and artificial intelligence to determine snow depth faster and more accurately than before. (Photograph: Keystone).

Sascha Quanz appointed Full Professor at ETH Zurich

Professor Sascha Quanz, currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, is promoted to Full Professor of Exoplanets and Habitability in the Department of Physics. He is internationally recognised as a leading scientist in the expanding field of exoplanetary research. He has a particular interest in the direct detection and characterisation of extrasolar planets. In the course of his research he participates in numerous observation programmes using the James Webb telescope and ground- based telescopes, as well as in consortia for the development of instruments. He is Deputy Director – and thus a key member – of the new Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life at ETH Zurich, as well as being Deputy Director of ETH Zurich | Space (both founded in 2022).

In search of life

Sascha Quanz searches for traces of life on extrasolar planets orbiting alien stars. The astrophysicist believes that gaining an understanding of life and its origin on Earth is an important stepping stone. (Illustration: ETH Zurich).

Joint initiative for trustworthy AI

ETH Zurich and EPFL are launching the “Swiss AI Initiative”, whose purpose is to position Switzerland as a leading global hub for the development and implementation of transparent and reliable artificial intelligence (AI). World-​class supporting infrastructure will be provided by the new Alps supercomputer, which goes live in spring 2024 at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) of ETH Zurich in Lugano. Boasting the next generation of more than 10,000 graphics processing units (GPUs), Alps is one of the world’s most powerful computers for applications in the field of artificial intellignce (AI). This new computer gives Swiss scientists access to the sort of computing power only available to the world’s biggest tech companies. Photomontage image: ETH Zurich.

Fanny Yang and Niao He have received SNSF Starting Grants

The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has awarded SNSF Starting Grants to promising scientific talents to support the beginning of their careers. The financial support – a maximum of 1.8 million Swiss francs per project over a period of five years – enables the recipients to manage the project and their own research team. Two CLS faculty members have received awards: Fanny Yang (left) and Niao He (right), both Assistant Professors in the Computer Science Department (D-INFK) at ETH Zurich. Fanny's research will focus on "A unified mathematical framework for trustworthy machine learning" while Niao's award will fund work on "Optimization for Modern Reinforcement Learning: from Principles to Scalability".

Amir-​Hossein Karimi receives ETH Medal

Amir-​Hossein Karimi has been honoured with the Silver Medal of ETH Zurich and a financial sum in recognition of his outstanding doctoral dissertation. Amir was supervised by Bernhard Schölkopf and Isabel Valera, and defended his thesis titled "Advances in Algorithmic Recourse: Ensuring Causal Consistency, Fairness, & Robustness" on July 18, 2023. He is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, and a Vector Institute Faculty Affiliate. Congratulations!

Printed robots with bones, ligaments, and tendons

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in printing a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons made of different polymers using a new laser scanning technique. CLS associate fellow Thomas Buchner, a doctoral student in the group of ETH Zurich robotics professor Robert Katzschmann is first author of the study. Image: 3D printed in one go: A robotic hand made of varyingly rigid and elastic polymers. (Photo credit ETH Zurich/Thomas Buchner).

Redefining Teleconferencing with ViGather

Professor Christian Holz and his research group have developed a new teleconferencing system called ViGather. The System enables participants across all devices – VR/XR devices and traditional laptops, tablets, or PCs – to participate in immersive 3D meetings as avatars. (Photo: Siplab).

Andreas Krause appointed to UN's Advisory Board on Artificial Intelligence

Together with experts from around the world, the Chairman of ETH AI Center and head of ETH's Learning and Adaptive Systems Group will work on recommendations for international governance of AI. Photo: ETHZ / Nicole Davidson.

Joining CLS: four new ELLIS Institute Tübingen gGmbH Hector Endowed Fellows

After the launch in July 2023, the ELLIS Institute Tübingen is growing, with the first Principal Investigators joining the Institute as Hector Endowed Fellows in the fall of 2023. Four talented scientists in the field of machine learning will conduct cutting-edge research at the newly founded ELLIS Institute Tübingen and have joined CLS as associate faculty members. From left to right: Antonio Orvieto, Wieland Brendel, Celestine Mendler-Dünner, Bernhard Schölkopf, Jonas Geiping.

Welcome, Professor Ryan Cotterell

Ryan Cotterell has joined CLS

Ryan Cotterell is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich and head of the Rycolab, specializing in natural language processing, computational linguistics and machine learning. Ryan joined CLS as an associate faculty member. Welcome! Image: ETH Zurich.

New CLS representatives team

The CLS student representatives team changed! Daniela Macari and Paul Wrede have stepped down and are replaced by Vivian Nastl and Malte Prinzler who join Julian Nubert and Hamza Keurti to form the new team.

Michael J. Black receives PAMI Distinguished Researcher Award

Michael J. Black, Director of the Perceiving Systems Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, received the PAMI Distinguished Researcher Award at the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision which, this year, is held in Paris.

Predictions of the effect of drugs on individual cells are now possible

Researchers from the groups of Gunnar Rätsch and Andreas Krause at ETH Zurich, together with co-authors from the University of Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich, have used machine learning to jointly create an innovative method. This new approach can predict how individual cells react to specific treatments, offering hope for more accurate diagnoses and therapeutics.

Apply for PhD positions in CLS

In our fully-funded doctoral fellowship program, PhD students are co-supervised by one advisor from ETH Zurich and one from the Max Planck Society, primarily the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (Stuttgart / Tuebingen, Germany). All doctoral fellows will register as graduate students at ETH Zurich and, upon successful completion of their PhD project, will be granted a doctoral degree by ETH.

"We want AI as a helpful assistant, not as an independent being"

Benjamin Grewe is Professor of Neuroinformatics and Neural Systems at the Institute of Neuroinformatics (INI) of ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich and a researcher at the ETH AI Center. In the interview, he talks about his fascination for biologically inspired algorithms and the advantages of the newly developed language model SwissGPT over ChatGPT.

Sara van de Geer is retiring

The first woman mathematics professor at ETH Zurich, Sara van de Geer, is retiring after 18 years at the university. For the moment, not a lot will change for the Dutch researcher – and she is fine with that. (Photograph: ETH Zurich)

Join the next round of the AI Incubator!

Register for the third batch

After the successful summer round, Cyber Valley will offer its six-week AI Incubator again this fall.

Being human

With its ability to write text and generate images, artificial intelligence is making inroads into many areas of life. Perceived as threatening, enriching or just plain gimmicky, AI also raises a fundamental question: what is it that makes us human? Thomas Hofmann comments. (Photograph: Sir Mary / Midjourney)

Repairing damaged tissues through hydrogel injection

Professor Robert Katzschmann and Dr. Oncay Yasa have invented new hydrogel constructs that behave like sponges. The material shrinks dramatically when squeezed and regains its shape when released. Such hydrogels can be used in regenerative medicine, for example to repair cartilage and bone tissues. The highly compressible hydrogel is engineered outside the body and then injected by a needle. The advantage is a minimally invasive procedure to place the material where it is needed.

Soft Robotic Tool provides new 'eyes' in endovascular surgery

CLS faculty members Metin Sitti and Wenqi Hu are working to develop a soft robotic tool that promises to one day transform minimally invasive endovascular surgery.

Advanced Grant for ETH Zurich professor Marc Pollefeys

Marc Pollefeys receives a prestigious Advanced Grant currently awarded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, rather than the European Research Council. In his project, the professor of Computer Science will develop algorithms that can automatically create 3D models of functional objects from visual information.

ETH historic building renovated to current-day standards

An ETH Zurich architectural centrepiece – the machine laboratory– has been renovated. The historically significant machine hall has been extensively restored to its original condition. The renovation provides ETH with additional space for research and teaching. Researchers will in future use the large and centrally located hall to work on the development of robotics. ETH Zurich’s RobotX initiative aims to bundle its expertise in the field of robotics and make it visible to the outside world. Drones, walking robots, autonomous vehicles and smart robots are consequently expected to populate the machine hall as early as 2024.

National Research Center for AI in Tübingen celebrates inception

On Tuesday, July 18, 2023, the Tübingen AI Center held a symposium to celebrate its permanent establishment as a national AI center. Since July 1, 2022, it has received 20 million euros a year in funding from the federal government and the state. Around 250 guests from the fields of science, industry and politics took part in a varied program which included speeches from politicians, researchers and AI start-ups as well as initiatives introducing children and young people to Artificial Intelligence.

European Control Award for Melanie Zeilinger

Melanie Zeilinger, Professor at the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering of ETH Zurich, received the European Control Award 2023.

Robot team on lunar exploration tour

Swiss engineers including researchers from the group of ETH Zurich Professor Marco Hutter are training legged robots for future lunar missions that will search for minerals and raw materials. To ensure that the robots can continue to work even if one of them malfunctions, the researchers are teaching them teamwork.

Europe's first ELLIS Institute starts in Tübingen

The advisory board of the recently officially founded ELLIS Institute has given the green light for the start of the institute this week.

As of July 1, the ELLIS Institute will be established under the Scientific Director and ELLIS President Prof. Dr. Bernhard Schölkopf. In addition, Volker Maria Geiß was appointed as Interim Managing Director for the start-up phase. The premises in Tübingen are to be occupied soon and top researchers in the field of AI are to start their research.

Welcome to the CLS class of 2023!

Six young researchers are joining the CLS doctoral fellowship program

The six successful applicants were selected from over 1000 applications received during our CLS2023 recruitment. Four will join with ETH Zurich as their main base; two at the MPI for Intelligent Systems. The first of the group already began their PhD research in May 2023; the remainder will start at the latest by November 2023.

CLS community gathers at the 2023 Fellows Retreat

Event over three days at Hotel Pax Montana, Switzerland attracts 45 participants

During 26 - 28 June 2023, thirty CLS doctoral and postdoctoral fellows joined CLS Co-Directors Bernhard Schölkopf and Niao He at the CLS 2023 Fellows Retreat. The event team put together a very diverse program designed to help participants connect and exchange about current and future goals.

ETH Zurich now seventh place in the current QS Rankings

QS Rankings: ETH Zurich takes a top spot thanks to long-term investments in research and teaching

ETH Zurich has moved up two positions to take seventh place in the current QS Rankings. This confirms its top position in continental Europe due in large part to its citations per faculty and academic reputation. For the first time, the rankings took into account the metrics graduates’ employment outcomes, sustainability and international research network. Image: ETH Zurich.

A statement by the ELLIS Board

Our view on the global conversation about the societal risks of AI

Artificial Intelligence is a transversal discipline that can be applied to any field and thus it is profoundly changing all aspects of society. It has a significant potential to generate sustainable economic growth and help us tackle the most pressing challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change, pandemics and inequality. However, the broad adoption of algorithmic decision-making over the last decade on a wide range of domains - from social media to the labor market - already poses significant societal challenges that need to be understood and addressed.

Sara van de Geer: farewell lecture

On 31 May, Professor Sara van de Geer gave her farewell lecture entitled: "Data dust". She has been a professor at the Seminar for Statistics, ETH Zurich, since 2005.

“The future remains exciting!”

For Florian Dörfler, control engineering is the cornerstone of all automation.

Florian Dörfler: "Automation was originally a very analogue field, but today’s problems demand a digital and algorithmic approach." Florian Dörfler is Associate Professor of Complex Systems Control at the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Stefan Weiss).

"Morph Tales" - a new ETH game invites you to get to know AI research

Morphs are small, bright and eager-​to-learn creatures. In the "Morph Tales" game, they embody artificial intelligences.

The Morphs are here! The smart, eager-​to-learn creatures are now waiting in the ETH main building for players to train them. "Morph Tales - Exploring Artificial Intelligence" is a new game from ETH Zurich that is fun to play and shows how humans and AI master tasks together. (Image: ETH Game Technology Center).

Niao He becomes new CLS Co-Director for the ETH side

Thomas Hofmann hands over the role after nearly 10 years

The activities of the Max Planck - ETH Center for Learning Systems (CLS) are guided by the Leading Team, made up of one scientist from each partner, MPI-IS and ETH Zurich. These two Co-Directors take responsibility for the Center, in conjunction with the Steering Board. A change has been agreed on the ETH side: Prof. Dr. Thomas Hofmann, Professor for Data Analytics, Department of Computer Science, will step down as Co-Director and hand over this role to Prof. Dr. Niao He, Assistant Professor for Data Science, Department of Computer Science, at the end of May 2023.

Michael Muehlebach replaces Georg Martius on CLS Steering Board

Thank you, Georg!

Prof. Dr. Georg Martius, head of the Autonomous Learning Group at MPI-IS Tübingen, has stepped down from his role on the Steering Board of CLS. From May 1st, 2023, he is replaced by Michael Muehlebach, who leads the independent research group on Learning and Dynamical Systems at MPI-IS Tübingen.

Marc Pollefeys elected member of Academia Europaea

Marc Pollefeys, professor at the Department of Computer Science and head of the Computer Vision and Geometry Group, has been invited to become a member of the prestigious Academia Europaea for his outstanding achievements in his research field. The Academy's primary objective is to foster European research, provide scientific counsel to governments and international organisations and advance interdisciplinary and global research efforts.

Bernhard Schölkopf receives the 2022 ACM - AAAI Allen Newell Award

One of the world's most important prizes in the research field of AI goes for the first time to a scientist from the Max Planck Society, to Europe for the fourth time.

ETH AI Center moves to Andreasturm

ETH AI Center has recently relocated to Andreasturm, situated in a bustling and urban neighbourhood right next to Zurich Oerlikon's train station. The tower is a hub of innovation, hosting many institutions and organizations that specialize in data science and artificial intelligence. The tower's central location makes it easily accessible from the airport and the city's research campuses, and it is only a few minutes away from Zurich's main station. ETH AI Center is situated on the 19th floor of the tower - that's easy to remember as long as you keep in mind that A is the first letter of the alphabet and I is the ninth - which boasts a stunning view of the city. Andreasturm is affectionately known as the "Swiss AI Tower" amongst its residents and will certainly become a symbol of Switzerland's commitment to technological advancement. The tower offers state-of-the-art facilities, including meeting and seminar rooms that are perfect for hosting events and conferences.

Sara van de Geer: Bahadur Memorial Lectures

We are delighted to announce that Professor Sara van de Geer has been invited to deliver the 2023 Bahadur Memorial Lectures at the University of Chicago.

Two new projects from the Sensing, Interaction & Perception Lab of Professor Christian Holz

RESEARCH: Scientists develop completely mobile Virtual Reality tools to be used anywhere

Two new projects from the Sensing, Interaction & Perception Lab of Professor Christian Holz advance the versatility of today’s Virtual Reality (VR) platforms, taking advantage of common devices such as a fitness watch or a smartphone. By developing novel AI frameworks, they allow VR users to freely interact in 3D space and grab objects that are out of sight, or even play in places as small as a car, a train or an airplane seat. Image: Sensing, Interaction & Perception Lab / D-​INFK.

AI Incubator 2023 - Apply Now!

Cyber Valley's program for the next generation of AI start-ups

Incubators are programs that help people interested in founding their own company. Cyber Valley is launching the AI Incubator, an artificial intelligence (AI) start-up program. The AI Incubator offers students and scientists the opportunity to develop ideas for a start-up from their AI research, put their ideas into practice and start their own successful AI business, via a program of in-person workshops and coaching over six weeks. Deadline to apply: May 21, 2023.

“A development freeze would jeopardise transparency”

In an open letter, tech luminaries from the worlds of science and industry are calling for a freeze on training new AI models that are more powerful than GPT-​4. ETH AI experts Andreas Krause and Alexander Ilic from the ETH Zurich AI Center consider this to be difficult to enforce and associated with risks. (Photograph: Nicola Pitaro / ETH Zürich).

Prof. Olga Sorkine-Hornung is appointed Individual Member of SATW

Professor Olga Sorkine-​Hornung has been elected as a member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) in recognition of her outstanding research and development contributions in the field of computer graphics and geometric modeling, digital geometry processing, computer animation and visual computing. Olga Sorkine-Hornung is a professor of computer science at ETH Zurich, where she leads the Interactive Geometry Lab at the Institute for Visual Computing.

The One-Wheel Cubli balances with only a single reaction wheel

Robotics specialists from a group led by ETH professor Raffaello D’Andrea and including MPI-IS researcher Michael Mühlebach have created a new, cube-​shaped robot that can balance on its pivot and compensate for external disturbances. What makes the One-​Wheel Cubli unique? Unlike its predecessors, it only requires a single reaction wheel. Text and image: ETH Zurich

Gunnar Rätsch and LOOP platform for health data

Unlocking the data treasure chest

The LOOP Zurich research centre is creating a central platform for the exchange of health data between the University of Zurich, ETH Zurich and the four university hospitals. This will allow data to be utilised quickly and easily to the benefit of patients. Co-lead on the ETH Zurich side is biomedical data scientist Gunnar Rätsch. His group develops AI algorithms that learn from biomedical data and can be used to obtain new insights, while also working on methods for analysing large genomic or medical datasets. (Photograph: University of Zurich / Frank Brüderli).

CLS2023 Selection Symposium

The CLS2023 Selection Symposium took place on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 February, 2023. Twenty-one candidates for the doctoral training program of the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems (CLS) presented scientific talks and met with members of the CLS community in a hybrid event, taking place in person at the MPI for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Tübingen, and online. In -person attendees also had the chance to join a tour of the MPI-IS Stuttgart site. The short-listed candidates were drawn from over 1000 applications received in our open call during Fall 2022.

Christoph Keplinger appointed Honorary Professor at the University of Stuttgart

Christoph Keplinger, Director of the Robotic Materials Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart was appointed an Honorary Professor at the University of Stuttgart. Congratulations!

Georg Martius was appointed W3 professor at the University of Tübingen

Georg Martius, head of the Autonomous Learning Group at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, was appointed to a W3 professor position in the Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen. Congratulations!

Ziyu Ren wins ETH Silver Medal

The postdoctoral researcher at MPI-IS was honored for his outstanding doctoral thesis

Dr. Ziyu Ren, a postdoctoral researcher in the Physical Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, won a top award from the leading Swiss University, ETH Zurich. Acknowledging his outstanding doctoral thesis, which he completed in 2022 at the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (D-ITET) at ETH, Ziyu Ren received an ETH Silver Medal. Such a medal is awarded to less than one in ten doctoral students. Ziyu Ren's doctoral advisor, Metin Sitti, holds an Affiliate Professorship in D-ITET at ETH Zurich.

“I think I became bilingual”

Valentina Boeva has been a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics at D-​INFK since June 2019. She speaks not only Russian, French and English, but also the languages of computer science and biology. A rare talent that she is passing on to an increasing number of students. Valentina Boeva joined D-​INKF as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor in June 2019. (Image Copyright: Giulia Marthaler)

Marc Pollefeys named ACM Fellow

Marc Pollefeys is one of three professors at the Department of Computer Science, to be named ACM Fellows. The distinction recognises the extensive research contributions in their respective fields. Congratulations!

The dawn of trustworthy and cooperative artificial intelligence

Are we witnessing the rise of a different, adaptive artificial intelligence (AI) that works with humans and supports them with smart decisions? Computer scientist Niao He is investigating how this kind of AI can be theoretically underpinned so that it really does provide benefits. Niao He envisages trustworthy and collaborative artificial intelligence that works not in competition with humans but with them and supports them with intelligent, transparent decisions. (Photo: Nicole Davidson)

Best abstract award at Neurreps workshop

Recognition for Hamza Keurti and coauthors

Success at Workshop on Symmetry and Geometry in Neural Representations at NeurIPS 2022

Virtual copy of the real world

Scanning the environment with a camera and interactively creating a virtual 3D model?

ETH researchers receive funding from the Sony Research Award Program to advance their pioneering computer vision methods. For more details, see the film about work of CLS doctoral fellow Songyou Peng and colleagues at the Computer Vision and Geometry Group of Prof. Marc Pollefeys at the Department of Computer Science, ETH Zurich.

Success at SHARP 2022 challenge

Recognition for Songyou Peng and colleagues

ETH Zurich team led by Songyou Peng receive prize at workshop held in conjunction with CVPR 2022.

IROS 2022 Finalist: Best Paper Award

Recognition for Julian Nubert and colleagues

The work of CLS doctoral fellow Julian Nubert was highlighted at the 2022 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2022), held on October 23-27, 2022.

The Koenderink Prize for Michael Black

Michael J. Black was awarded the Koenderink Prize at ECCV 2022 for work that has stood the test of time. The prize was awarded for the paper “A naturalistic open source movie for optical flow evaluation,“ by Butler, D. J., Wulff, J., Stanley, G. B., Black, M. J., which appeared at ECCV 2012.

CLS at AI+X Summit 2022

At the annual flagship event of the ETH AI Center, over 1500 researchers, students, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders come together to discuss emerging trends and business models in artificial intelligence. The 2022 edition took place on Friday, October 14th, from 10 am to 10 pm, at Stage One, a vibrant event and convention hall in Zurich Oerlikon. CLS was proud to present a booth. A team of 10 helpers talked to visitors about the ETH Zurich/ Max Planck Society partnership, our research activities and how to apply.

AI estimates population density in crisis areas

Researchers deliver science for humanitarian action

Using innovative technologies and scientific expertise to help people in need is the goal of the Engineering for Humanitarian Action initiative launched by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), ETH Zurich and EPFL in 2020. A project led by D-BAUG Professor Konrad Schindler is amongst them. The map shows the estimated population density in Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania. (Image: Konrad Schindler / ETH Zurich)

CLS doctoral fellowships 2023: Apply by November 15

In our fully-funded doctoral fellowship program, Ph.D. students are co-supervised by one advisor from ETH Zurich and one from the Max Planck Society, primarily the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (Stuttgart / Tuebingen, Germany). All doctoral fellows will register as graduate students at ETH Zurich and, upon successful completion of their Ph.D. project, will be granted a doctoral degree by ETH.

Welcome, Professor Florian Tramèr

Florian Tramèr joins CLS

Florian Tramèr joined the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich in August 2022 as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science. His research is in computer security and privacy, with a focus on machine learning.

Breathing life into video pixels

Spotlight on Siyu Tang, head of the Computer Vision and Learning Group at the ETH Institute for Visual Computing

Autonomous virtual humans that move and behave naturally are Siyu Tang’s vision. One area from which the computer scientist draws inspiration are our behavioural patterns. Collaboration with architects and surgeons provides further input – and it also reveals the enormous potential of virtual people.

Melanie Zeilinger appointed Associate Professor of Intelligent Control Systems

Professor Melanie Zeilinger, currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, has been appointed as Associate Professor of Intelligent Control Systems in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering. Melanie Zeilinger’s research concerns model predictive control (MPC), with particular reference to the control of autonomous, security-​critical systems. Congratulations!

CLS community gathers at the 2022 Fellows Retreat

Event over three days at Hotel Schloss Weitenburg attracts 36 participants.

Katzschmann and Siegwart receive Amazon Research Awards

For the topics of “Design and Control Optimization of Soft Gripper Mechanisms for Manipulation” and “Autonomous Navigation of Aerial Robotic Manipulators in Unstructured Indoor and Outdoor Environments”, respectively, the Professors Robert Katzschmann and Roland Siegwart receive Amazon Research Awards. CLS doctoral fellow Yasunori Toshimitsu will be one of the beneficiaries. Image credit: Soft Robotics Lab/ ETH Zurich.

Afonso Bandeira: Prémio António Aniceto Monteiro

The Portuguese Mathematical Society and Unilabs have awarded the first Prémio António Aniceto Monteiro to Afonso Bandeira. Afonso Bandeira is a Professor at the Department of Mathematics, ETH ZUrich in the field of mathematics of data science. He has received the award for his research that "combines tools from probability theory, theoretical statistics and convex optimisation to develop innovative ideas that have revolutionised and advanced the field."

Raffaello D’Andrea named IFAC Fellow

Raffaello D’Andrea, Professor at the Institute of Dynamic Systems and Control of the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich, receives the Fellow Award of the International Federation of Automation Control (IFAC) for his contributions in the development of distributed and cooperative robotic systems and their commercialization.

Yufeng Zheng awarded Meta PhD Research Fellowship

The Meta PhD Research Fellowship program awards PhD candidates conducting cutting-edge research in emerging topics across computer science and engineering, including AI system hardware/software co-design, blockchain and cryptoeconomics, human-computer interaction, programming languages, and AR/VR future technologies.

ERC Consolidator Grant for Georg Martius

Huge joy about fantastic recognition.

Kick-off event of the Stuttgart ELLIS Unit

The team of the Stuttgart ELLIS Unit held a kick-off event celebrating the official start of their operations on the Vaihingen campus of the University of Stuttgart, on July 21st. The program included a keynote talk by ELLIS Fellow and CLS Senior Fellow Bernt Schiele (Max Planck Institute for Informatics) and a presentation by CLS faculty member Katherine J. Kuchenbecker (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems). The ELLIS Unit Stuttgart brings together an interdisciplinary team of outstanding researchers at the University of Stuttgart and the Stuttgart site of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) who advance research in learning and intelligent systems from four synergistic perspectives: Interactive Intelligent Systems, Natural and Programming Language Processing, Learning Theory, and Robot Learning.

Peter Bühlmann: IMS President

We are delighted to announce that Professor Peter Bühlmann has been elected President of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) by its members.

ETH Board promotes Otmar Hilliges to Full Professor

Otmar Hilliges has been promoted from Associate Professor to Full Professor of Computer Science. Hilliges conducts research in the areas of human-​​machine interaction, machine vision and machine learning.

Wenqi Hu and Wieland Brendel join CLS faculty

CLS welcomes Wenqi Hu and Wieland Brendel as associate faculty members. Both are new junior group leaders at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems.

Olga Sorkine-Hornung wins SGP test-of-time award

At the Symposium on Geometry Processing, Professor Olga Sorkine-​Hornung received a test-​of-time award for a paper she wrote fifteen years ago. Congratulations!

Twelve papers at CVPR 2022

Twelve accepted papers involving CLS researchers

The IEEE / CVF Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Conference (CVPR) is the premier annual computer vision event comprising the main conference and several co-located workshops and short courses. A record twelve accepted papers at CVPR2022 were authored or co-authored by CLS doctoral fellows.

Digital transformation of surgical education

The groups of Prof. Siyu Tang and Prof. Marc Pollefeys (both D-INFK) form part of a large consortium of Swiss hospitals, universities and companies aiming to digitally transform surgical training.

Holograms at the touch of a button

A new ETH laboratory makes high-​resolution 3D recordings possible, enabling researchers to animate avatars or train robots, for example. At the Volumetric Capture Lab, which at first glance looks like a photo or film studio, ETH professors Otmar Hilliges, Marc Pollefeys, Markus Gross, Stelian Coros (all D-​INFK) and William Taylor (D-​HEST) have put Microsoft technology into operation with special cameras.

Foundation stone laid for new Cyber Valley building

Structure to become part of the Innovation Campus in Tübingen

Finance Minister Dr. Danyal Bayaz joined Science State Secretary Petra Olschowski, Mayor Boris Palmer, Prof. Bernd Engler (President of the University of Tübingen) and Prof. Bernhard Schölkopf (Director at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems) on Monday (June 20) to lay the foundation stone for the new Cyber Valley I building of the Cyber Valley innovation campus in Tübingen. Photo credit: Friedhelm Albrecht/Universität Tübingen.

Avatars populate a utopian city

The Computer Vision and Learning Group of Prof. Siyu Tang (D-INFK) helped populate an exhibition in the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, with autonomous avatars.

Number one in continental Europe

The latest QS ranking places ETH Zurich ninth among the world’s best universities. Once again, ETH owes its high rank to its academic reputation and citations of its scientific publications. Image: ETH Zurich.

Eggenberger Award for Jasan Zughaibi

Jasan Marco Zughaibi, who joins CLS as one of the 2022 doctoral fellows, has received the Hans-Eggenberger-Prize for his Master’s thesis. The thesis was conducted with ETH Professor Raffaello D’Andrea at the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering.

Welcome to the CLS class of 2022!

Thirteen young researchers from around the world are beginning their doctoral research in the CLS fellowship program.

The thirteen successful applicants were selected from over 1000 applications received during our CLS2022 recruitment. Seven will join with ETH Zurich as their main base; six at the MPI for Intelligent Systems. In each case, a year of the PhD will be spent at the partner organisation. Some of the group already began their PhD research in April 2022; the remainder will start at the latest by October.

New imaging method makes tiny medical robots visible in the body

CLS doctoral fellow Paul Wrede and colleagues publish in Science Advances

Microrobots have the potential to revolutionize medicine. Researchers at the Max Planck ETH Centre for Learning Systems have now developed an imaging technique that for the first time recognises cell-sized microrobots individually and at high resolution in a living organism. This is an important step towards precise control of the robots and their clinical translation.

Roland Siegwart receives Ernst-Blickle Award

Roland Siegwart, Professor for Autonomous Systems at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, receives the Ernst-​Blickle Award 2021 by the SEW-​EURODRIVE Foundation. He is honored for his contribution to the development and control of robotic systems.

Raffaello D'Andrea inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame

Raffaello D'Andrea, Professor at the Institute of Dynamic Systems and Control at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, has been inducted into the US National Inventors Hall of Fame. The robotics expert receives this recognition for the development of an autonomous robot-​supported merchandise management system.

Sara van de Geer elected to National Academy of Sciences

The US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has elected Sara van de Geer at the conclusion of the Academy’s 159th Annual Meeting on 3 May 2022. She was elected for her outstanding contributions to modern nonparametric statistical theory.

CLS featured at ETH visit of Winfried Kretschmann

Ministerpräsident of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, and delegation hear about the Center for Learning Systems during their visit to ETH Zurich.

Peter Bühlmann elected to the Leopoldina

Professor Peter Bühlmann has been elected to the Leopoldina, Germany's National Academy of Sciences. Peter Bühlmann is Professor at the Seminar for Statistics, and Director of ETH Foundations of Data Science. He conducts research in the fields of high-​​dimensional and computational statistics, machine learning, causal inference and interdisciplinary applications in biology and medicine.

BSSE research rated as ‘must read works 2021’

The Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, SIB, shortlisted the work from Niko Beerenwinkel and Karsten Borgwardt as particularly worth the attention of the global bioinformatics community. Congratulations on receiving the SIB Remarkable Outputs 2021 Award!

Otto Hahn Medal awarded to Alexis E. Block

The MPG honors Block with this prestigious award for her fundamental and innovative research in the field of human-robot interaction through the creation and evaluation of intelligent hugging robots.

ERC Consolidator Grant for Otmar Hilliges

Professor Otmar Hilliges is the recipient of an ERC Consolidator Grant for his research projects. The mid-​career award is given to outstanding researchers with highly promising scientific track records. Otmar Hilliges is an associate professor at the Department of Computer Science, ETH Zurich. There, he heads the Institute of Intelligent Interactive Systems and leads the Advanced Interactive Technologies Lab. Congratulations!

Robert Katzschmann elected TED Fellow

Robert Katzschmann, Professor of Soft Robotics at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, was elected TED Fellow 2022. Katzschmann was selected for developing adaptive robots comprising soft and living materials safe to use in a variety of tasks to improve quality of life.

Robert Riener elected to the selection committee for the Leibniz Prize

Robert Riener, Professor of Sensory-​Motor Systems at the Department of Health Sciences and Technology, was elected to the selection committee for the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize.

Science needs more women

ETH Zurich marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science

To mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we take a look back at a year shaped by strong women. Although there’s still a long way to go in achieving a gender balance in research and education, ETH Zurich has no shortage of female role models. (Images: ETH Zurich)

Ambitious multi-centric European AI lighthouse moving forward

ELLIS (European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems) is a European grassroots initiative in AI with a focus on scientific excellence, innovation and societal impact, working towards the creation of a multi-centric European AI Lighthouse. During the last two years, ELLIS has set up a network of 34 units in 14 countries across Europe and Israel, committing more than 300 Mio EUR of their own funding towards building a joint AI lighthouse. The units include most of the leading existing European AI sites, jointly advocating the foundation of a set of dedicated ELLIS institutes in European countries. In a major step towards this goal, a contract for a significant private endowment and accompanying public funding to build the first such institute has just been announced.

CLS2022 Selection Symposium

The CLS2022 Selection Symposium took place on Monday, 24 January and Tuesday, 25 January, 2022. Thirty-one candidates for the doctoral training program of the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems (CLS) presented scientific talks and met with members of the CLS community in a completely online event. The short-listed candidates were drawn from over 1000 applications received in our open call during August-October 2021.

First ELLIS Institute in Tübingen gets go-ahead

Minister-President Kretschmann and Hans-Werner Hector sign funding agreement

With the ceremonial signing of a funding agreement in Stuttgart’s Neues Schloss on Thursday, Baden-Württemberg’s Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann, Dr. h. c. Hans-Werner Hector, Prof. Bernhard Schölkopf and Prof. Bernd Engler, President of the University of Tübingen, gave the official go-ahead for the establishment of Europe’s first ELLIS Institute at the Cyber Valley Campus in Tübingen. Image (from left to right): Bernd Engler, Hans-Werner Hector, Theresia Bauer, Bernhard Schölkopf and Winfried Kretschmann. Credit: Jan Potente

One step closer to lifelike avatars

Work of CLS doctoral fellow Xu Chen featured

Soon, internet users will be able to meet each other in cyberspace as animated 3D avatars. Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed new algorithms for creating virtual humans much more easily. (Graphic: Xu Chen/ETH Zürich).

Prof. Daniel Razansky named IEEE Fellow

Daniel Razansky, Professor of Biomedical Imaging at the Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBT) has been named IEEE Fellow for contributions to multispectral optoacoustic tomography. The IEEE Fellow is one of the most prestigious honors of the IEEE, and is bestowed upon a very limited number of Senior Members who have contributed importantly to the advancement of engineering, science and technology bringing significant value to our society.

Julia Vogt wins ERC Starting Grant

Computer scientist and ETH professor Julia Vogt is exploring machine learning at the interface of its theoretical foundations and its applications in medicine. In her project, she will develop new machine learning methods and applications that are highly trusted by physicians and are therefore used more frequently than current systems. Julia is one of of 11 ETH researchers who were successful in the last application process for a sought-​after ERC Starting Grant. Due to Switzerland’s non-​association, however, the researchers will not receive these grants. The funds will now be provided by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

State government paves the way for Cyber Valley Campus

Up to 180 million euros to be invested in Tübingen location

The state government of Baden-Württemberg has cleared the way for the development of the Cyber Valley Campus in Tübingen. A joint concept of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Science was approved for the site. According to this concept, the innovation campus, which has grown enormously in its first five years of existence, will be expanded by several buildings, for which up to 180 million euros will be invested over the next few years.

Markus Gross appointed member of the National Academy of Science and Engineering

Professor Markus Gross, head of the Computer Graphics Laboratory at ETH Zurich and Vice President of Research for The Walt Disney Studios, has been appointed a member of acatech.

Stelian Coros appointed Associate Professor

Professor Stelian Coros, currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, is appointed Associate Professor of Computational Robotics in the Department of Computer Science.

ETH Medal for Francesco Locatello

Outstanding Master’s and doctoral theses are honoured with the Silver Medal of ETH Zurich and a financial sum. Former CLS doctoral fellow Francesco Locatello is one of three doctoral students from the Department of Computer Science to win the ETH Medal in 2021 for an outstanding doctoral thesis. His thesis on "Enforcing and Discovering Structure in Machine Learning" was produced under the supervision of Profs. Gunnar Rätsch and Bernhard Schölkopf. Congratulations, Francesco!

Inaugural Lectures at ETH Zurich from CLS members

During November 2021, recently appointed Assistant Professors at the Department of Computer Science, ETH Zurich are holding their inaugural lectures. These include CLS members Valentina Boeva, Christian Holz, Siyu Tang, Julia Vogt and Fanny Yang.

Otmar Hilliges receives two lasting impact awards

Professor Otmar Hilliges and his collaborators have received lasting impact honours for two papers published ten years ago at the conferences IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR) and ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) respectively.

Talent and team spirit at the heart of artificial intelligence

Collaboration between talented members of multidisciplinary teams provides the best foundation for innovative, useful and trustworthy applications of artificial intelligence. This approach has been demonstrated at a joint event by ETH Entrepreneur Club and the ETH AI Center. (Photo: ETH AI Center)

Inaugural lecture from ETH Affiliate Professor Bernhard Schölkopf

On October 18, ETH Zurich affiliated professor Bernard Schölkopf held his inaugural lecture on the topic "Symbolic, Statistical, and Causal Learning".

House of Switzerland: Hakan Ceylan joins as speaker

During July – October 2021, the Pop-up House of Switzerland in central Stuttgart has invited the general public to a program of workshops, talks and exhibitions on the topics of sustainability and innovation. On September 8, Dr. Hakan Ceylan contributed as a speaker on the topic “Rethinking Living: It’s a Small World After All”.

Moritz Hardt appointed a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems

Social perspective on computer science at the center of research

AI in art and science communications

CLS and Cyber Valley members at Silbersalz 21

Image credit: The installation ‘Augenblick’ combined performance formats with AI visuals © Philip Lamss

Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems celebrates double anniversary

Prominent guests look back on 10 and 100 years of scientific excellence in Stuttgart's Neues Schloss

Amir-Hossein Karimi receives a Google PhD Fellowship

Each year, a select group recognized by Google researchers and their institutions as some of the most promising young academics in the world become recipients of Google PhD Fellowships. These Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD, as well as connect them to a Google Research Mentor. Amir-Hossein Karimi, of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and CLS, is a 2021 recipient of a Google PhD Fellowship in Machine Learning.

Leading ETH Zurich Scientists appointed Max Planck Fellows at MPI-IS

Affiliation of four professors from the renowned university boosts Swiss-German partnership in learning systems research

Under the umbrella of their successful research partnership, the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems, two world class research institutions in the field of intelligent systems have further intensified their strategic connection with the appointment of four outstanding researchers from ETH Zurich as Max Planck Fellows. The new Fellows share research goals strongly aligned with those of MPI-IS, and will contribute expertise complementary to that found already at the German institute.

Carl Schneider Stiftung supports acquisition of state-of-the art equipment for novel robotics research

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the foundation, another 135,000 euros were granted to MPI-IS to support the acquisition of a novel mechanical analysis device.

Bernhard Schölkopf receives Frontiers of Knowledge Award

At an award ceremony in Bilbao, the BBVA Foundation recognizes Schölkopf for his work that has advanced the field of artificial intelligence by teaching machines the human skill of classifying data.

Communicating AI to the general public

AI Media Lab fellows, including Alexis E. Block and Sergey Prokudin from CLS, present new ideas at Silbersalz Festival.

Learning for better decision-making in machines

In an international collaboration including the group of ETH Professor Melanie Zeilinger from the Institute of Dynamic Systems and Control, the ELO-​X project has launched.

CLS doctoral fellowships 2022: Call for applications

Apply by November 1, 2021, to join the CLS PhD Program in 2022.

Caterina De Bacco awarded prestigious early-career prize by the European Physical Society

The European Physical Society’s 2021 EPS-SNDP Prize for early career scientists in the statistical and nonlinear physics category has been awarded to Caterina De Bacco, leader of the Cyber Valley Physics for Inference and Optimization research group at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen.

Spotlight on KI-Expert Olga Fink

How is artificial intelligence changing industry and production? Today and in the future? These are the questions addressed in the current edition of the AI+X event series, organized by the ETH AI Center and the Strategic Foresight Hub in the Office of the President. To kick off the three-​part series, the Spotlight video featuring AI expert Olga Fink has now been released. The Professor of Intelligent Maintenance Systems uses Deep Learning and algorithms for the improvement of industrial assets.

Thank You Andreas Geiger

Former Steering Board member leaves CLS

Prof. Dr. Andreas Geiger, head of the Autonomous Vision Group (AVG) is stepping down from active membership of CLS, having completed the relocation of his group from the MPI for Intelligent Systems to the University of Tübingen. Since 2018 he has been a full professor of computer science at the University of Tübingen, where he is also deputy head of the department of computer science and a PI in the cluster of excellence 'ML in Science' and the CRC 'Robust Vision'.

Three new CLS-ETH faculty

Olga Fink, Christian Holz and Mrinmaya Sachan join

Three ETH Professors recently joined the CLS faculty: Prof. Dr. Olga Fink from the Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, as well as Prof. Dr. Christian Holz and Prof. Dr. Mrinmaya Sachan, both from the Dept. of Computer Science.

Marloes Maathuis: Ethel Newbold Prize

The 2021 Ethel Newbold Prize was awarded to Marloes Maathuis at the ISI World Statistics Congress in The Hague. Congratulations!

Sara van de Geer: Tukey Lecture

We are very pleased to announce that Sara van de Geer will deliver the Tukey Lecture at the Bernoulli-​IMS 10th World Congress in Probability and Statistics.

CLS2021 Summer Fellows Retreat attracts more than 50 participants

One-day fully virtual event hosted by the CLS doctoral fellows

Marloes Maathuis: Elected ISI Member

Professor Marloes Maathuis has become an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute (ISI).

Trustworthy AI

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are key technologies for science, business, and society – but how transparent are their decisions? Andreas Krause, the 2021 recipient of the Rössler Prize and Chair of the ETH AI Center, shares his thoughts on the opportunities and challenges with trustworthy artificial intelligence.

Robots for comfort and counsel

From robots that offer solace to algorithms that help judges make fact-​based decisions, robotics and machine learning are entering new domains that were once the preserve of humans.

Gary Bécigneul awarded the Max Planck Society’s “Youngest Ph.D.” award

Gary Bécigneul completed his doctoral studies at the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems in July 2020, and has since continued to build the start-up he founded after completing his doctoral studies.

Cyber Valley’s computer vision research community shines at leading global conference

27 papers accepted and four best paper nominations at CVPR 2021

Peter Bühlmann plenary speaker at the 8th European Congress of Mathematics

In his plenary talk "Statistical Learning: Causal-​oriented and Robust", Peter Bühlmann will talk about reliable, robust and interpretable machine learning, a big emerging theme in data science and artificial intelligence.

Eight new CLS doctoral fellows

Welcome to the CLS class of 2021!

Markus Gross receives 2021 Steven Anson Coons Award

Professor Markus Gross, head of the Computer Graphics Laboratory at ETH Zurich and Vice President of Research for The Walt Disney Studios, has received the prestigious Steven Anson Coons Award for Outstanding Creative Contributions to Computer Graphics.

The Rössler Prize 2021 goes to Andreas Krause

For his groundbreaking achievements, Andreas Krause was awarded this year’s Rössler Prize, ETH Zurich’s most highly endowed research prize. The tribute took place at the ETH Foundation’s Thanks Giving event. “Andreas Krause is an excellent researcher, a committed lecturer and as a young scientist has already earned several merits in one of the most formative technologies of the 21st century,” said ETH President Joël Mesot in his laudatory speech.

ETH Zurich: Top 10 in the world for 8 years

QS ranks ETH Zurich the 8th best university in the world for 2022. Even with a slight drop, it remains continental Europe’s best university for a fourteenth consecutive year. (Image: Gian Marco Castelberg / ETH Zurich).

Alexis E. Block writes as ETH Ambassador

CLS doctoral fellow Alexis E. Block writes for the "Stories from around the Globe" blog of the ETH Ambassadors. Her topic: The Next Best Thing to a Real Hug During a Pandemic.

Michael J. Black is elected member of Leopoldina

Germany’s National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina announced on Friday that it has elected Michael J Black, founding director at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen, Honorarprofessor at the University of Tübingen, and Cyber Valley speaker, as a member.

40 Years D-INFK

It was exactly 40 years ago, in 1981, when ETH Zurich introduced its own computer science curriculum and laid the foundation for the Department of Computer Science. Like the science it is dedicated to, the department has grown and developed in the last forty years.

A deep dive into the brain

Researchers led by Daniel Razansky, Professor of Biomedical Imaging at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, have developed a fluorescence microscopy technique that facilitates high-​resolution images of microcirculation without the need to open the skull or scalp. The technique has been named “diffuse optical localization imaging”, or DOLI in short. (Image: ETH Zurich, University of Zurich / Daniel Razansky).

New Centre for Augmented Computational Design

Stelian Coros, Marc Pollefeys, and Siyu Tang will contribute to the opening event.

ETH Zurich is launching a new Centre for Augmented Computational Design in Architecture, Engineering and Construction, known as Design++. 22 professorships from multiple departments are joining forces to develop digitally augmented design tools with a view to improving the efficiency and sustainability of construction. Three professors from the Department of Computer Science, Stelian Coros, Marc Pollefeys, and Siyu Tang, are among the leading forces of the research network of Design++ and contributed to the inauguration with their inputs and perspectives. (Image: ETH Zurich).

Samira Samadi: “People want to be able to trust the machine”

Samira Samadi leads the “Human Aspects of ML” research group

In September 2020, Samadi joined the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) and the Tübingen AI Center as leader of the “Human Aspects of ML” research group. The group focuses primarily on two topics. The first relates to ethics and fairness in machine learning, with a particular emphasis on exploring ways to prevent bias and discrimination in decision-making. The second explores ways of building teams between machine learning and humans in order to make better joint decisions. Samira Samadi joined CLS as an associate member in October 2020. Photo credit: Samira Samadi © private.

Extension of Branco Weiss Fellowship for Michael Mühlebach

Fellowship is extended until the end of 2023.

The Branco Weiss Fellowship – Society in Science is a community of exceptional young scientists who share a passion for taking research beyond the mainstream.

Justus Thies joins CLS

Making the virtual world even more realistic.

Capturing the real world, synthesizing, and realistically modeling people, objects, and rooms so that a viewer no longer notices the difference – Justus Thies has set himself ambitious goals for the coming five years. His research has already made a significant contribution to making video content more photorealistic. This comes with a huge responsibility. As facial reenactment is continuously improved, it is increasingly difficult to detect deep fakes, for instance. By gaining knowledge about the creation process, Thies aims to put a strong emphasis on designing more advanced forgery detection algorithms that can recognize and flag fake video content automatically and reliably.

Michael Mühlebach joins CLS

“We’d like to make complex dynamical systems better able to adapt to changing conditions”.

Michael Mühlebach developed an interest in machine learning early on in his career. Over the course of his PhD, he designed learning and control algorithms for a balancing robot and a flying machine. While such research projects were based on hand-crafted solutions for the reliable operation of small-scale systems in a confined environment, Mühlebach is now looking to expand his research to the next frontier: as leader of the independent Learning and Dynamical Systems research group at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Tübingen, Mühlebach plans to focus his attention on large-scale dynamical systems that interact with complex environments. He joined MPI-IS on February 1, 2021. Mühlebach’s research is supported by the prestigious Branco Weiss and Emmy Noether Fellowships.

Metin Sitti and his team finalists for the 2020 Cozzarelli Prize

The highly prestigious annual Cozzarelli Prize recognizes outstanding contributions to the scientific disciplines represented by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Winners and finalists are chosen among articles that appeared in the journal last year in the six broadly defined classes under which the NAS is organized. Additionally, the Editorial Board has recognized six papers – one in each class – as finalists for the 2020 Cozzarelli Prize. Stuttgart – Metin Sitti, the Director of the Physical Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, and his colleagues Hamed Shahsavan, Amirreza Aghakhani, Hao Zeng, Yubing Guo, Zoey S. Davidson, and Arri Priimagi were finalists for the prestigious 2020 Cozzarelli Prize. Their Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) article “Bioinspired underwater locomotion of light-driven liquid crystal gels”, presented in this press article dubbed “Underwater Snail-o-Bot gets kick from light” came in second in the Class III Engineering and Applied Sciences category.

ETH Zurich: Top rankings in 15 disciplines

In the latest QS rankings by subject, ETH Zurich was among the top ten in 15 different disciplines. These include Computer Science & Information Systems; Electrical & Electronic Engineering; Mathematics; and Physics & Astronomy. Photo credit: ETH Zürich / Gian Marco Castelberg.

Cyber Valley: “The place to be”

According to the state of Baden-Württemberg’s recent statistics, there are already more than 180 professorships for artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics at the state’s universities. This puts Baden-Württemberg ahead of all other German states, according to a government press release. Photo credit: © Jens Hilberger/Adobe Stock Images.

TechXplore: HuggieBot 2.0

HuggieBot 2.0: A soft and human-size robot that hugs users on request. Photo credit: Block et al.

CLS2021 Selection Symposium

The CLS2021 Selection Symposium took place on Monday, 25 January and Tuesday, 26 January, 2021. Thirty candidates for the doctoral training program of the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems (CLS) presented scientific talks and met with members of the CLS community in a completely online event.

Spin-off receives USD 2.8 million for trustworthy AI

The ETH researchers behind LatticeFlow are aiming to facilitate a new generation of trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI). Professor Andreas Krause is part of the team.

Professor Olga Sorkine-Hornung named ACM Fellow

D-INFK Professor Olga Sorkine-Hornung has been named an ACM Fellow for her contributions to digital geometry processing, computer animation, computer graphics and visual computing.

Research team receives 1.5 million euros to develop algorithms that learn with child-like curiosity

The grant is part of a Volkswagen Foundation funding program that aims at establishing an interdisciplinary network of experts in the field of self-learning AI. Georg Martius, leader of the independent Autonomous Learning research group at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, is part of the team.

Marloes Maathuis: Breiman Lecture at NeurIPS 2020

A real “gamechanger” for AI in the next decade

The German Federal government and the State of Baden-Württemberg have announced plans to significantly increase their support for Tübingen as a location for excellence in AI research and innovation. In the years to come, several hundred million euros will be earmarked for research and development in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) – including 100 million euros from the Hector Stiftung, a foundation founded and run by SAP co-founder Hans-Werner Hector. Among other things, the money will support “Hector Endowed ELLIS Fellowships” for outstanding researchers in machine learning and related fields. “The German government will continue to support AI research as well as the transfer to application intensively,” said Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday at a virtual event that marked the launch of the AI Breakthrough Hub.

ERC Consolidator Grant for Olga Sorkine-Hornung

One might think that fashion and computer science have nothing in common. Olga Sorkine-Hornung and her team at the Interactive Geometry Lab (Institute of Visual Computing) prove the opposite. One of their research missions is to find out how tailor-made, fashionable garments can be designed on a computer in a way that they precisely fit individual body measurements. Sorkine-Hornung's ERC project is aimed at the development of novel mathematical models for garments and next-gen computer-aided design tools for professionals in the textile and garment industry.

Grand Hamdan Award for Brad Nelson

Brad Nelson, ETH Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT), receives the Grand Hamdan International Award for his research on nanorobots for healthcare.

Welcome, Professor Niao He

Niao He joined the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Data Science. Get to know her in a short interview.

Representatives of the Swiss border cantons visit Cyber Valley

As part of a virtual government meeting with the state of Baden-Württemberg on November 20, the seven Swiss border cantons of Aargau, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Schaffhausen, St. Gallen, Thurgau and Zurich visited Cyber Valley.

Metin Sitti receives the «Breakthrough of the Year» Award

Alexis E. Block and HuggieBot in the News

Alexis's PhD research work developing HuggieBot is featured in an article in The New York Times: "When We Can Hug Again, Will We Remember How It Works? How to navigate when you should and shouldn’t hug someone — and how not to hold on too long". It will be in print in the science section of the paper today.

Inauguration of the ETH AI Center

The newly founded ETH AI Center virtually opens its doors on October 20. You are invited to join the official inauguration from 16:00 - 18:00 to celebrate the ETH AI Center (registration required). Image: ETH Zurich.

Data Science and Machine Learning at D-BAUG

Three weeks to go: PhD application to join in 2021

The online application phase to join the CLS doctoral training program in 2021 is running. Applications must be complete by November 2, 2020.

Bernhard Schölkopf gewinnt den Deutschen KI-Innovationspreis

WELT zeichnet Top-Leistungen bei Künstlicher Intelligenz aus

Der Spitzenforscher fördert und betreibt seit Jahren anwendungsnahe Spitzenforschung im Bereich der Künstlichen Intelligenz. Er ist einer der international angesehensten KI-Forscher und eine der prägendsten Persönlichkeiten der globalen Machine Learning Szene.

Axel Springer Welt KI-Preis Innovation Bernhard Schölkopf Berlin Machine Learning KI AI Maschinelles Lernen

Machine Learning in Medicine: ETH-Podcast with Julia Vogt and Fanny Yang

In the ETH-Podcast the two computer scientists Julia Vogt and Fanny Yang talk about what drew them to their field and why machines will never replace human beings in the medical field.

CLS Alumnus Felix Berkenkamp receives ELLIS Ph.D. Award 2020

The annual ELLIS Ph.D. Awards are sponsored by the Kühborth Stiftung GmbH and have been established to recognize and encourage outstanding research achievements during the dissertation phase of outstanding students working in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning including related fields such as computer vision and robotics. From a set of very strong nominations, an international committee of renowned experts chose the following scholars as ELLIS Ph.D. Award winners: Felix Berkenkamp (Bosch Center for Artificial Intelligence, Germany) and Gül Varol (INRIA & Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris, France). Felix Berkenkamp carried out his PhD at the Learning & Adaptive Systems Group at ETH Zurich, advised by CLS member Andreas Krause, and is a former CLS associate doctoral fellow.

Gary Bécigneul from Hofmann group defends

First Full CLS Doctoral Fellow completes program

New associate member Daniel Razansky

Daniel Razansky is a Full Professor for Biomedical Imaging in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at ETH Zurich. He leads the Functional and Molecular Imaging research group at the Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBT). Welcome!

New associate member Robert Katzschmann

Robert Katzschmann is an Assistant Professor of Robotics in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich, where he leads the Soft Robotics Lab. Welcome!

Everything AI? CLS is part of ETH Zurich's efforts to expand its status in this field.

Christoph Keplinger, new Director for Robotic Materials at MPI-IS, joins CLS

The Max Planck Society has appointed Christoph Keplinger as a director at the Stuttgart location of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS). He will lead the newly established “Robotic Materials” department to pursue research on soft robotics, functional polymers and energy capture – three interrelated areas that are critical to robotic materials, a new class of material systems that tightly integrate actuation, sensing and even computation to provide physical building blocks for the intelligent systems of the future. We are pleased to welcome Christoph Keplinger as a member of CLS faculty.

New associate member Stelian Coros

Stelian Coros is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, where he leads the Computational Robotics Lab (CRL). Welcome!

Virtual visit of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann

Stefan Bauer elected CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar

The research group leader at the MPI-IS is one of thirteen early-career researchers that have been elected. He will join the “Learning in Machines & Brains“ CIFAR research program.

CLS Senior Fellow Peter Dayan

Prof. Dr. Peter Dayan, Director of the Department for Computational Neuroscience at the MPI for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, has joined our Center as a CLS Senior Fellow. Peter Dayan has long worked at the interface between natural and engineered systems for learning and choice, and is also regarded as a pioneer in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

Open now: PhD application to join in 2021

Our recruitment round for CLS doctoral fellows wishing to join in 2021 has opened. Apply online by November 2, 2020.

Bernt Schiele joins as CLS Senior Fellow

We welcome Prof. Dr. Bernt Schiele, Director of the Computer Vision and Machine Learning Department at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics in Saarbrücken, who joins our Center as a CLS Senior Fellow. His research currently focuses on two main areas: computer vision and multimodal sensor processing.

New CLS faculty members at ETH Zurich

Five researchers from four different departments at ETH Zurich join our body of CLS faculty members: Afonso Bandeira (D-MATH), Caroline Uhler (D-BSSE), Klaas Prüssmann and Fisher Yu (both D-ITET), and David Steurer (D-INFK). Welcome!

Prof. Florian Dörfler receives prestigious awards

Florian Dörfler, Professor at the Automatic Control Laboratory (IFA), has received the IFAC Manfred Thoma Medal and the EUCA European Control Award. Both prizes are awarded to scientists under 40.

Sebastian Trimpe appointed full professor at RWTH Aachen University

The Cyber Valley research group leader has taken on the “Data Science in Mechanical Engineering” chair

Prof. Andreas Krause receives ICML Test of Time Award

The International Conference on Machine Learning award committee has recognized Prof. Andreas Krause and his collaborators with a Test of Time Award for the paper "Gaussian Process Optimization in the Bandit Setting: No Regret and Experimental Design".

Hollywood honours Markus Gross

Markus Gross, Professor of Computer Graphics at ETH Zurich, has accepted to join the Academy as a “Member-at-Large”. The invitation recognizes Markus Gross’s leadership of DisneyResearch|Studios, the most impactful research organization in the film business. It is also based on his scientific and technical contributions that led to leading creative tools for the crafts involved in the creation of the theatrical motion picture experience. Photo credit: DisneyResearch|Studios Zurich.

Julian Nubert receives Willi Studer Prize

Julian Nubert will receive two honours for his outstanding performance in the Master’s degree programme in Robotics, Systems and Control at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT), ETH Zurich.

Machine learning summer school (MLSS) 2020 in Tuebingen opens

Machine learning summer schools present topics which are at the core of modern Machine Learning, from fundamentals to state-of-the-art practice. MLSS 2020 will be a virtual event between 28 June to 10 July 2020. Most lectures will be live-streamed on YouTube, depending on the speaker's agreement.

New Ph.D. representives

The CLS doctoral training program has new student representatives. Taking on this role as of July 1st, 2020 are Olga Mineeva, Kamil Adamczewski and Cathrin Elich.

Nucleus of artificial intelligence in Europe

The Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems has established itself as an address for AI research and the promotion of young scientists. "We answer pressing questions that arise today," says its co-director Thomas Hofmann.

New video-based approach to 3D motion capture makes virtual avatars more realistic than ever

With Video Inference for Body Pose and Shape Estimation (VIBE), scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have developed a neural network that makes video-based 3D motion capture more accurate, faster, and less expensive. CLS doctoral fellow Muhammed Kocabas is one of the authors.

Michael J. Black awarded “test of time” prize at CVPR 2020

Michael J. Black has been awarded the 2020 Longuet-Higgins Prize at the IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR). The prize is awarded annually by the IEEE Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (PAMI) Technical Committee for “Contributions in Computer Vision that Have Withstood the Test of Time.” It recognizes CVPR papers from ten years ago that have made a significant impact on computer vision research.

ETH Zurich remains the top-ranked university in continental Europe

ETH Zurich held its sixth place in the new QS World University Ranking. According to QS, it remains the top-ranked university in continental Europe, confirming its position among the leading universities worldwide.

Prof. Joachim Buhmann shares SACMAT Test of Time Award

Professors David Basin and Joachim Buhmann as well as former doctoral student Mario Frank have received the Symposium on Access Control Models and Technologies (SACMAT) Test of Time Award.

Metin Sitti appointed Affiliated Professor of Physical Intelligence at ETH Zurich

Metin Sitti, Director at the MPI-IS and deputy Co-Director in CLS, has been newly appointed as Affiliated Professor of Physical Intelligence in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, starting on June 1st, 2020. According to ETH “the appointment of Metin Sitti is of strategic significance because of ETH Zurich’s commitment to medical and health technology and its investment in the most up-to-date imaging procedures”.

Research beacons MPI-IS and ETH Zurich strengthen cooperation

Extended funding for joint AI and robotics research center

Both world class research institutions in the field of intelligent systems have agreed to continue their research partnership, the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems, for a further five years. Meanwhile, senior scientists from the MPI-IS have been appointed as Affiliated Professors at ETH, intensifying the academic exchange.

Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems CLS Bernhard Schölkopf Metin sitti

ELLIS against Covid-19

The world is facing a public health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. We all need to take this on, and science can make a major contribution. This online workshop hosted by the ELLIS Society presents projects on how to tackle Covid-19 using methods of machine learning and AI, carried out by leading international researchers. Research topics include outbreak prediction, epidemiological modelling, drug development, viral and host genome sequencing, and health care management.

Seeing each other in times of Covid

Markus Gross is convinced that there are better technologies available than today's video conference systems. The key technology is developing at a rapid pace – but not fast enough.

How robots can help fight pandemics

Robots allow people to interact with each other without physical contact. This means they can protect us from infectious diseases, which has been given too little consideration in robotics, says Brad Nelson.

Marloes Maathuis: Van Dantzig Award

We are very pleased to announce that Professor Marloes Maathuis has been awarded the 2020 Van Dantzig Award. This prize is considered the highest Dutch award in statistics and operations research and is awarded once every five years.

International Women's Day - interview with Prof. Julia Vogt

In light of International Women's Day 2020, ETH Zurich puts successful women centre stage. Read about Prof. Julia Vogt, tenure track assistant professor of medical data science, in this article.

Bernhard Schölkopf receives Frontiers of Knowledge Award

The BBVA Foundation recognizes Schölkopf for his work that has advanced the field of artificial intelligence by teaching machines the human skill of classifying data

BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards Machine Learning Causality Bernhard Schölkopf

Prof. Benjamin Grewe selected as Leshner Fellow

Prof. Benjaman Grewe of the Institute of Neuroinformatics has been selected as Leshner Fellow in the area of artificial intelligence by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Bernhard Schölkopf honoured as one of the leading minds in German AI research

The Director of the Empirical Inference Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, one of the world's leading researchers in the field of machine learning, has been honored in Berlin as one of the top ten influential minds in the history of German AI.

Bernhard Schölkopf Inferenz Kausalität Deep Learning Machine Learning

Peer Fischer appointed Visiting Professor

Peer Fischer has been appointed visiting Professor at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), South Korea.

Professor Siyu Tang joins the Department of Computer Science of ETH Zurich

Siyu Tang officially joined the Department of Computer Science of ETH Zurich in January 2020 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Vision. Get to know her in this short interview.

Welcome, Professor Fanny Yang

Fanny Yang officially joined the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich in January 2020 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science. Get to know her in this short interview.

"Our goal is to develop safe autonomous cars"

In our interview, Prof. Luc Van Gool, head of the Computer Vision Lab (CVL), explains how it has become much easier for a machine to recognize the content of an image in the last decade and how autonomous driving might be pushed forward over the next years.

17 ELLIS units across 10 European countries and Israel established

Grassroots initiative assembling top European talent in machine learning mobilizes more than 200 Mio in funding across Europe for the next 5 years

ELLIS AI cyber valley KI Baden-Württemberg Tübingen

Peer Fischer delivers Distinguished Lecture at CeNSE

Peer delivers the CMTI lecture as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series of the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), at the Indian Institute of Science.

Andreas Geiger selected as Top 40 under 40

Andreas Geiger has been selected as top 40 under 40 by the capital magazine. The prices are given to the most important talents from economy, politics, science und society that influence the country and have been awarded at the Google headquarters in Berlin.

CLS now recruiting 2020 Ph.D. Fellows

Prof. Markus Gross inducted into the IEEE Visualization Academy

Prof. Markus Gross is among the thirty-two computer visualisation leaders who have been inducted into the IEEE Visualization Academy. The Academy recognises individuals who have made substantial contributions to the field of visualisation.

New Microsoft research laboratory collaborates with ETH Zurich

These days, Microsoft officially opens a lab in Zurich dedicated to researching mixed reality technologies and artificial intelligence. The software company is working closely with ETH Zurich. ETH News spoke with the director of the new research and development lab, ETH Professor Marc Pollefeys (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Giulia Marthaler).

Prof. Andreas Krause amongst the Digital Shapers 2019

How can machines learn within complex settings? This is one of the key question of Prof. Andreas Krause's research. The computer science professor leads the Learning & Adaptive Systems Group at ETH. He also serves as Academic Co-Director of the Swiss Data Science Center. Together with his colleagues, he tries to shape algorithms in a way that self-learning systems function reliably in an unstructured environment.

Andreas Geiger receives a Starting Grant of the European Research Council (ERC)

The MPI-IS group leader and professor at the University of Tübingen will receive a grant of some 1.47 million euros for his "LEGO 3D" project. Photo credit: Annette Cardinale

Klaas Enno Stephan: "The human being is always at the centre of our research"

Portrait interview with Klaas Enno Stephan, Deputy Head of Department at D-ITET and Professor at the Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBT) of ETH and the University of Zurich. He talks about his cooperative working environment, explains how mathematical models might help to find the right therapies for psychiatric diseases and how his research contributes to building bridges between medicine and engineering.

Cathrin Elich receives DAGM Best Master Thesis Award

Cathrin Elich received this year's DAGM Best Master thesis award at the GCPR 2019 conference for her thesis "3D Birds-Eye-View Instance Segmentation" which she wrote at RWTH Aachen University. Cathrin joined CLS as a PhD Fellow in April 2019 under the supervision of Dr. Joerg Stueckler (Embodied Vision Group, MPI-IS) and co-supervised by Marc Pollefeys (Computer Vision and Geometry lab - ETH Zurich).

ERC Starting Grant for Marco Hutter

Marco Hutter, Professor at the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems specialises in developing quadrupedal robots, some of which can operate autonomously. In his ERC project, he aims to apply new machine learning methods to enhance the robots’ mobility and prepare them for autonomous locomotion in extremely difficult terrain. In the future, these robots could take over dirty and dangerous tasks for humans, for example in disaster areas, sewers and mines, or on offshore platforms.

Quiz: Artificial intelligence at ETH

Artificial intelligence will continue to have an ever greater impact on our lives in the years to come. We show in our quiz what AI can already do right now on the occasion of the national Digital Day.

Prof. Andreas Krause wins ACM SIGKDD Test of Time award

Prof. Andreas Krause and five further authors were honoured with lifetime achievement in their approach to outbreak detection, featured in their research paper "Cost-Effective Outbreak Detection in Networks".

Isabel Valera appointed Group Leader of the new independent Probabilistic Learning Group

The award-winning scientist specializes in research aiming to make machine learning methods more flexible, robust, and fair. Photo credit: Alejandro Posada

Prof. Markus Gross selected as member of the ACM SIGGRAPH Academy

The ACM SIGGRAPH Academy honours Prof. Markus Gross with a membership for his contributions in computer graphics and interactive techniques.

Siyu Tang appointed Tenure-track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich

Siyu Tang will join ETH Zurich as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor for Computer Vision as of January 2020. “This appointment is very important to me,” says Tang, “ETH Zurich is an amazing place to be and the professors in the Computer Science department are widely recognized as leaders in their fields. I’m very excited to join the faculty and I’m very much looking forward to working closely with them.” Tang currently leads the Holistic Vision Group in the Perceiving Systems Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Tübingen, where she researches at the interface between numerical optimization and machine learning. She develops computer-aided processes for the perception and digitization of people and their activities in complex and natural environments.

Katherine J. Kuchenbecker appointed Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems

The Director of the Haptic Intelligence Department is the first female Managing Director in the institute’s history.

Welcome, Professor Valentina Boeva!

Professor Valentina Boeva officially joined the Department of Computer Science of ETH Zurich in early June 2019 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics. Get to know her in this short interview.

Körber Prize 2019 goes to Bernhard Schölkopf

The Körber Foundation honors the MPI-IS Director and Cyber Valley Scientist for his ground-breaking research in mathematical methods that have made a significant contribution to helping artificial intelligence reach its most recent heights.

Welcome, Professor Julia Vogt!

Professor Julia Vogt officially joined the Department of Computer Science of ETH Zurich at the beginning of May 2019 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Medical Data Science. Get to know her in this short interview.

CLS researchers among the winning team at world's leading AI conference

Researchers from the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems and Google Research Zurich received the Best Paper Award at the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML).

Francesco Locatello recieves Google PhD Fellowship

Google presents these awards to exemplary PhD students in computer science and related disciplines. With these unique fellowships Google acknowledges contributions of the receiving students to their areas of specialty and provides funding for their education and research.

2019 RAS Award Recipients Announced!

The IEEE Robotics & Automation Society recognizes and congratulates the following individuals for their outstanding accomplishments and service to RAS and the robotics and automation community. They will be honored during an award luncheon to be held during the IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation (ICRA 2019) on 22 May 2019 at the Montreal Convention Centre, Montreal, Canada. Please join us in congratulating these outstanding recipients!

Leading researcher in small-scale robotics receives ERC Advanced Grant

The European Research Council is awarding a 2.5 million Euros research grant to Dr. Metin Sitti, who is a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. Sitti is the head of the Physical Intelligence Department and one of the world's leading researchers in the field of small-scale and soft robotics and its use in medical applications. The funding will go toward ground-breaking basic research in soft-bodied miniature mobile robots. These tiny machines could one day have a radical impact on non-invasive medical interventions and diagnostics.

Awards for robotics experts

Roland Siegwart, Bradley Nelson and Marco Hutter, professors at the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, are honored by the Robotics and Automation Society.

ETH Zurich promotes data science research

Intelligent data science approaches are changing science, the economy and society. In a new interdisciplinary initiative, ETH researchers from the fields of mathematics, computer science and information technology are therefore increasingly dedicating themselves to the foundations of data science. Peter Bühlmann (in the middle between Alessio Figalli and Cédric Villani) heads the initiative “Foundations of Data Science”. (Photo: PPR / Christian Merz)

Peter Bühlmann: Challis Lectures

We are delighted to announce that Professor Peter Bühlmann will deliver the 2019 Challis Lectures organized by the Statistics division of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at University of Florida.

Wissenschaftspreis der Hector Stiftung geht an Prof. Dr. Bernhard Schölkopf

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Schölkopf erhält in diesem Jahr den mit 150.000 Euro dotierten Wissenschaftspreis der Hector Stiftung. Die Jury würdigt damit seine herausragenden Leistungen in der Grundlagenforschung zum maschinellen Lernen und der Künstlichen Intelligenz, die als Schlüsseltechnologien der digitalen Revolution gelten.

“We have succeeded in sharing genetic data across national borders”

ETH Professor Gunnar Rätsch played a major part in creating the biggest public database for anonymised information on two important breast cancer genes. The database helps to improve the treatment of patients. ETH News spoke with him about the background, his motivation and the challenges such a project presents. (Photograph: MSKCC)

Bernhard Schölkopf appointed Affiliated Professor of Empirical Inference at ETH Zurich

Bernhard Schölkopf, Director at the MPI-IS and Co-Director of the Center for Learning Systems, has been appointed as Affiliated Professor of Empirical Inference in the Department of Computer Science, starting on January 1st, 2019. Image credit: Herlinde Koelbl

Bernhard Schölkopf erhält Landesforschungspreis 2018

Der Direktor der Abteilung für Empirische Inferenz am Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme in Tübingen erhält den diesjährigen Landesforschungspreis Baden-Württemberg. Die Auszeichnung ist mit 100.000 Euro dotiert. Theresia Bauer, Ministerin für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst, hat den Experten für Maschinelles Lernen im Rahmen eines Festakts in der Staatsgalerie Stuttgart geehrt. Bild: Bernhard Schölkopf und Baden-Württembergs Wissenschaftsministerin Theresia Bauer. Copyright: MWK BW / Jan Potente.

European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) Launches

Top European Machine Learning Scientists Join Forces to Establish European Excellence Network for Public Artificial Intelligence Research

University of Basel awards honorary doctorate to Prof. Robert Riener

At its Dies Academicus on 30 November 2018, the University of Basel awarded Prof. Robert Riener with the title Honorary Doctorate in the faculty of medicine.

Michael Black receives UBC Computer Science Department Alumni Research Award 2018

Michael Black was awarded the University of British Columbia, Computer Science Department, Alumni Research Award 2018.

Metin Sitti receives Rahmi Koç Medal of Science

Award recognizes most promising researchers of Turkish origin

ERC Consolidator Grants for Andreas Krause and Mehmet Fatih Yanik

ERC Consolidator Grants awarded to CLS faculty members Andreas Krause (Professor of Computer Science at ETH Zurich) and Mehmet Fatih Yanik (Professor for Neurotechnology at the The Institute of Neuroinformatics, UZH / ETH Zurich).

Student Representatives

The CLS community has elected our new student representatives for the period October 17th - January 17th, 2019. Our student representatives are the point of contact for the collection of matters that are of daily concern to the PhD students. All student representatives meet each other and the coordinator regularly.

Symposium Artificial Intelligence and Society

In honour of the 70th anniversary of the Max Planck Society, the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize award to Max Planck and Max Planck’s 160th birthday, the Max Planck Society will hold a Germany-wide Max Planck Day on September 14, 2018.

Andreas Geiger receives the Young Researcher Award of the IEEE Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (PAMI) Technical Committee

For the first time, the prestigious IEEE PAMI Young Researcher Award was given to a German researcher.

Research Headlines: Alexis Block is teaching robots to give good hugs

Scientist working in the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems receives great media feedback on her research

John Lygeros receives European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant

Professor John Lygeros within the Center for Learning Systems has been awarded the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant to fund his research on computation and control.

Peer Fischer receives European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant

Professor Peer Fischer, the head of the Micro, Nano and Molecular Systems Lab at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems was awarded 2.5 Mio Euro from the ERC.

Peter Bühlmann receives European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant

Professor Peter Bühlmann within the Center for Learning Systems has been awarded the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant to fund his research on statistics, machine learning and bioinformatics.

Nature-inspired soft millirobot makes its way through enclosed spaces

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems invented a magnetically controlled soft robot only four millimeters in size, that can walk, crawl or roll through uneven terrain, carry cargo, climb onto the water surface, and even swim in it. The inspiration comes from soft-bodied beetle larvae and caterpillars, and even jellyfishes posed as biological models. One day, this small-scale robot may enable targeted drug delivery or minimally invasive surgery, the researchers hope. Its multiple locomotion capability in complex environments is so unique that science journal Nature will publish the researchers´ findings in its February edition.

Bernhard Schölkopf receives Leibniz Prize 2018

Germany's most prestigious research funding prize - €2.5 million each for outstanding research work

Margarita Chli received the Prix Zonta

Margarita Chli, one of the world's most powerful women in robotics research, was awarded the Prix Zonta.

Die Zahlenkünstlerin

Informatikerin Olga Sorkine-Hornung wurde mit 30 Professorin an der ETH Zürich. Ihre Algorithmen in 3-D-Modellierung gelten als die besten.

Oft entscheiden Menschen sehr schlecht

Für Thomas Hofmann hat die künstliche Intelligenz ein gewaltiges Potenzial. Der ETH-Professor und Ex-Google-Manager erläutert im Interview, wie die neuen Technologien eingesetzt werden können und was dabei die Gefahren sind.

Interdisciplinary insights and a marvellous mountain view

High above Lake Lucerne, the three-day CLS retreat took place at Stoos, a magnificent place in the heart of Central Switzerland.

Der Schatzsucher

Die personalisierte Medizin ist ein boomendes Forschungsfeld. Einer, der ganz vorne mitmischt, ist der junge Informatikprofessor Karsten Borgwardt.

Impressions from the CLS Retreat in Stoos

Have a look at the photo gallery of the CLS Retreat in Stoos!

“Our Master’s programme is in great demand”

Mathematics is the basis for all the new opportunities opened up by digitalisation. Statistics professor Nicolai Meinshausen discusses the increasing importance of his field and the challenges it faces.

Data – the key to success

Data permeates every aspect of our lives and forms an integral part of any research work. Data scientists collect, analyse and process enormous volumes of data. ETH Zurich is focusing on three areas. One is learning systems. (see page 10)

Das Gefühl, mir schmelze das Hirn weg

Die 36-jährige Olga Sorkine-Hornung über ihren Weg zur ETH-Professorin, zu wenig Frauen in der IT und den Wodka aus eigener Küche.

Jeannette Bogh is one of 25 women in robotics you need to know about – 2017

On the occasion of Ada Lovelace Day on 10 October 2017, robohub presented their annual list of “25 women in robotics you need to know about”. Jeannette Bohg, alumni fellow of the CLS, is one of them. Congratulations!

In der Schweiz kommt es auf Sekunden an

Sein Kosmos ist die ETH. Seine Heimat ist München. Dennoch schätzt Roboterforscher Robert Riener typische Schweizer Eigenschaften: Pünktlichkeit, Ordnung und nicht zuletzt die Schweizer Apéro-Kultur.

Maschinen mit Gewissen

Viel wird erfunden, aber sollte alles davon erlaubt sein? Vor allem geht es um die Frage: Können und dürfen Roboter Entscheidungen fällen?

Die Medizin wird modellgetrieben

ETH-Professor Joachim Buhmann beschäftigt sich als Informatiker intensiv mit Fragen des Gesundheitswesens. Im Gespräch mit ETH-News erklärt er, wie Computermodelle Einzug halten werden in die Medizin. Dabei spricht er von Modellen, die so kompliziert sind, dass wir Menschen sie uns nicht mehr selbst überlegen können.

4D Movies Capture People in Clothing, Creating Realistic Virtual Try-on

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) have developed technology to digitally capture clothing on moving people, turn it into a 3D digital form, and dress virtual avatars with it. This new technology makes virtual clothing try-on practical.

Can you feel me now? The Science of Digitizing Touch

Scientists are developing tools that allow you to digitally feel textures like wood and cotton. Listen to this twelve-minute radio show to learn about Katherine J. Kuchenbecker's research - incorporating the sense of touch into robotic and computer systems.

Mobile Microrobotics

Progress in micro- and nano-scale science and technology has created a demand for new microsystems for high-impact applications in healthcare, biotechnology, manufacturing, and mobile sensor networks. The new robotics field of microrobotics has emerged to extend our interactions and explorations to sub-millimeter scales. Metin Sitti wrote the first textbook on micron-scale mobile robotics, introducing the fundamentals of design, analysis, fabrication, and control, and drawing on case studies of existing approaches.

Vision algorithms teaching drones to 'see'

Prof. Margarita Chli and her team are developing computer vision algorithms to help drones 'see' and understand their environment.

Olga Sorkine-Hornung wins Rössler Prize

Computer scientist Olga Sorkine has won this year’s Rössler Prize for her work in the field of computer graphics. The prize comes with a research award of CHF 200,000.

The eyes have it

Patients with age-related retinal disease need regular injections in the eye. At the moment, these must be given by specially trained medical doctors, but a robot may well handle this task in the near future.

Medicine is awash in data

Genomics, digital patient files and real-time health surveillance – never before have we had access to so much health data. Three ETH researchers explain how they extract relevant information from this sea of data and the potential benefits for personalised medicine.

ETH medals for two excellent ETH-MPI Master theses

Cédric de Crousaz and Julian Viereck have recently received ETH medals for their excellent Master theses. Their theses are a result of very successful collaborations between the Autonomous Motion Department at MPI-IS and the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering and the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, respectively.

ICRA 2017 Awards

Several CLS fellows and members received awards at the 2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)

Programmable self-assembly

Scientists under the lead of Metin Sitti at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have recently constructed a material system that provides dynamic self-assembly.

City model created from images alone

ETH scientists have combined millions of images and videos into a three-dimensional, living model of the city of Zurich. The new technology has many possible applications – for example, it can analyse where and when pedestrians are on the move and parking spaces become free.

Autonome Maschinen sind dem Menschen überlegen

Der ETH-Forscher Roland Siegwart ­entwickelt intelligente Drohnen und autonome Roboter. Wie weit ihre Macht gehen darf, muss die Gesellschaft ausdiskutieren.

Student projects on the website via SiROP

The Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems offers its members and associated members to use the database SiROP to publish their student projects directly to the center’s website. Read this quick guide: http://bit.ly/sirop-cls

New drive for tiny vessels

Nanorobots and other mini-vehicles might be able to perform important services in medicine one day – for example, by conducting remotely-controlled operations or transporting pharmaceutical agents to a desired location in the body. However, to date it has been hard to steer such micro- and nanoswimmers accurately through biological fluids such as blood, synovial fluid or the inside of the eyeball. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart are now presenting two new approaches for constructing propulsion systems for tiny floating bodies.

„Ich fühle mich von Künstlicher Intelligenz überhaupt nicht bedroht“

Joachim Buhmann ist Leiter des Instituts für Maschinelles Lernen an der ETH Zürich. Im Gespräch erklärt er uns, warum ihn die Angstvorstellungen von Stephen Hawking kaltlassen, was der „Heilige Gral“ des maschinellen Lernens ist und warum Depressionen unausweichlich sind, wenn der Mensch lediglich als Denkmaschine gesehen wird.

How Can We Use Machine Learning in the Search for Exoplanets?

Exoplanets are planets beyond our own solar system. Since they do not emit much light and moreover are very close to their parent stars they are difficult to detect directly. Using machine learning, observations of the brightness of the parent star can be used to train a system to predict the errors and correct the light curves.

Peer Fischer wins World Technology Award 2016

Peer Fischer, head of the Micro- Nano- and Molecular Systems Lab at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and Professor of Physical Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, has received the World Technology Award 2016. Together with his group, he has developed new 3D nanofabrication methods and nanorobots, made the first reciprocal microswimmer, and realized the first swimming soft microrobot that moves using only body shape changes.

The Rise of Machine Learning (ft. Martin Jaggi)

This video presents the rise of machine learning as the leading approach to artificial intelligence. It features Martin Jaggi, assistant professor of the IC School at EPFL and alumnus of the CLS.

Prof. Rätsch, welcome to ETH

Gunnar Rätsch develops machine learning algorithms for the analysis of biological and medical data. His research will be central in ETH’s initiative for personalized medicine.

Vom Geheimnis guter Lehre

Der ETH-Professor John Lygeros hat den CS Award for Best Teaching erhalten. Der Preisträger arbeitet stetig an innovativen Formen der Lehre. Das gefällt den Studierenden.

Neue Technologien sollen helfen, unser Leben einfacher zu gestalten

Prof. Dr. Margarita Chli, 33, forscht als Assistenzprofessorin auf dem Gebiet «Computervision für Robotik» an der ETH Zürich. Was sie an ihrem Beruf so fasziniert und wie sie die technologische Zukunft sieht, verrät sie im Interview.

Der Crack

Bradley Nelsons Roboter sind so winzig, dass sie uns einmal in den Körper injiziert werden können. Dort sollen sie Krankheitserreger an Ort und Stelle bekämpfen.

Raffaello D'Andrea: Der König der Drohnen

Der Kanadier ist Professor für dynamische Systeme und Regelungstechnik an der ETH – und verkörpert in vielerlei Hinsicht, wofür der Forschungsplatz Schweiz steht.

Mini-Roboter heilen von innen

Sie transportieren im Inneren des Körpers Medikamente oder nehmen kleine Operationen vor: Mikro-Roboter könnten bald die Medizin revolutionieren.

Shape-programmable miniscule robots

One day, microrobots may be able to swim through the human body like sperm or paramecia to carry out medical functions in specific locations. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed functional elastomers, which can be activated by magnetic fields to imitate the swimming gaits of natural flagella, cilia and jellyfish.

ERC Starting Grant for Otmar Hilliges

The main objective of his ERC funded project is to develop computational tools to allow non-experts to create complex interactive technologies such as wearables, augmented and virtual reality, and personalised assistive technologies.

Margarita Chli - die Drohnen-Dirigentin

CYBATHLON: Wettkampf für Athleten mit Behinderungen

Menschen mit körperlichen Behinderungen messen sich dank neuester technischer Assistenzsysteme in sechs anspruchsvollen Disziplinen.

Die ETH forscht an einem Roboter für die Drecksarbeit

Der neue Roboter der ETH Zürich kann klettern und springen wie ein Tier und soll künftig in unwegsamem Gelände eingesetzt werden. Er könnte zum Beispiel nach einem Erdbeben helfen, verschüttete Menschen zu finden.

"Skypen" wie bei Star Wars

In manchen Science-Fiction-Filmen "telefoniert" man schon lange per Hologramm. Forschende der ETH Zürich haben einen Prototyp gebaut, der Videochats dieser Vision ein Stück weit näher bringt.

ETH bringt Computern das Sehen bei

Smartphones lernen, die Welt zu erkennen und dreidimensional zu vermessen. Google will damit die nächste digitale Revolution auslösen. Schweizer Hochschulen und Startups sind ganz vorne mit dabei.

Jonas Peters new member of the German "Young Academy"

Young, excellent and motivated - Jonas Peters has been elected as one of new members in natural sciene / mathematics to the "Junge Akademie" and will contribute to the interdisciplinary work of this organization.

When machines learn

Big data, artificial intelligence, industry 4.0- the new opportunities information technologies offer will change the world. Take a glimpse inside the world of researchers who teach machines how to think.

Bildung ist Arbeit an mir selber

Thomas Hoffmann wollte schon als Kind Professor werden. Heute arbeitet er am Institut für Maschinelles Lernen der ETH Zürich. Der 25-jährige Patrick Frei studiert Informatik im vierten Studienjahr. Hier sprechen sie über ihre beruflichen Träume – und über die Realität.

Call for applications: CLS Exchange Fellowships

The Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems (CLS) invites all associated PhD fellows of the center to apply for the new CLS Exchange Fellowships. This program will allow highly motivated PhD students with excellent track records to spend 3-12 months at the other institution, ETH Zurich and MPI Tübingen/Stuttgart, respectively. The aim is to foster cross-institutional collaborations within the center and to create an added value for the PhD students.

Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Prize and RAS Early Career Award (Academic) for Ludovic Righetti

Medal-Marathon for Robotics Researcher: Tübingen – Stockholm – Berlin – Stockholm – Tübingen. Ludovic Righetti receives within 24 hours two renowned prizes for young researchers for his outstanding science on movements of robots.

Switch and stick

Some adhesives may soon have a metallic sheen and be particularly easy to unstick. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart are suggesting gallium as just such a reversible adhesive.

Michael J. Black inducted as foreign member of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Body Labs (bodylabs.com), the provider of the world's most advanced technology for analyzing the human body's shape, pose and motion, announced that Michael J. Black, Body Labs co-founder and founding director leading the Perceiving Systems Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, will be inducted as a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The man who builds robotic animals

He develops walking robots that move like living creatures: Marco Hutter is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems and a fellow of the Society in Science. One day his machines might be able to carry out the menial and dangerous work human beings would rather avoid.

Bernhard Schölkopf has been elected member of the "Leopoldina"

Founded in 1652, the Leopoldina is one of the oldest academies of science in the world. It is dedicated to the advancement of science for the benefit of humankind and to the goal of shaping a better future. With some 1,500 members, the Leopoldina brings together outstanding scientists from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and many other countries.

Sanfte Kraft für Roboter

Ein weicher Aktuator aus elektrisch steuerbaren Membranen könnte Menschen die gefahrlose Interaktion mit Maschinen ermöglichen. Forscher des Max-Planck-Instituts für Intelligente Systeme in Stuttgart stellen nun ein Bewegungssystem vor, das für Menschen ungefährlich ist und sich platzsparend in Roboter integrieren lässt.

Two Master’s students won the prestigious SemEval-2016 competition

Huge amounts of posts in social media are generated every day. People share their opinions and sentiments about what is going on in the world. To evaluate these opinions automatically computers can interpret and “understand” the content and also in particular the attitude of a writer. At one of the most important international competitions in text sentiment analysis two ETH Master’s students designed the most accurate algorithm worldwide. Jan Deriu and Maurice Gonzenbach won the 2016 SemEval text sentiment classification competition, placing first out of 34 teams from all over the world.

Ludovic Righetti receives the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize 2016

The most important German prize for junior scientists is awarded annually by the German Research Foundation (DFG). One of the awardees is Ludovic Righetti from Max-Planck-Institute for Intelligent Systems. He is investigating how robots can be taught to walk. He models his ideas on movement patterns from nature such as the climbing skills of animals.

Microrobots learn from ciliates

Ciliates can do amazing things: Being so tiny, the water in which they live is like thick honey to these microorganisms. In spite of this, however, they are able to self-propel through water by the synchronized movement of thousands of extremely thin filaments on their outer skin, called cilia. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart are now moving robots that are barely perceptible to the human eye in a similar manner through liquids.

Cars open their eyes

A time may yet come when everyone has their own chauffeur-driven car – if robots take the wheel, that is. In order for autonomous vehicles to become a reality without huge technical outlay, however, computers will have to be able to assess complex traffic situations at least as well as drivers do. Andreas Geiger and his team at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen are working to develop the necessary software.

Diagnostics with a stomach pill

Gastroscopy usually requires patients to swallow an endoscope tube. Although camera-carrying capsules are also suitable for the task, it is still not possible to control them. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart plan to change all that. And their tiny capsule-shaped robots can do a lot more than merely take snapshots of the stomach’s interior.

Robots go to school

As domestic help, healthcare assistants or emergency response units: robots are suitable for these jobs only if they are capable of learning and acting independently, at least to a certain extent. Stefan Schaal and the members of his Autonomous Motion Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen are teaching machines to become flexible and autonomous.

Machines learn how to learn

For humans, and for animals in general, it is normal; but machines have first to learn it: how to learn. To assist them in this process, the Max Planck Society and the ETH Zurich have set up the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems. The researchers at the Center want to understand what the principles of learning are - in theory as well as in real machines.

Teaching machines how to learn

Machines will become not just more intelligent in the future, but also more capable of learning. To promote research in this field, ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Society officially open the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems today. The scientists want to understand the theoretical principles of learning and how these can be applied to real machines.