Appointments of professors
ETH Zurich offers both a very international environment and outstanding framework conditions for teaching and research at the highest level. A state-of-the-art research infrastructure is the basis for cutting-edge research activities. Generous resources for personnel and equipment enable risk research as well; the startup funds ensured during the negotiations allow for a prompt implementation of research activities within the new ETH environment.
The central administration units lend support regarding all matters of third-party funding (including the Swiss National Science Foundation or EU Research Programmes), collaboration with industrial partners, foundation of spin-offs and other forms of research result transfer. Please refer to the following sites for additional information: Office of Research | ETH transfer | Grants Office
The high standards of the studies at ETH Zurich bring forth an outstandingly trained student body, creating an excellent recruitment pool for PhD candidates. The internationally recognised reputation of ETH Zurich attracts researchers of various career levels from outside of Switzerland. Hence, about two-thirds of all PhD candidates, postdocs and scientific members of staff have international backgrounds, which leads to a high diversity within ETH’s research groups.
ETH Zurich maintains flat hierarchies and the departments and individual professors enjoy a vast degree of flexibility. The central administration units are committed to both efficiency and effectivity und most obliging.
An important element of the appointment procedure at ETH Zurich is the active search for candidates. Well before the actual appointment procedure, the corresponding department is actively looking for qualified scientists, who are then contacted and encouraged to apply for the vacant position in due time. Actively searching for eligible candidates is also the task of the selection committee in charge of assessing the applications; they are asked, above all, to specifically reach out to female scientists. The selection committee decides on approx. four to six candidates who are then invited to Zurich to give a public lecture and present themselves in a closed interview with the committee. The invited candidates also visit the corresponding department and institute and will meet various people outside of the members of the selection committee. This allows them to receive a first impression of the vacancy’s possibilities within the ETH environment.
Subsequent to the meetings with the invited candidates, the selection committee formulates a recommendation to the President. At this stage, apart from scientific excellence, the main evaluation criteria are the ability to teach with enthusiasm, leadership skills required to establish an internationally visible research group, ledaership skills needed to develop each individual team member, a great commitment within the academic community as well as a renowned interest in the knowledge transfer to the benefit of society and the industry. Depending on the field and position, these criteria can be weight differently. For assistant professors, mostly the potential of these skills is evaluated.
The top candidate is invited to visit ETH Zurich for several days in order to gain an overall picture of the framework conditions a potential appointment would comprise. In the sense of a comprehensive dual career and integration service the invitation is extended to the top candidate’s partner as well. Correspondingly, the negotiations do not merely deal with institutional and legal matters but also with personal questions. The negotiations cover the following aspects:
- Salary and social insurances
- Legal concerns of an ETH Zurich professorship
- Research infrastructure and equipment (personnel, finances, space)
- Teaching duties
- Relocation and housing
- Language courses
- Schools and child care options
- Taxes
- Insurances
- Career opportunities for partners