Johan AuwerxJohan Auwerx is Professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he occupies the Nestle Chair in Energy Metabolism. Dr. Auwerx has been using molecular physiology and systems genetics to understand metabolism in health, aging and disease. Much of his work focused on understanding how diet, exercise and hormones control metabolism through changing the expression of genes by altering the activity of transcription factors and their associated cofactors. His work was instrumental for the development of agonists of nuclear receptors - a particular class of transcription factors - into drugs, which now are used to treat high blood lipid levels, fatty liver, and type 2 diabetes. Dr. Auwerx was amongst the first to recognize that transcriptional cofactors, which fine-tune the activity of transcription factors, act as energy sensors/effectors that influence metabolic homeostasis. His research validated these cofactors as novel targets to treat metabolic diseases, and spurred the clinical use of natural compounds, such as resveratrol, as modulators of these cofactor pathways.
Johan Auwerx was elected as a member of EMBO in 2003 and is the recipient of a dozen of international scientific prizes, including the Danone International Nutrition Award, the Oskar Minkowski Prize, and the Morgagni Gold Medal. His work is highly cited by his peers with a h-factor of over 100. He is an editorial board member of several journals, including Cell Metabolism, Molecular Systems Biology, The EMBO Journal, Journal of Cell Biology, Cell, and Science. Dr. Auwerx co-founded a handful of biotech companies, including Carex, PhytoDia, and most recently Mitobridge, and has served on several scientific advisory boards.
Dr. Auwerx received both his MD and PhD in Molecular Endocrinology at the Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium. He was a post-doctoral research fellow in the Departments of Medicine and Genetics of the University of Washington in Seattle.
Akuto Akpedze KonouAkuto Akpedze KONOU AKA Rolande est une jeune femme du Togo (Afrique de l'Ouest), architecte et urbaniste assermentée, communicatrice, auteur et motivatrice de talent. Elle est passionnée par la recherche en matière de développement durable, d'entrepreneuriat et de technologies vertes. Akuto est actuellement doctorante au laboratoire CEAT/EPFL et travaille sur un volet de recherche du projet Sinergia du FNS "Contributions africaines à la santé mondiale": "Circulation des connaissances et des innovations" (https://globalhealthafrica.ch/). Le projet de recherche étudie les connaissances et les pratiques liées à l'amélioration de la santé et des soins de santé qui ont été développées ou conçues en Afrique. Le projet est mené par une équipe pluridisciplinaire de l'EPFL, de l'Université de Bâle et du Swiss TPH. Fulbright et DKG World Fellow, Akuto a étudié au département de planification communautaire et régionale (College of Design) de l'Université d'État de l'Iowa aux États-Unis en tant qu'assistante de recherche, ainsi qu'après un master en architecture et en urbanisme à l'EAMAU.Akpedze pratique son métier depuis 7 ans, en intégrant au mieux les principes de l'architecture et de l'urbanisme durables. Après son master à l'EAMAU, GIGA, le groupe Eric DUVAL, l'OIF, GIZ, R-SUD, le gouvernement togolais de la prospective et de l'évaluation des politiques publiques, UN-Habitat, le PNUD, le groupe GFA et la Banque mondiale ont renforcé ses compétences. Elle s'engage à travers son domaine à contribuer à la protection de la planète et à la bonne santé de ses habitants. Akpedze soutient que tout être vivant a droit à un environnement sain et décent, et son objectif est d'utiliser l'architecture sociale et l'aménagement durable du territoire pour soutenir les communautés. Akpedze est active au sein d'associations professionnelles telles que l'ONAT, l'OSM, Minodoo, YALI Allumni, TDIF Think Tank et a participé de manière dynamique à plusieurs ateliers internationaux, concours, expositions, puis conférences et formations à l'entrepreneuriat ou au leadership, et sur les questions de villes intelligentes. Co-fondateur de AXE DURABLE et AfriK Durabiliterre, Akuto Akpedze KONOU est convaincue d'avoir une contribution unique à la R & D dans le domaine de la planification durable pour un impact positif sur le Sud et le développement mondial. Stewart ColeProfessor Stewart Cole is an international authority in bacterial molecular-genetics and genomics. He has made outstanding contributions in several fields including: bacterial anaerobic electron transport; genome analysis of retroviruses and papillomaviruses; antibiotic resistance mechanisms; and the molecular microbiology of toxigenic clostridia. His studies on isoniazid and multidrug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, together with his pioneering work on the pathogenicity, evolution and genomics of the tubercle and leprosy bacilli, have made him an undisputed leader in the field of mycobacterial research. The findings of his research are of direct relevance to public health and disease-control in both the developing world and the industrialised nations. He has published over 250 scientific papers and review articles, and holds many patents.
Mathias LerchAss. Prof. Mathias Lerch heads the Urban Demography Laboratory (URBDEMO) at the Faculty of Natural, Architectural and Build Environment (ENAC), Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). To improve understanding of urban population growth, Lerch has developed multi-disciplinary research interests in the components of demographic change (mortality/health, fertility and migration), as well as in their interactions with socioeconomic and environmental developments.
Before joining the EPFL, Lerch has acted as the deputy head of the Laboratory of Fertility and Well-Being at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. He has analyzed and taught population change at various Swiss and German universities, as well as at statistical offices, often in transition countries. Since 2008, he has regularly advised national governments, United Nations entities, survey programs and NGOs on population issues and data collection.
Thierry MeyerThierry Meyer received in 1986 a diploma degree (MSc) in chemical engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL). He was awarded in 1989 a PhD at EPFL for his thesis on micromixing in highly viscous polymeric media. He joined the Institute of Chemical Engineering from 1989 till 1993 as senior scientist in the field of polymerization reactions. In 1994 he joined Ciba-Geigy SA in the pigment division as successively development chemist, head of development a.i. and finally production manager for high performance pigments. Returning to the Institute of Chemical Engineering at EPFL in Lausanne by the end of 1998, he was nominated maître denseignement et de recherche (MER) for leading a new research group in the field of polymers and supercritical fluids, and teaching to chemists, chemical engineers and material sciences, disciplines as process development, introduction to chemical engineering, polymer and organic chemistry at master and bachelor program. In 2005 he owned the responsibility of the Occupational Health and Safety of the school of basic sciences on top of his research activities dealing with risk management and supercritical fluids. He is presently teaching introduction to chemical engineering at bachelor level, risk management at master level and specific courses on safety and engineering risk management in continuing education. He acts also as consultant and expert in risk assessment and chemical engineering matters by the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) of the World Business Organization, by several consultancy companies and by major and SMEs chemical industries. Thierry Meyer is currently member of several international associations of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering, American institution of chemical engineering, American chemical society and senior member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He was elected chairman of the European Working Party on Polymer Reaction Engineering from 2001 till 2006. He his currently the Swiss academic member of the European Working Party on Loss Prevention and Safety Promotion as well as of the European Working Party on Education. He is member of several editorial boards: Chemical Engineering Research and Design, Macromolecular Reaction Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Technology, Journal of Chemical Health and Safety.
Amela Groso2016 - Present: DSPS-Safety Competence Center, EPFL andISIC-Group of Chemical and Physical Safety2007 - 2016:Occupational Safety and Health at the Faculty of Basic Sciences, EPFL Education : 2004 - 2006 : Postdoctoral fellow at the beamline for Microtomography, Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Switzerland 2000 - 2004: PhD student of Prof. Margaritondo G., Institut de physique de la matière complexe, EPFL, SwitzerlandPhD, physics 1997 - 2000: Holder of research fellowship for training on beamlines and experimental stations at the Elettra, Synchrotron Light Source, Trieste (Italy). 1991 - 1997: MSc in Physics, Physics department of the University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Vincent KaufmannVincent Kaufmann is associate professor of urban sociology and mobility at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Since 2011, he is also scientific director of the Mobile Lives Forum in Paris. After a master degree in sociology (Universtiy of Geneva) he did his Ph.D. at EPFL on rationalities underlying transport modal practices. Vincent Kaufmann has been invited lecturer at Lancaster University (2000-2001), Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris (2001-2002), Laval University, Québec (2008) Nimegen University (2010), Université de Toulouse Le Mirail (2011), Université Catholique de Louvain (2004-2018) and Tongji University in Shanghai (2018). There fields of research are: motility, mobility and urban life styles, links between social and spatial mobility, public policies of land planning and transportation. He recently published “Mobilité et libre circulation en Europe” (with Ander Audikana) Economica (2017).
Arnaud MagrezEducation
PhD., Materials Science, summa cum laude, Université de Nantes, 2002
M.S., Chemistry, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, 1999
Academic positions
Head of the Crystal Growth Facility, EPFL, 2012-present
Research Associate, Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Complexe, EPFL, 2003-2012
Research Fellow, Peter Grunberg Institute, FZ-Juelich, 2002-2003
Administrative positions at EPFL
Scientific staff member, EPFL Assembly, 2015-present
Scientific staff member, School Council SB, 2014-present
Member of the IPHYS office 2016-present
Member of the ICMP office 2012-2015
Member of the safety committee of ICMP 2010-2015
Jacques FellayJacques Fellay is a medical scientist with expertise in infectious diseases and human genomics. He obtained his MD from the University of Lausanne in 2002 and his PhD from University of Utrecht. After a clinical training in infectious diseases in Switzerland and a 4-years postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University, he joined the EPFL in April 2011 with an SNF Professorship.
On top of his EPFL affiliation, Jacques is also Head of Precision Medicine at the University Hospital (CHUV) in Lausanne, Group Leader at the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, and Co-director of the Health2030 Genome Center at Campus Biotech in Geneva.
Tamar Kohn2014 - present Associate Professor, EPFL and adjunct researcher, Eawag 2007 - 2013 Assistant Professor, EPFL 2004 - 2006 Postdoctoral researcher, UC Berkeley 2000 - 2004 PhD, Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University 1999 Diploma, Environmental Sciences, ETHZ
Claudia Rebeca Binder SignerClaudia R. Binder, a Swiss, Canadian and Colombian citizen, was born in Montreal and spent most of her childhood in Switzerland and Colombia. She studied at ETH Zurich from 1985 to 1996, earning a degree in biochemistry and then a PhD in environmental sciences. After conducting her post-doctoral research at the University of Maryland in the US from 1996 to 1998, she returned to Switzerland and took a position as a senior research scientist at ETH Zurich, studying the interaction between human and environmental systems at the Institute for Natural and Social Science Interface. In 2006, Binder joined the University of Zurich as an assistant professor in the Department of Geography, and in 2009 moved to the University of Graz in Austria where she served as a full professor of systems science. In 2011, she took a position at the University of Munich’s Department of Geography as a full professor of human-environment relations.
Binder joined EPFL in March 2016 and set up the Laboratory for Human-Environment Relations in Urban Systems (HERUS) at ENAC; she also holds the La Mobilière Chair on Urban Ecology and Sustainable Living.
Her research involves analyzing, modelling and assessing the transition of urban systems towards sustainability. She looks in particular at how we can better understand the dynamics of urban metabolism, what characterizes a sustainable city, and what drives and hinders transformation processes. She does so by combining knowledge from social, natural and data science. Her research focuses on food, energy, and sustainable living and transport in urban systems.
In Switzerland, Binder was appointed to the Research Council, Programs Division of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in 2016 and serves on the Steering Committee of the SNSF’s National Research Program 71, “Managing Energy Consumption” and the Swiss Competence Centers for Energy Research (SCCER). She is also a member of the Steering Board on Sustainability Research for the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences. In 2019, she was elected as a member of the University Council of the University of Munich (LMU).
At EPFL, Binder is the academic director of Design Together, a cross-disciplinary teaching initiative. She was appointed to the management team of the Energy Center in 2018 and as head of the working group on EPFL’s energy and sustainability strategy in 2019.
Jean-Louis ScartezziniDirector of EPFL Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory (1994-present); Founder & Director of ENAC Institute of Infrastructures, Resources and Environment (2002-2009); Founder & Director of EPFL Doctoral Program in Environment (2002-2009); Co-Director of EPFL Institute of Building Technology (1994-1997); Associate Professor of Building Physics at EPFL (1994-1997); Associate Professor of Building Physics at University of Geneva (1990-1997); Group Leader & Research Fellow at the EPFL Solar Energy Research Group (1981-1989); Research Fellow at the Applied Geophysics Institute of University of Lausanne (1980-1981).
