Günter Abel
1999-2001 Vice president of TU Berlin and since 2008, Head of the innovation center Wissensforschung at TU Berlin
Günter Abel, born in Homberg (D) in 1947, studied Philosophy, History, Roman Studies and Political Science at the Universities of Marburg, Lausanne and the Freie Universität Berlin from 1968 until 1975.
Studies (Philosopht, History, Romance Studies, Political Science) at the Universities of Marburg (1968-70, 1971-74), Lausanne (Switzerland) (1970-71); post-graduate studies Freie Universität Berlin (1974-76)
Studies and PhD sponsored by the ‘Study Foundation of the German People’
1971 – 74: Research stays in Paris in conjunction with École des Chartes, the Bibliothèque Nationale (National Library), the Archives Nationales (National Archives)
1974: State examination for teachers in secondary education
1976: Doctorate (summa cum laude): Stoicism and the Early Modern Age. On the History of Modern Thinking in Ethics and Politics, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1978.
1981: Habilitation (Philosophy), Nietzsche. The Dynamics of the Will for Power and Its Eternal Recurrence, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1981, 2. Auflage 1998.
1989 – 2002: Lecturer at the research academies of the international academy, Académie du Midi – Institute of Philosophy [reg. assoc.] – in France (Lagrasse; Alet-les-Bains; Nyer; Covilha, Portugal)
1990: Visiting Fellow at the Philosophy Department of Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Since 1987: Full Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at Technische Universität Berlin (Technical University of Berlin)
2000: Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the University of Lausanne
Since 2008: Director of the international Center for Knowledge Research (IZW) at TU Berlin
2013: Election and appointment as Associate Fellow at the Collegium Helveticum at ETH Zurich
Dr. Christian Blickenstorfer
Dr. Christian Blickenstorfer war viele Jahre als Diplomat und ehemaliger Botschafter in Saudi-Arabien, den USA und Deutschland tätig.
Christian Blickenstorfer, geboren 1945, besuchte die Schulen in Horgen und Küsnacht/ZH. Er schloss sein Geschichtsstudium an der Universität Zürich nach einem längeren Studienaufenthalt in England 1972 als Dr. phil. I ab.
1974 trat er in den Dienst des Eidgenössischen Departements für auswärtige Angelegenheiten, für das er in Kairo, Bangkok, Teheran, Washington und als Botschafter in Saudi-Arabien im Einsatz stand. In Bern leitete er von 1997 bis 2000 die Politische Abteilung II (Zuständigkeit für die aussereuropäischen Länder) und danach die Politische Direktion.
Von 2001 bis 2006 vertrat er die Schweiz in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika, wo er auch als Vertreter von Kuba amtete. Von 2006 bis zu seiner Pensionierung 2010 war er Botschafter in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Seit 2012 ist er Verwaltungsrat der World Demographic & Ageing Forum AG, wo er sich u.a. mit Fragen der Demographie in muslimischen Ländern beschäftigt.
Ralph Eichler
Er war 2001 – 2007 Direktor des PSI und von 2007 – 2015 Präsident der ETH Zürich und heute Präsident des Stiftungsrates von Schweizer Jugend forscht.
Ralph Eichler besuchte das Gymnasium am Münsterplatz in Basel und studierte anschliessend Physik an der ETH in Zürich. Nach einem Aufenthalt als Postdoctoral Fellow an der US-amerikanischen Stanford University arbeitete er ab 1979 als wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Deutschen Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg.
1982 wurde er wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Institut für Mittelenergiephysik der ETH Zürich und habilitierte 1986.
1989 wurde Eichler als ausserordentlicher Professor und 1993 als ordentlicher Professor für Physik an die ETH Zürich berufen. 1998 – 2002 war er Stellvertretender Direktor des Paul Scherrer Instituts (PSI). Im September 2001 wählte der Schweizer Bundesrat Ralph Eichler zum Direktor des PSI.
2007 wurde er zum Präsidenten der ETH Zürich gewählt. Nach seinem Ausscheiden an der ETH Zürich auf Ende des Jahres 2014 wurde er Präsident der Stiftung Schweizer Jugend forscht.
Lucio Luzzatto
Lucio Luzzatto obtained FRCPath in 1982 and FRCP in 1983, and received Medical Licences in Italy, Nigeria, UK and New York State.
Lucio Luzzatto was born 1936 in Genova, Italy. He qualified MD from the University of Genova Medical School in 1959. Then he trained in Haematology in Pavia and at Columbia University in New York and obtained Libera Docenza in Biochemistry in 1968. From 1964 to 1974 Lucio Luzzatto was Lecturer, then Professor of Haematology at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. From 1974-1981, he was Director of the International Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, CNR, Napoli, Italy. In 1981, Lucio Luzzatto succeeded Sir John Dacie as Professor of Haematology and Director of the Haematology Department at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, University of London, Hammersmith Hospital, where from 1987-1993 he was also Honorary Director of the MRC/LRF Leukaemia Unit.
In 1994, Lucio Luzzatto became Professor and founding Chairman of the Department of Human Genetics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics, Cornell University Medical College, New York, USA. From 2000 to 2004, Lucio Luzzatto was Scientific Director of the National Institute for Cancer Research, Genova, Italy, where in 2002 he was also appointed to a personal Chair of Haematology. Lucio Luzzatto obtained FRCPath in 1982 and FRCP in 1983, and received Medical Licences in Italy, Nigeria, UK and New York State.
Lucio Luzzatto’s main goal in research and teaching has been the understanding of human disease at the molecular level; throughout his career, he has always combined scientific and clinical work. His research has concentrated on the genetic basis of blood disorders.
Franz-Josef Radermacher
Since 1995 member of the Information Society Forum of the European Commission (since 1997 chairman of Working Group 4 “Sustainable Development“ and member of the Steering Committee). Same responsibility within the Forum 2000 of the German Government since 1996.
Franz Josef Radermacher, born 1950, is the scientific director of the FAW (Research Institute for Applied Knowledge Processing) Ulm and also has a faculty position for Data Bases / Artificial Intelligence at the University of Ulm. Before, he was Professor of Computer Science and Operations Research at the University of Passau.
Prof. Radermacher holds Doctoral degrees in Mathematics from the Technical University Aachen and in Economics from the University (TH) Karlsruhe; his habilitation in mathematics was effected at the TH Aachen. Since 1995 member of the Information Society Forum of the European Commission (since 1997 chairman of Working Group 4 “Sustainable Development“ and member of the Steering Committee). Same responsibility within the Forum 2000 of the German Government since 1996.
Since 1996 he is member of the expert group INFO2000 of the European Commission. Since 1996 Radermacher is member of the Strategic Requirements Board for the 5th Framework Programme of the European Commission and since 1997 he is Deputy Speaker of the SFB 527 “Integration of symbolic and subsymbolic information processing in adaptive sensomotoric systems“ of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.
1997 he joins the Scientific Advisory Council of the EXPO 2000 on the topics “Future of the Past“ and „The 21st century“ as Member. Since 2000 he is Member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Housing and since 2000 Member of the Task Force “Global Society Dialogue“ of the EU Information Society Forum.
Alexander Schärer
Starting in 1993, Alexander Schärer entered the management board of the family company USM U. Schärer Söhne AG, Münsingen, Switzerland. Since 2000, he has been acting as President of the Board.
Alexander Schärer was born in Bern on August 25, 1965. Following completion of his Matura [certificate of eligibility to pursue university-level studies], he studied in Lausanne at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology] and received his diploma as dipl. Ing. EPFL [graduate engineer, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology] in 1991.
This was followed by two years in the Management Systems Department at Procter + Gamble AG in Geneva. Starting in 1993, Alexander Schärer entered the management board of the family company USM U. Schärer Söhne AG, Münsingen, Switzerland. Since 2000, he has been acting as President of the Board.
Barbara Schmid-Federer
She has been a National Councilor since 2007. She is also the Chairperson of the CVP Switzerland’s Working Group on Family Policy, a member of the Board of Directors of Radio Zürichsee and of TopPharm Pharmacy Paradeplatz in Zurich. She has been presiding over the Canton of Zurich Section of the Swiss Red Cross since 2011.
Barbara Schmid-Federer was born in Zurich in 1965 and studied Romance Studies (Lic. Phil. I) at the University of Zurich as well as in Paris and Granada from 1991 to 1993; in 1998, she founded the ETH Zurich’s Dual Career Advice.
Barbara Schmid-Federer has been a National Councilor since 2007 and is a member of the Permanent Subcommittee on the Health Insurance Act and Family Policy. She is the President of the CVP Switzerland’s Working Group on Family Policy.
The mother of two sons has been President of the Canton of Zurich Section of the Swiss Red Cross since 2011. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Radio Zürichsee and of TopPharm Pharmacy Paradeplatz, Zurich.
Jeffrey I. Steinfeld
His research interests are in molecular spectroscopy, molecular energy transfer, and optical methods for remote sensing and atmospheric monitoring.
Jeffrey I. Steinfeld was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1980 and studied chemistry at MIT. In 1965, he graduated from Harvard University with a doctorate in physical chemistry. He subsequently spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.
1966 return to the Chemistry Department at MIT
1966 Assistant Professor of Chemistry
1970 Associate Professor of Chemistry
1980 Professor of Chemistry
2009 Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
His research interests are in molecular spectroscopy, molecular energy transfer, and optical methods for remote sensing and atmospheric monitoring.
Jeffrey Steinfeld worked as a visiting professor at various universities, including Leiden, Southern California, Boulder, Sydney, ETH Zurich, and Tokyo.
Today, he researches and teaches the introduction of concepts of sustainability and environmental responsibility.
Björn Stigson
1995 – 2012 President of WBCSD, a coalition of some 200 leading international corporations.
Björn Stigson began his career as Financial Analyst wtih the Swedish Kockums Group. From 1971-82 he worked for ESAB, an international supplier of welding equipment in different positions.
1983 he became President and CEO of the Fläkt Group. Following the acquisition of Fläkt by ABB in 1991 he became Executive Vice-President and a member of ABB Executive Management Group.
In 1995 he was appointed President of WBCSD, a coalition of some 200 leading international corporations.
He now serves on the boards of or on committees advising the Chinese government, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the Clinton Global Initiative and the Global Reporting Initiative.
Thomas Stocker
In 1993, Thomas Stocker was Professor at the Physics Institute at the University of Bern, where he heads the Climate and Environmental Physics Department. Since 2006, he has been a member of the National Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation and, since 2008, he has been Director of the National Centre of Competence for Climate Research (NCCR Climate).
Thomas Stocker (born in 1959) grew up in Zurich. He studied environmental physics at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ), graduating in 1984. He completed his dissertation under the supervision of Kolumban Hutter at the ETHZ Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology. After a period of research at University College London, he obtained a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation, which enabled him to work on the development of efficient climate models and to study abrupt climate changes at McGill University (Canada) from 1989 to 1991. He then worked as Associate Research Scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Columbia in New York from 1991 to 1993.
In 1993, Thomas Stocker was Professor at the Physics Institute at the University of Bern, where he heads the Climate and Environmental Physics Department. The work conducted by his team focuses on the modelling of abrupt climate change, studies on past and future changes in ocean circulation, as well as on the reconstitution of climate history using ice cores from Greenland and the Antarctic.
Since 2006, he has been a member of the National Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation and, since 2008, he has been Director of the National Centre of Competence for Climate Research (NCCR Climate).
Since 1997, he has also played a leading role in the work of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC.
M.S. Swaminathan
Fellow of many of the leading scientific academies of India and the world, including the Royal Society of London and the US National Academy of Sciences. He currently holds the UNESCO Chair in Ecotechnology at the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai (Madras), India.
Professor M. S. Swaminathan has been acclaimed by TIME magazine as one of the twenty most influential Asians of the 20th century and one of the only three from India, the other two being Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. He has been described by the United Nations Environment Programme as “the Father of Economic Ecology” and by Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary General of the United Nations, as “a living legend who will go into the annals of history as a world scientist of rare distinction”. He has also served as Independent Chairman of the FAO Council and President of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
As plant geneticist by training, Professor Swaminathan’s contributions to the agricultural renaissance of India have led to his being widely referred to as the scientific leader of the green revolution movement. The Women’s Environment and Development Organization conferred on him the first international award for significant contributions to promoting the knowledge, skill, and technological empowerment of women in agriculture and for his pioneering role in mainstreaming gender considerations in agriculture and rural development.
Professor Swaminathan is a Fellow of many of the leading scientific academies of India and the world, including the Royal Society of London and the US National Academy of Sciences. He currently holds the UNESCO Chair in Ecotechnology at the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai (Madras), India.
Ernst von Weizsäcker
From 2006 to 2008, Ernst von Weizsäcker has been Dean of the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, born 1939 in Zurich, gained his university entrance examination in 1958 from the Max-Planck grammar school in Göttingen and gained his degree in Physics in Hamburg in 1965. In 1969 obtained a doctorate in Biology in Freiburg. From 1969 to 1972 he was Scientific Adviser to the Evangelische Studiengemeinschaft in Heidelberg. from 1972 to 1975 he was ordinary Professor of Biology at the University of Essen and from 1975 to 1980 President of the University/GHS Kassel.
From 1980 to 1984, he worked as Director at the UN Centre for Science and Technology in New York and from 1984 to 1991 as Director at the Institute for European Environmental Policy, Bonn, London, and Paris. From 1985 to 1991 he was a member of the board (1988-1991, chairman) of the Association of German Scientists. From 1991 to 2000 he was President of the Wuppertal Institute of Climate, Environment and Energy. From 2002 to 2004, he was a member of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, Geneva. Since 1985, Ernst von Weizsäcker has been a member of the board of trustees of the Theodor Heuss Foundation, Stuttgart and since 1992 has been a member of the Club of Rome. He has been on the board of the Association of German Scientists (Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler e.V.) since 2003 and a member of the World Academy of Art and Science since 2005.
Ernst von Weizsäcker became actively engaged in politics as long ago as the 70s. From 1998 to 2005 he was a member of the German Bundestag, constituency 259, Stuttgart I. In addition, he was Chairman of the Enquete Commission “Globalization of the Global Economy“ from 1999 to 2002 and Chairman of the Committee for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety of the German Bundestag from 2002 to 2005. From December 2004 to October 2005, he was spokesman of the SPD study group on Sustainable Development in the German Bundestag.
From 2006 to 2008, Ernst von Weizsäcker has been Dean of the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara.
