ETH Zurich Names Günther Dissertori as President

According to an official announcement from ETH Zurich, at the request of the ETH Board, the Swiss Federal Council has confirmed Günther Dissertori as the next President of ETH Zurich. The particle physicist, who currently serves as Rector of the university, will succeed Joël Mesot and assume office on 1 January 2027. Mesot will continue to serve as President of ETH Zurich until the end of December 2026.

The Federal Council’s decision to appoint Dissertori, a 56-year-old scientist from South Tyrol, reflects a commitment to continuity. “I’d like to thank the Federal Council for their confidence and am excited about working to keep ETH Zurich a top global university together with the strong team of the Executive Board, our professors and all members of staff,” Dissertori said. He has been a Professor of Particle Physics at ETH Zurich since 2001 and, in 2022, was appointed Rector, Deputy President, and a member of the ETH Zurich Executive Board.

Günther Dissertori

Image: Markus Bertschi / ETH Zurich

Günther Dissertori (born in 1969) is an Italian physicist, scientist, Professor of Particle Physics, and the current Rector of ETH Zurich. He will become President of ETH Zurich at the beginning of 2027, succeeding Joël Mesot.

Dissertori studied physics at the University of Innsbruck and began his research career as a doctoral student at CERN in Geneva.

His appointment brings a distinguished scientist to one of Switzerland’s most important academic leadership positions. According to the Federal Council’s media release, Dissertori made “key contributions to the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Geneva in 2012.” Beyond his achievements in fundamental research, he has also promoted the application of detector technologies in medicine, contributing to the establishment of an ETH spin-off that developed a cost-effective brain PET scanner.

As Rector, Dissertori has emphasized collaboration with industry, including through the Learning Factory project in Zug, which connects ETH students with industrial partners. He has also strengthened the Student Project House, a platform that enables students to cultivate entrepreneurial skills and an innovative mindset.

Supporting early-career researchers has been a central focus throughout Dissertori’s career. As Rector, he has overseen education and teaching at all levels, including continuing education programs. The Federal Council noted that over the past four years he has “significantly shaped the strategic direction of academic instruction at ETH Zurich.”

Among his key initiatives is the launch of the PAKETH project, the most comprehensive curriculum reform since the introduction of the Bologna system. PAKETH is designed to facilitate the development of degree programs, increase flexibility, and create new opportunities for students to engage with industry. Dissertori has also developed a comprehensive vision for teaching, expanded project-based learning formats, and actively promoted the strategic integration of artificial intelligence into the curriculum.