ETH Zurich | Institute of Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP)

🎉 Congratulations to Tobias Schmidt on his Promotion to Full Professor! We’re delighted to announce that Tobias Schmidt, Director of the ISTP, has been promoted to Full Professor of Energy and Technology Policy at ETH Zürich. This honor reflects his outstanding work in climate, energy, and technology policy. 🌍 Under his leadership, ISTP continues to thrive as a hub for policy-driven research tackling critical societal challenges. Join us in celebrating this well-deserved achievement: u.ethz.ch/tNIy3 Thomas Bernauer | Elizabeth Tilley | Dietmar Huber | Cedric Bolli

🎉 Congratulations ISTP Graduates 2024! 🎓 A huge round of applause to this year’s cohort for reaching this incredible milestone! Your dedication, hard work, and perseverance have paid off, and we couldn’t be prouder of what you’ve accomplished during your time at ISTP. Here’s to your bright future and all the success ahead. Cheers to the Class of 2024! 🥂 ETH Zürich | Thomas Bernauer | Tobias Schmidt | Dietmar Huber | Cedric Bolli

For our last #ISTPColloquium of the season, we had the pleasure of hosting Professor Dr Markus Moos from the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo, Canada! His thought-provoking talk, "Housing the Green City: Delivering Affordable and Suitable Density," explored a critical challenge facing cities worldwide: how to reduce the environmental impacts of car reliance and urban sprawl while addressing affordability and housing suitability. Using insights from the Canadian context, Professor Moos demonstrated how planning policies designed to curb car use and sprawl can unintentionally contribute to gentrification, especially in the absence of strong affordable housing measures. His discussion illuminated the broader implications of 'green urbanism,' particularly how neoliberal policies have exacerbated exclusionary dynamics. By highlighting the often-overlooked concept of housing suitability alongside affordability, the talk offered fresh perspectives on planning for higher-density urban forms—insights with significant global relevance for urban policymakers, researchers, and practitioners alike. A heartfelt thank you to Professor Moos for sharing his expertise and sparking an engaging conversation about the complex intersections of sustainability, equity, and urban planning! Interested in the ISTP Colloquium? https://u.ethz.ch/Y0t0x ETH Zürich | Tobias Schmidt | Thomas Bernauer | Dietmar Huber

🎉 Huge congratulations to Erwin Lefoll on successfully defending his doctoral thesis at the ISTP! Throughout his research, Erwin focused on investigating responsible value chains within the cocoa and mining industries, as part of the SWISSCHAINS research incubator project.   🌍 For more about SWISSCHAINS and Erwin's valuable contributions, check out our website here: u.ethz.ch/JuCkk   ETH Zürich | Tobias Schmidt | Thomas Bernauer | Dietmar Huber

Congratulations to Prof. Tobias Schmidt, Director of the ETH Zurich | Institute of Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP) for his promotion! 🎉

📢 Join us for the final #ISTPcolloquium of the semester this Wednesday, December 11, featuring Markus Moos from the University of Waterloo. He will explore how urban planning policies to reduce car dependency and sprawl intersect with gentrification and housing inequities. Using Canada as a case study, Moos will highlight the global challenges of ‘green urbanism,’ affordable housing, and the importance of housing suitability in dense cities. 🕒 12:15–13:15 CET 📍 ETH HG D 5.2 or via Zoom 🔗 Zoom link: u.ethz.ch/ndpXO 🔎 More about the talk: u.ethz.ch/E6PtJ Don’t miss this final session! ETH Zürich | Thomas Bernauer | Tobias Schmidt | Dietmar Huber | Cedric Bolli

A big thanks to Julian-Malte Wenning for spotlighting the incredible momentum of the IDEA League Challenge Alumni Network!   We were thrilled to host both IDEA League Challenge participants and alumni at ETH Zürich last month and look forward to seeing this vibrant community of changemakers grow 🌟🌍 ETH Zürich | Tobias Schmidt | Thomas Bernauer | Dietmar Huber

Professor Dr Lena Kitzing of DTU - Technical University of Denmark presented on the policies for investment and market integration of offshore wind energy at yesterday's #ISTPColloquium! Dr. Kitzing highlighted how these policies have shifted from solely providing financial support to investors to addressing market failures, balancing risks, and even capturing scarcity rents for redistribution to consumers. She delved into how the offshore wind sector has matured over two decades, transitioning into a robust market where Gigawatt-scale projects are now billion-Euro investments, contributing not just to energy goals but also to state finances. Her insights challenged us to rethink the economic theories underpinning renewable energy policy as technologies and markets evolve. A big thank you to Dr. Kitzing for sharing her expertise and sparking thought-provoking discussions on the future of energy policy and the role of offshore wind! Interested in the ISTP Colloquium? https://u.ethz.ch/Y0t0x ETH Zürich | Tobias Schmidt | Thomas Bernauer | Dietmar Huber

🌟 Alumni Spotlight! 🌟 We are proud to celebrate the impactful work of Jan Freihardt, an alumnus of the ETH Zürich MSc Science, Technology and Policy programme. His featured documentary, "Eroding Horizons. A Village on the Move," sheds light on climate migration in Bangladesh and was recently launched at #COP29, highlighting the urgent realities of climate change adaptation. 📖 Read more about Jan's project here: u.ethz.ch/wboeY ETH Zürich | Tobias Schmidt | Thomas Bernauer | Dietmar Huber

📢 Join us at our next #ISTPcolloquium this Wednesday, Dec 4, for a talk by Lena Kitzing, Head of the ‘Society, Market and Policy’ section at DTU - Technical University of Denmark Wind Energy. She will explore the evolving role of renewable energy policies, focusing on offshore wind in Europe. Learn how offshore wind drives the energy transition, from bridging profitability gaps to rethinking billion-Euro financing models. 🕒 12:15–13:15 CET 📍 ETH HG D 5.2 or via Zoom 🔗 Info & Zoom link: u.ethz.ch/ndpXO 🔎 More: u.ethz.ch/NO2Do Don’t miss this session! ETH Zürich | Thomas Bernauer | Tobias Schmidt | Dietmar Huber | Cedric Bolli