Self-Assement Report by Breadfruit

Audit 2009 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Vol. A Self Assessment report School of Engineering

PREAMBLE The present self-assessment document is established to provide information to the expert committee in charge of auditing the general working and management of the EPFL School of engineering (STI). The document focuses on the strategic and structural aspects of the STI, providing information about its vision & strategy, governance & organization, faculty, infrastructure, research areas & performance, teaching & education. A separate document deals with activities at the level of individual laboratories and centers. The EPFL Direction will have supplied the committee with a list of specific questions to be addressed by this audit. The present document was not formulated as a specific response to these questions, but rather to present a broad view of the EPFL School of engineering and its internal working mechanisms. Specific points not directly addressed by this document can be raised as wished by Committee members, either ahead of or during the site visit The document begins with a rather exhaustive management summary and is followed by more specific chapters. We welcome the opportunity to benefit from the insight and guidance of a very high level Expert Committee and thank its members for accepting to commit time and effort for the benefit of our School and EPFL.

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Table of content

Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................7 1.1 Overview ..................................................................................................................................7 1.2 Research .................................................................................................................................8 1.3 Education ...............................................................................................................................12 1.4 Outlook ..................................................................................................................................14

The Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) ...........................................................16 2.1 EPFL within the Swiss academic landscape ..........................................................................16 2.2 History ...................................................................................................................................17 2.3 Organization and Key Figures ...............................................................................................17

The School of engineering (STI) ..................................................................................................20 3.1 Positioning and Mission statement ........................................................................................20 3.2 Organization and governance ................................................................................................21 3.3 Faculty and personnel ...........................................................................................................24 3.4 Resources .............................................................................................................................33

Research directions, results and perspectives ..........................................................................40 4.1 Overview and general positioning ..........................................................................................40 4.2 Institute of Electrical Engineering ..........................................................................................40 4.3 Micro-engineering Institute ....................................................................................................48 4.4 Mechanical engineering Institute ...........................................................................................55 4.5 Institute of Materials...............................................................................................................61 4.6 Institute of Bioengineering .....................................................................................................69 4.7 Centers and technical/scientific platforms ..............................................................................75 4.8 Other research partnerships and initiatives ...........................................................................82 4.9 Results and scientific output ..................................................................................................86

Education .......................................................................................................................................93 5.1 Overview ................................................................................................................................93 5.2 Section of Electrical and electronic engineering (SEL) ........................................................102 5.3 Section of Microengineering (SMT) .....................................................................................104 5.4 Section of Mechanical engineering (SGM) ..........................................................................106 5.5 Section of Materials sciences and engineering (SMX).........................................................108 5.6 Doctoral school and programs .............................................................................................110 5.7 Alumni evaluation ................................................................................................................113 5.8 Structure, future developments ............................................................................................116

General Perspective and Conclusions ......................................................................................117

Appendices – separate documents ...........................................................................................119

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Figures and illustrations Fig. 1 – STI landscape ............................................................................................................................. 7 Fig. 2 – Evolution of Junior Faculty members, students (Total BA+MA+PhD; PhD), federal and external budget ................................................................................................................... 8 Fig. 3 – External funds [MCHF], Publications [#/year], Students BA+MA [#] by Institute/Section ......... 10 Fig. 4 – Third party funding by Faculty, start-ups/patents ...................................................................... 12 Fig. 5 – Evolution of the Bachelor (BA1) and Master (MA1) enrollment ................................................ 13 Fig. 6 – Governance of the federal polytechnical school and the national laboratories ......................... 16 Fig. 7 – Organization and governance of EPFL ..................................................................................... 18 Fig. 8 – Students (BS, MS, PhD) community growth over time ............................................................. 19 Fig. 9 – Institutes and Sections within STI ............................................................................................. 20 Fig. 10 – STI positioning ........................................................................................................................ 21 Fig. 11 – STI organizational structure .................................................................................................... 22 Fig. 12 – Total faculty positions during the period 2004-2009 (PO, PA, PATT) ..................................... 27 Fig. 13 – Number of professors at the School, according to nationality, gender and academic ranking .................................................................................................................... 27 Fig. 14 – Total intermediate senior scientists growth during the period 2005-2009 (PT, PTE, MER/CSS) .............................................................................................................. 32 Fig. 15 – Evolution of EPFL funding (A+B+D) over the last 9 years [in MCHF] ..................................... 34 Fig. 16 – 2009 Budget (salaries) breakdown by functions [in %] and units [in MCHF]........................... 34 Fig. 17 – Evolution of third party funding by sources (expenses) [in MCHF] ........................................ 35 Fig. 18 – Evolution of third party funding by sources (relative expenses) [in %] .................................... 35 Fig. 19 – Evolution of third party funding by Institute (expenses) [in MCHF] ......................................... 36 Fig. 20 – Evolution of SNSF proposals (submitted and granted) for free research and equipment (R’Equip) [in # of Requests] ................................................................................................... 36 Fig. 21 – Preliminary volume drawings of the planned extensions and refurbishing of the southern part of the Mechanical Engineering building (in green) ............................................ 38 Fig. 22 – Preliminary cross sectional drawing view of the southern part of the Mechanical Engineering building (in green). To the left, the Rolex Learning Center under construction ... 38 Fig. 23 – Fields of research covered by the EE Institute ....................................................................... 40 Fig. 24 – Fields of research covered by the Microengineering Institute ................................................. 48 Fig. 25 – Fields of research covered by the Mechanical Engineering Institute ...................................... 55 Fig. 26 – The various materials subcategories and examples of interrelations between them ............. 65 Fig. 27 – Number of publications per Institute (left) and Total STI (right) – all years ............................. 87 Fig. 28 – Number of citations / professor per Institute (left) and STI Total (right) since 2004 ................ 87 Fig. 29 – Impact factor for publications after 2004 ................................................................................. 88 Fig. 30 – Publication in the top journals ................................................................................................. 88 Fig. 31 – Bologna-based curriculum ...................................................................................................... 93 Fig. 32 – STI overall curriculum with ECTS credit allocation ................................................................ 95 Fig. 33 – STI overall curriculum with ECTS credit allocation ................................................................ 96 Fig. 34 – Masters building blocks .......................................................................................................... 97 Fig. 35 – Student population over time and per Section ...................................................................... 100 Fig. 36 – New registered STI Bachelor students (BA1 2002-2007, incl. students repeating the year). 100 Fig. 37 – New registered STI Master students (MA1 2004-2007, incl. students repeating the year) and without special programs ............................................................................................... 101 Fig. 38 – New registered STI Master students (MA1 2004-2007) w/o BA from EPFL ......................... 101 Fig. 39 – SEL Bachelor – first, second and third year ECTS credit allocation (from left to right) ......... 102

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Fig. 40 – SEL Master ECTS credit allocation....................................................................................... 104 Fig. 41 – SMT Bachelor – first, second and third year ECTS credit allocation (from left to right) ........ 105 Fig. 42 – SMT Master ECTS credit allocation ...................................................................................... 106 Fig. 43 – SGM Bachelor – first, second and third year ECTS credit allocation (from left to right) ........ 107 Fig. 44 – SGM Master –ECTS credit allocation ................................................................................... 108 Fig. 45 – SMX Bachelor – first, second and third year ECTS credit allocation (from left to right) ........ 109 Fig. 46 – SMX Master –ECTS credit allocation.................................................................................... 110 Fig. 47 – Registered PhD student population (links) and awarded PhD title per Section (right) .......... 112 Fig. 48 – Enrolled PhD students per Doctoral program ....................................................................... 113

Tables Table 1 – Personnel split among School’s units (budgetary and third party funds) ............................... 24 Table 2 – Total breakdown of faculty members at the School of engineering ....................................... 26 Table 3 – List of recent hires between 2004 and 2009 .......................................................................... 28 Table 4 – List of new hires to join STI after 30.09.2009 ......................................................................... 29 Table 5 – List of open positions ............................................................................................................. 30 Table 6 – List of promotions (Faculty and senior scientists) between 2005 and 2009 .......................... 31 Table 7 – List of upcoming full professor retirements per Institute......................................................... 32 Table 8 – List of independent scientists ................................................................................................. 33 Table 9 – List of occupied sponsored chairs.......................................................................................... 37 Table 10 – Laboratories, faculty members and area of research at the Electrical Engineering Institute ................................................................................................................................ 42 Table 11 – Number of faculty members at the Electrical Engineering Institute at the end of Sept. 2009 ............................................................................................................................ 44 Table 12 – SWOT analysis of the Institute of Electrical Engineering ..................................................... 46 Table 13 –List of upcoming full senior professor retirement of IEL ........................................................ 47 Table 14 – Laboratories, faculty members and area of research at the Microengineering Institute ....... 50 Table 15 – Number of faculty members, incl. gender, at the Micro-engineering Institute ...................... 52 Table 16 –List of upcoming full senior professor retirement of IMT ....................................................... 52 Table 17 – Laboratories that have joined EPFL from the imt / University of Neuchâtel ......................... 53 Table 18 – Main research activities on the two sites ............................................................................. 53 Table 19 – SWOT analysis of the micro-engineering Institute ............................................................... 54 Table 20 – Laboratories, faculty members and area of research at the Mechanical Engineering Institute ............................................................................................................ 57 Table 21 – Number of faculty members, incl. gender, at the Mechanical Engineering Institute ............. 58 Table 22 – SWOT analysis of the Mechanical engineering Institute ...................................................... 59 Table 23 –List of upcoming full senior professor retirement of IGM....................................................... 60 Table 24 – Laboratories, faculty members and area of research at the Institute of Materials ................ 62 Table 25 – Number of faculty members, incl. gender, at the Institute of Materials ................................ 63 Table 26 – SWOT analysis of the Institute of Materials ......................................................................... 64 Table 27 –List of upcoming full senior professor retirement of IMX ....................................................... 66 Table 28 – Laboratories, groups, faculty members and area of research at the Institute of Bioengineering (primary affiliation to the School of engineering) ......................................... 71

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Table 29 – Laboratories, groups, faculty members and area of research at the Institute of Bioengineering (primary affiliation to the School of Life Sciences) ....................................... 71 Table 30 – Laboratories, groups, faculty members and area of research at the Institute of Bioengineering (primary affiliation to the School of Basic Sciences) .................................... 72 Table 31 – Number of faculty members at the Institute of Bioengineering (primary affiliation to the School of engineering) .................................................................. 73 Table 32 – Number of faculty members at the Institute of Bioengineering (TOTAL in all Schools – SV, STI and SB) ............................................................................ 73 Table 33 – SWOT analysis of the Institute of Bioengineering ................................................................ 74 Table 34 – Available microscopy techniques and applications at CIME ................................................ 77 Table 35 – Evolution of ERC research grants (Advanced and Starting) ................................................ 89 Table 36 – Overview of the STI tech transfer performance ................................................................... 90 Table 37 – List of startups fostered through STI .................................................................................... 91 Table 38 – Masters specialization for each Section............................................................................... 97 Table 39 – EPFL minors for Master students ........................................................................................ 98 Table 40 – EPFL additional possible minors for Master students .......................................................... 98 Table 41 – Student’s recruiting areas .................................................................................................... 99 Table 42 – EPFL Doctoral Programs ................................................................................................... 111 Table 43 – Doctoral programs within STI ............................................................................................ 111

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1 1.1

Executive Summary Overview

The School of Engineering at EPFL is known by the French acronym STI and includes Electrical Engineering, Microengineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, and Bioengineering (jointly with the School of Life Sciences). Microengineering is a discipline that is particular to EPFL and is devoted to micro-fabrication and manufacturing. In most other universities its activities would be part of the Electrical and Mechanical engineering departments. Chemical engineering is in the School of Basic Sciences, Computer science and Communications are in a separate School, and Civil and Environmental engineering constitute together with Architecture the fifth EPFL School.

Industry CSEM

Integrated Systems Center (ICS)

Computer & Communication

Center for electron Microscopy (CIME)

Space Center (CTS)

Basic Sciences

Center of Micronanotechnology (CMI)

Micro Engineering

Materials Science & Engineering

Electrical Engineering

STI Mechanical Engineering

Idiap Research Institute- Martigny

Bio-Engineering Neuroprosthetics Center (CPN)

Life Sciences

Center of Translational Biomechanics (CBT)

Fig. 1 – STI landscape

STI is organized along these five major disciplines, in organizational entities roughly equivalent to departments at other universities. More specifically, each of the five “departments” consists of an Institute (responsible for research, space allocation and new hires) and a corresponding Section (responsible for undergraduate teaching). In addition each department is affiliated with one or more doctoral programs for the education of PhD students. In general there is also a “flagship” doctoral program for each department. In addition to these academic structures there are centers serving goals (research projects or common infrastructure) that cut across the five STI disciplines or across schools. STI has currently 41 full professors, 108 faculty overall, a total budget from the federal government of 72.9 million CHF, 1’280 undergraduate students (Bachelor + Master) in residence and a total of 1’203 employees, among which 542 doctoral students. The School is housed primarily in 4 building clusters at the heart of the main campus with a total surface area of 46’000 square meters. There is a satellite campus in Neuchâtel that is also part of STI since January 1st, 2009. The School has been growing rapidly in the last few years with a sharp rise in the number of junior faculty, students and budget as depicted in the next Figure.

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# Junior faculty

10 8

7 5

4 2 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

1'263

1'237

1'252

1'250

1'280

All (BA, MA, PhD)

1'100 900

PhD 700 500

347 2004

09.2009

405

429

442

2005

2006

2007

507

542

2008

(2009)

55.6

57.2

58.3

60.7

External Budget [MCHF]

72.9

Federal Budget [MCHF]

1'300

300

1'472

1'500

# Students (underg.+PhD)

64.3

50 40 30 20 10 0

61.5

60 50

44.3

45.7

45.9

44.8

2004

2005

2006

2007

48.4

40 30 20 10 0

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2008

2009E

Fig. 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Evolution of Junior Faculty members, students (Total BA+MA+PhD; PhD), federal and external budget

1.2

Research

There are strong research activities in many areas in STI: electronic circuits and signal processing in Electrical engineering, fluid dynamics, control and mechanical design in Mechanical engineering, and structural and functional materials in Materials science & engineering. Microengineering combines robotics, photonics, signal processing, manufacturing, nanofabrication, and microfluidics. It is a unique blend of the traditional and the modern. Under its current President, the EPFL has gone through major transformations, including a push towards more advanced research. This has had consequences for STI as well whose laboratories were encouraged to publish more with the result of an increase in publications. The ARWU Shanghai ranking which is based on publications/citations ranked EPFL second in Europe in 2008 behind Cambridge in Engineering and Computer Science. Since 2007, STI entered a period of rapid growth. A total of 18 new faculty members were hired since 2008 (10 assistant professors1, 1 associate professor, 5 full professors, and 3 adjunct professors). In addition 1 full professor, 2 associate professors, 1 assistant professor will join STI within the next 6 months. As of September 29 2009 there were two outstanding offers for assistant professor positions. Finally there are 6 ongoing searches for the 2009-2010 season for 8 to 11 positions. There are two goals that need to be achieved with these hires: 1.

Renew and strengthen the traditional departments (electrical, mechanical, materials, microengineering) to ensure continuation of the traditional excellence in teaching and industrial relations at STI.

Enter new areas: nanotechnology, bioengineering, renewable energy

Including one SNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation) funded assistant professor

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During the same period STI started the transition from a classic European style school with large labs and multiple permanent positions towards a tenure track system of smaller, more dynamic groups. This transition has profound implications not only for research but also for teaching and School governance. The majority of the hires in STI have been made through broad advertised searches at the assistant professor level. We were able to attract highly qualified people often beating multiple competitive offers from other top universities. The overall offer packages in STI at the junior level are in excess of 2.5 million CHF over 6 years plus the salary of the professor. The senior (tenured associate or full) hires were primarily targets of opportunity. The transfer of the Institute of microtechnology (imt) from the University of Neuch창tel to EPFL accounted for 3 of these senior professors. The recent hires have transformed to a considerable degree the research landscape in STI. We have made a major investment in bioengineering by hiring 5 (including Huisken or 5.5 if Fantner comes) new junior people and adding 5.5 senior positions (including Psaltis) through new hires and transfers. Bioengineering prior to 2007 was only marginally part of STI. Instead it became part of the school of Life Sciences. We entered a strong collaboration with them, assumed joint responsibility for the Bioengineering Institute and we are now developing a joint Master program. Recently, a major donation enabled the establishment of the Neuroprosthetics center in STI, affiliated with Bioengineering. A total of 5 new faculty positions are planned in this area. One of them is already filled. The entry into the bioengineering area was a very significant development; however, important changes took place in all 5 departments. The addition of the group of 4 professors from the Institute of microtechnology from the University of Neuch창tel to the Microengineering Institute at EPFL has given a strong boost to an already vibrant department. Two new hires were made in Lausanne, there is an outstanding offer to a junior candidate and there is an open search in the area of microdevices for energy and the environment. The department is extremely strong in industrial interactions, external fund raising, and teaching at the undergraduate level. At the same time it maintains a diverse research agenda with world class activities in MEMS, robotics, photonics, nanotechnology, electronics, design, and signal processing. This department is very unique to Switzerland and EPFL, having its roots in the watch industry and the tradition of engineering small things. The presence of the Microengineering department sometimes complicates the planning of the Electrical and Mechanical engineering departments as well as Bioengineering because there is overlap with these other departments. However, it is such a successful enterprise with the students, industry and research that instead of a problem, it has become one of the pillars on which the School of engineering is built. Electrical Engineering at EPFL has a long history in electrical circuits and a tradition of training students. However at present Electrical Engineering at EPFL finds itself at a critical crossroad facing multiple challenges and opportunities. The strong activities in EE at the moment are circuits (analog, digital, nano-circuits, and power electronics) and signal processing. Both of these activities are world class with multiple labs. There is also a strong group in antennas. What is lacking in EE is the broad range of activities one finds in other vibrant EE departments in major universities (strong electromagnetics, photonics, systems, communications, computer engineering, sensors, etc). This is partially due to the fact that many of these other activities are in computer science and Microengineering. Possibly due to this lack of breadth, the Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering has very low enrollment. The Master and Doctoral programs on the contrary are the most popular in STI and usually all of EPFL. It is critical for STI to boost the electrical engineering department since this is a very popular engineering discipline at the international level. Three new assistant professors were appointed in EE since 2008 and there are 2 active searches in power networks and communications. This has started the evolution of the department to a broader spectrum of activities with the primary areas of expansion being in electrical power generation, storage, and distribution, communication devices, nanotechnology, sensors, and computer engineering.

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128

2004

156

188

10 8

177

6 90

2005

2006

3rd Party Funds

2007

2008

Publications

500 400

10.4

9.7 327

323

9.8 364

200

100

2009E

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009E

Funds

9.6

10.1

Publications

144

158

149

112

115

119

121

104

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Publications

450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0

600

25.7

575 490

500

Funds

BA+MA

700

12 8

151

IMT/SMT

7.9 149

BA+MA

400

[MCHF]

9.0

9.9

383

2004

14 10.5

351

14 12

10.3

300

IMX/SMX 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0

12.6

12.1

600

323

294

IGM/SGM

700

[MCHF]

271 221

281

13.1

14.1

13.6

300 200

100

187

147

25 456

447

425

12.2 202

12.6

13.7

201

196

2005

2006

Funds

386

427

330 264

3.0

219

2.3

2.0 1.0 94

114

79 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Funds

Publications

5 0

BA+MA

IBI/SSV

10 92

2004

2009E

[MCHF]

12.8

12.9

2007

Publications

5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0

2008

2009E

BA+MA

[MCHF]

12.5

IEL/SEL 13.4 12.0

[MCHF]

500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0

2009E

BA+MA

Fig. 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; External funds [MCHF], Publications [#/year], Students BA+MA [#] by Institute/Section

The Mechanical engineering department at EPFL is strong in fluid dynamics, energy, industrial design, control, and solid mechanics. For instance the laboratory that specializes in turbines for hydroelectrical power generation is recognized as world leading facility and serves as a test site for many of the hydroelectric turbines being used around the world. There is also a rising interest among students in ME possibly because of the emergence of the energy field which is often affiliated with mechanical engineering. In general, mechanical engineering has been on an upward swing in recent years. However, problems exist. Research areas usually found in mechanical engineering departments elsewhere (MEMs, microfluidics, robotics) are in Microengineering at EPFL. At the same time the existing groups generally do research in traditional areas with 6 of the 10 full professors in the department scheduled to retire by 2015. A major rejuvenation will take place in ME in the next 5 years. A search in 2008 resulted 2

Split between Bioengineering & biotechnology and Life Sciences & technology only at Master level. This chart shows all students BA+MA without distinction

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in a junior hire in fluid mechanics. A second search in 2009 identified another excellent candidate in solid mechanics but unfortunately we lost that candidate to Harvard. There is an ongoing search for two positions (two junior or one senior and one junior). The plan is to add a position each year for the foreseeable future. A challenge that we face with so many of the senior faculty approaching retirement is to make sure that we have the intellectual leadership in the department to carry out the plan. Ideally we would make a senior hire of a strong leader at an age that will allow him or her sufficient runway to rebuild a strong department. The Materials Science department at EPFL is very strong, possibly the best MS department in Europe. There are very active groups in composite materials, colloidals, ferroelectrics, cement, metals, organics, nanoparticles, and computational methods at the continuum level. Since 2007 two high-profile senior people were hired (E. Kaxiras from Harvard, F. Stellacci from MIT) and two assistant professor appointments who both won the prestigious European Research Council award this year. Materials Science is a strong cohesive group that operates well at all levels of its activities. The only kink in the armor of materials science is the comparatively low enrollment at the Bachelor level. One of the changes that were instituted as part of the transition was the introduction of the “independent scientist” group in 2008. These are senior scientists that emerge from laboratories when the professor retires. Typically these are highly qualified scientists, they publish well, teach, advise students, and write proposals. Under the old system people in this situation would be allocated to another laboratory (often the laboratory of the person hired to replace the retiring professor). Since 2007, the large majority of the new hires are untenured assistant professors and the new senior labs are only allowed one permanent position. Therefore the system of independent scientist started. An independent scientist does not belong to a lab (does not receive an annual budget from STI other than his or her salary) but teaches, and if funds are raised from outside sources lab and office space is allocated. At the moment there are 11 such independent scientists in STI and this number is expected to grow significantly in the next decade before it starts declining through retirements. It is too early to conclude whether this program is successful, but early indications are positive. The total number of graduate students currently (September 2009) advised by the independent group is 56 and the external funds raised are approximately 7 MCHF annually. An important measure of the strength of the research activity is external funding (see Figures 3 and 4). The professors in STI are raising the most external funds in EPFL and the amount has been rising steadily. The growth has come to a significant degree from European funding which is highly competitive but also recently from the transfer of the Institute of microtechnology from the University of Neuchâtel which is strongly funded by third parties. In particular, it’s worthwhile mentioning that out of the 8 recent ERC starting grants received by EPFL applicants, 5 (including one with double affiliation) were STI faculty members and EPFL was the number one in Europe in terms of the number of grants received. Cambridge was second. The success rate is also very high with the Swiss National Science foundation, in line with the proportionally high amount gathered by EPFL compared with other Swiss Institutions. A very significant source of funding for STI that has allowed the rapid growth in the budget since 2007 is endowed chairs, given either by industry or individual donors. Three of the professors recently hired are funded by such endowed chairs and several of the current searches are similarly funded. The endowment for these chairs is typically spent in 5 to 10 years to support the professor and EPFL assumes the responsibility after that. The rapid increase in sponsored research funding and the gifts are one reason that has allowed STI to grow very rapidly in the last 3 years. It has also changed the balance between the hard money (federal) and soft money (sponsored research and gifts) in the STI budget. Research is impacted profoundly by the high quality of the infrastructure. In this regard EPFL in general and STI in particular are extremely well endowed. Each year, as part of the annual budget given to EPFL, funds are available for major new equipment purchases and building renovations. These investments can be allocated to individual research laboratories but more commonly they go to common facilities. These common facilities are generally accessible to all members of the EPFL community but each is managed by one of the Schools. The most important facility managed by STI is the microfabriSTI-Audit 2009 - Vol. A: Self-Assessment report

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cation facility (acronym CMI) that is currently being upgraded with a 7.5 million CHF extension (not counting new scientific equipment) called CMI+. Computational facilities are another important area for STI, including not only hardware but also personnel and associated courses to facilitate computer simulations for all researchers. The Microegineering building will be renovated starting in 2009 to accommodate the CMI expansion mentioned above and the growth in the faculty size. The Mechanical Engineering building has been approved for renovation starting in 2010-2011. 3rd party funding

Start-ups

9.5%

Patents

16.9% 34.4%

16.1%

16.4% 55.1%

4.4% 4.4%

50.7%

4.1% 6.8%

6.4% 19.1%

STI

33.6% SB SV

ENAC

21.9% STI

ENAC

STI

ENAC

Fig. 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Third party funding by Faculty, start-ups/patents

Centers at EPFL are normally entities aimed to bridge activities across different Institutes and Schools. There are several centers within STI including CMI, the microfabrication facility mentioned above. A major donation in 2008 resulted in the establishment of the Neuroprosthetics center at EPFL, managed by STI. Five new positions will be affiliated with the center and several existing labs will contribute. The Neuroprosthetics center will be housed in the renovated mechanical engineering building. The Space Center is another important activity. It is a partnership with Swiss industries (RUAG Aerospace, CSEM) but also the Swiss Space Office providing an academic foothold for aerospace research in Switzerland. Within STI the Space Center provides an important educational role through special projects and organized courses. These activities culminated on September 23rd, 2009 in the successful launch of the first Swiss satellite called Swisscube.

1.3

Education

STI is granting Bachelor, Master, and PhD degrees. The combined Bachelor and Master degrees have substituted for the earlier diploma degree. The change was implemented to conform with the Bologna system which is a set of guidelines to create uniformity within the European Union and allow for mobility from one country to another. The Bachelor degree is offered in French and is aimed primarily to Swiss or French speaking students. There is a strong emphasis during the first 4 semesters on physics and math as well as practical teaching laboratory work and exercises. Undergraduate students at EPFL have a total of 28 direct contact hours per week (2 ECTS 3), a very high number for universities in the US. The Bachelor is not a terminal degree since the industry generally does not hire graduates without the Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree. One of the peculiarities of the Bachelor programs in STI is the existence of the highly successful Microengineering program and the fact that computers and communications are in part housed in another School. Consequently, subjects such as telecom and photonics are not directly included in the EE curriculum while robotics, MEMs and microfluidics are not taught in Mechanical Engineering. The Masters degree is currently a 3 semesters program and is evolving towards 4 semesters (2 years) and 120 ECTS in total. There is a requirement for a diploma (Master) thesis and an internship in industry will be required starting in 2012. The Masters is now nominally offered in English and it is equally aimed at the graduating Bachelor students from EPFL as well as incoming students from abroad. As such the Masters degree serves multiple purposes. It prepares students for a job in industry and it can 3

ECTS = European Credit Transfer System (1 ECTS = 14 contact hours plus approx. 14 hours of personal work)

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be a step towards the PhD. The Masters degree also offers the possibility for a change in course for the students with interdisciplinary and joint Masters programs. Around 2005, STI experienced a drop in the number of undergraduates enrolled particularly at the Bachelor and Master levels in Microengineering. This drop was attributed to the introduction of the Life Sciences Bachelor degree which competed for the same finite pool of students. Since that time undergraduate enrollment has recovered due to the general growth of the Masters enrollment, the union of the Bioengineering Master’s program with Life sciences and the resurgence of the Microengineering degrees. Electrical Engineering is very popular at the Master’s level with non-Swiss students but is not fairing so well at the Bachelor level. In general the Master program offers the greatest opportunity for innovation at the level of STI where we can explore new possibilities. One recent development that could help improve our hiring figures is the formalization at EPFL level of the employment of Master students (research and teaching assistantships). 428 369

400 350 300

318 248

250

334

323

291 234

289 246

242

256

200 150 100

2004

2005

139

113 81

250

# MA1 Enrollment Total

# BA1 Enrollment

450

205 184 156

127

137

121

116 96

100

(2009)

2004

2005

TOTAL

Swiss

2006

2007

2008

Swiss

2006

2007

2008

Foreigners incl. Residents

192 159

150

179 158 126

154 134

121

100 33

154 116 90

105 49

0 2004 Swiss

2005

2006

2007

2008

Foreigners incl. Residents

(2009) TOTAL

250

# MA1 Enrollment non EPFL

# MA1 Enrollment from EPFL

150

174

159

198

200

201 200

50 40 40 30

10 0

2004 Swiss

9 9

15 1

16 3

2005

2006

6 0 2007

2008

Foreigners incl. Residents

(2009) TOTAL

Fig. 5 – Evolution of the Bachelor (BA1) and Master (MA1) enrollment

The PhD degree is offered through doctoral programs. Some doctoral programs are aligned closely to one of the Institutes (Materials, Electrical Engineering, Bioengineering) but not always. For example the photonics doctoral program can have students who work in labs in Microengineering, Electrical Engineering, Bioengineering, or Physics. The same is true for the Energy doctoral program. This scheme is flexible and works well. The quality and number of students in the doctoral program has been increasing dramatically. Traditionally doctoral students at EPFL had been hired directly by individual labs. The introduction of the doctoral school in 2002 where students are centrally admitted has increased the quality and size of the applicant pool. It remains one of the major goals in STI to continue the improvement of the applicant pool in Europe and the rest of the world. We generally target exchange programs at the Master level that bring highly qualified potential PhD students for short term stays in STI labs.

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1.4

Outlook

The goal for the future is to continue building STI as a top engineering school in Europe and the world while serving the needs of Switzerland and the region. EPFL has been on a steady upwards path by transforming itself towards an American style university (tenure track system, very international campus, dynamic research environment) while at the same time benefiting from the strong financial support from the Swiss government. For the near future this approach should continue to work well. The generous offers and the rising reputation of EPFL should continue attracting highly qualified faculty and consequently students and additional external funds and recognition, in turn enhancing further the academic reputation of EPFL in an upwards spiral. In the last few years, appointments were made by broadening the area of the search and concentrating on the quality of the available candidates. In a time of rapid growth with many positions open this strategy works very well. Increasingly we will need to take into account the needs of the various institutes and sections because of retirements and shifting conditions. Never-the-less we plan to maintain as much as possible the basic strategy of broad searches in strategic areas of STI. The resources for continuing the renewal and growth will come from upcoming retirements and additional budget increases from the federal budget or donors. We expect to be able to sustain a hiring rate of 4 to 5 new appointments per year for the next 5 years. Mechanical engineering is an obvious area in need of appointments. Appointments in the existing disciplines (solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, turbines, control, mechanical design) will be necessary to replace retiring professors. At the same time we want to open new doors. An area of particular interest is energy: renewable energy, energy storage, efficient engines. Other areas of interest are mechanics at the small scale, mechanics of soft matter, and biomechanics. Electrical engineering is also a department that needs new blood not so much because of impeding retirements but rather to broaden its scope. Electrical power is a key area with new challenges and potential for growth. It is clear that there is a trend towards increased electrical power utilization and more diverse power generation. Communication and computers at the hardware level also provide opportunities for growth in EE. The Space Center and the Idiap Research Institute (a research laboratory in the nearby city of Martigny) can nucleate new exciting activities in Electrical engineering. We have recently signed an agreement with Idiap to hire jointly two assistant professors. Materials Science does not have obvious deficiencies at the moment but the high quality of the existing group invites more high quality appointments. There is ample opportunity for additional positions in Materials Science since this department to some extend plays the role of Applied Physics for STI. Building on the existing strengths and reaching an even higher level of excellence in Materials Science and engineering remains a priority for STI. The major challenge looking forward in Microengineering is to successfully complete the integration of the Neuchâtel site. The current plans call for a new building in Neuchâtel which should be capable of housing 4 or 5 additional research groups by 2012. We hope to create a new “green engineering” corridor in Neuchâtel in close collaboration with industry. The goal is to develop and implement a new paradigm of manufacturing and product management that respects the environment. The focus in Lausanne continues on the nanotechnology activities with the establishment of the new CMI+ facility and biomedical applications increasingly attract the attention of the Microengineering labs in Lausanne. The new robotics/neuroprosthetics facility is a major step towards establishing close relationships between the technologists in STI and biologists from the Bioengineering Institute and the School of Life Sciences. Bioengineering will continue to grow rapidly for the foreseeable future. STI is fortunate that the Bioengineering department is jointly managed with the school of Life Sciences which at EPFL is very much a technology oriented biology school. Therefore we can continue to build critical mass quickly in a dynamic important area that attracts interest from students at all levels. Bioengineering is very important for Switzerland due to the huge biomedical industry here. Since EPFL does not operate a hospital, the challenge remains to expand the current collaborations with the Lausanne hospital (CHUV), hospitals in Geneva, and the Harvard Medical School.

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We must face as we move forward, challenges due to the evolution to the tenure track system. The role of senior scientists after the retirement of a professor is one such issue as discussed earlier. Another important concern is undergraduate teaching laboratories. In the previous system this was done under the umbrella of large, well endowed labs. In the new system where labs no longer have large permanent staff, the responsibility for maintaining and managing the teaching laboratories shifts to the School. Resources and attention need to be placed in this direction. Another consequence of the tenure track system is the fact that the usual focus of junior professors towards over-the-horizon research sometimes can be at odds with strong industrial interactions, a key component of the STI mission and agenda. In the longer term the rapidly changing landscape in academia (primarily the rise of the universities in the Far East and competition from other European countries) may present challenges. For example, the Polytechnic schools in France have grouped themselves into a single affiliation in an effort to improve their international brand. The German and British systems have established elite schools for the same reason. At the same time the top universities in North America remain at the top of the World. One way EPFL can face these challenges is by taking advantage of its geographical location in the heart of Europe, and establish international collaborations with other Universities. Several such academic collaborations and exchanges are under way. Another important goal is to expand the STI interaction with local industry while establishing international industrial collaborations. Interaction with industry has always been a tradition at EPFL but it is clear that a new era is starting. A large scientific park adjacent to the campus is under construction. Companies from all over the world are being attracted to establish permanent antennas in Lausanne and work with EPFL. The EPFL groups in Neuch창tel have a special relationship with industry and the new building in Neuch창tel offers the possibility of new paradigms of university-industry collaboration to forge a green engineering discipline. At the same time the financial centers in Geneva and Zurich provide venture funds for start-ups. This dual track of high quality internationally connected academic research and education coupled with strong industrial interactions is a necessary ingredient for the long term flourishing of EPFL as a top engineering school.

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The Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

2.1

EPFL within the Swiss academic landscape

The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is one of Switzerland’s two federal universities of science and technology, the other being the ETH Zürich (ETHZ). The EPFL, ETHZ and four application-oriented research institutes 4 form the ETH domain which, unlike most public Swiss universities that are run by the regional states (i.e. the Cantons), is overseen directly by the State Secretariat for Education and Research (SER) from the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA). The ETH domain is governed by the ETH board (CEPF) which is responsible for strategic development and management for the entire ETH domain, the overall vision for which is set out in the CEPF planning documents for the periods 2004–2007 and 2008–2011 5. The three main strategic pillars for the time period 2008–2011 are to make a significant contribution to a more sustainable world by 1) expanding scientific knowledge, 2) advancing technology and translating discoveries into innovations, and 3) educating and training future leaders. As sister institutions with comparable missions, the EPFL and the ETHZ closely collaborate at many levels. The EPFL also cultivates very productive ties with other academic institutions in Switzerland, notably in the Lake of Geneva region with the Universities of Geneva and Lausanne as well as their affiliated hospitals. Swiss Federal Council State Secretariat for Education and Research (SER)

Performance Mandate ETH Board (CEPF) Reporting

ETHZ

Performance Agreements

EPFL

PSI

WSL

EMPA

EAWAG

Fig. 6 – Governance of the federal polytechnical school and the national laboratories

The mission of EPFL is to conduct top-level research and provide world-class education in the field of basic and applied sciences and of engineering, with a strong focus on multidisciplinary and highly innovative approaches. Accordingly, while solidly rooted in the technological traditions of an engineering school, EPFL has during the last decade broadened its spectrum of activities by reinforcing its presence in the basic sciences (physics, mathematics, chemistry) and more recently by expanding into life sciences, management of technology and entrepreneurship, as well as financial engineering.

The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), the Materials Science and Technology Research Institution (EMPA) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) See: http://www.ethrat.ch/content/download.php

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2.2

History

The history of the EPFL began in 1853, when the École spéciale de Lausanne was founded by former members of the French École des mines. In the first half of the twentieth century, it became part of the University of Lausanne (UNIL), as the École Polytechnique de l’Université de Lausanne (EPUL). In 1968, the Swiss central government transformed EPUL into the country’s second federal technical university, named the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. At this time the basic science departments were split: applied mathematics, applied physics, physical chemistry and chemical engineering were transferred to the EPFL, while pure mathematics, certain more basic fields of physics, as well as organic and inorganic chemistry remained part of UNIL. The federalization of basic sciences in Lausanne was completed in the period 2001–2003 when the departments of chemistry, mathematics, and physics of UNIL were reunited with their counterparts at the EPFL. Fundamental domains such as particle physics, astrophysics and pure mathematics have been joined with the more applied basic sciences, and chemistry once again became a complete department. Since 1968, the growth of the EPFL has been very rapid. According to the 2008 Academic Ranking of World Universities by Broad Subject Field, EPFL was ranked 18th in Engineering, Technology and Computer Science worldwide, and second in Europe behind the University of Cambridge, UK which was ranked 15thon a worldwide basis. In 2004 the Times Higher Education Supplement ranked EPFL as the world’s most international university: over 50% of its professors are non-Swiss, and there are over 100 nationalities present on a campus of over 10,000 people, including close to 7’000 students. The campus itself lies on the edge of the Olympic city of Lausanne, a short walk away from Lac Léman, and with a magnificent view onto the Alps. In addition to the many buildings added in recent years, a comprehensive building program, Campus 2010, already well underway, aims at developing the site by the addition of a flagship building designed for students, the so called Rolex Learning Centre, accommodation for visitors and students, a conference centre, and a zone devoted to hosting research groups of large Swiss and multinational companies near to the existing Parc Scientifique. EPFL has numerous long-standing links with high-level universities of technology in North America and in Europe (for example as part of the CLUSTER network) and is building strategic teaching and research relationships with cognate institutions in China and India. Our best students are encouraged to spend a year abroad as part of their bachelor or master’s education, and may undertake the MSc project elsewhere.

2.3

Organization and Key Figures

The EPFL is managed by a board (the EPFL Direction) consisting of five professors: the President, Prof. Patrick Aebischer who also sits on the ETH board; the Vice-president for Academic affairs, Prof. Giorgio Margaritondo; the Vice-president for Institutional affairs, Prof. Martin Vetterli; the Vice-president for Innovation & technology transfer, Mrs. Adrienne Corboud-Fumagalli; and the Vice-president for Planning & logistics, Prof. Francis-Luc Perret. The EPFL Direction delegates much administrative and budgetary responsibility to its constituting Schools, which have appreciable autonomy. The VicePresident for Academic affairs has overall responsibility for both research and teaching, but in practice this is shared with the faculty deans and with three other deans whose remits are the bachelor/master degrees, the doctoral school, and continuing education. In January 2002, the EPFL reorganized from a flat structure of 12 departments into five major Schools (or Faculties): the School of Basic Sciences (SB), comprising chemistry and chemical engineering, mathematics, and physics, including the Centre for Research in Plasma Physics; the School of Life Sciences (SV), which pursues research and education in life sciences at the interface with basic sciences, engineering, biology and medicine; the School of engineering (STI), comprising electrical engineering, micro-engineering, mechanical engineering, and materials science & engineering; the School

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of Computer and Communication Studies (I&C), comprising computer science and communication systems engineering; and the eponymous School of Architecture, Civil, and Environment Engineering (ENAC). There are in addition two Colleges, of Management of Technology (CDM) and of Humanities (CDH) broadening the spectrum of disciplines accessible to all students; three nationally-funded research competence centers (NCCR), in quantum photonics, mobile information and communication systems, and in molecular oncology; and various interfaculty centers, including the Center of micronanotechnology (CMI), the Center for neuroprosthetics (CPN), the Center for electron microscopy (CIME), and the Space center (CTS) to name only a few that have strong links to the School of engineering.

EPFL Direction

School Assembly (AE)

General Counsel

Presidency P. Aebischer

H. Bleuler Teaching Staff Assembly (CCE) L. Helm

Vice-presidency Vice-presidency Vice-presidency Vice-presidency Academic Institutional Innovation & Planning & Affairs Affairs Tech Transfer Logistics G. Margaritondo

M. Vetterli

A. Corboud

SB School of Basic Sciences

SV School of Life Sciences

STI School of Engineering

I&C School of Computer & Communication Sciences

ENAC School of Architecture, Civil & Environmental Engineering

T. Rizzo

D. Trono

D. Psaltis

W. Zwaenepoel M. Parlange

F-L. Perret

S. Killias General Secretary J-F. Ricci

CDM CDH College of College of Management of Humanities Technology

M. Vetterli (a.i)

F. Panese

Fig. 7 – Organization and governance of EPFL

Each School is administered by a Dean and a management team (the School board or direction), which typically consists of the Institute Directors. General School policy is determined by the School council (“Conseil de faculté”), which has representatives of teachers, students and administrative staff. Similar representative bodies at the EPFL level include the Teaching staff assembly and the School assembly. The Schools have the autonomy to use their budgets as they see fit and in particular to hire professors in domains of interest to them, subject to approval by the EPFL Direction and the CEPF. Each School is structured in two ways: Institutes organize and focus research activities in various disciplines and sub-disciplines; and Sections hold the responsibility for teaching. Thus the members of each School have at least two affiliations (Institute and Section). Each Institute has a director responsible for the management of its resources, be they human, financial or physical; often he or she is supported by a bureau, which deals with practical matters. An Institute is formed of several chairs or laboratories, each comprising a professor, who acts as head of his or her group of doctoral students, post-docs, and perhaps senior staff, technicians and administrators. Doctoral students have a dual identity: as students (doctorants) they perform research leading to a thesis, and as employees (assistants) they are expected to spend around 20% of their time assisting with teaching. Each Section is managed by a director who has overall responsibility for the organization and quality of its teaching. The Section director is supported by a small staff within the Section and by the central registry (“Service Académique”), which manages student admissions, scheduling, and the other tasks of teaching administration. In principle Sections are orthogonal to the School structure: section directors are appointed by the EPFL Direction rather than by the School, and report to the dean for bache-

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lor/master degrees and vice-president for academic affairs rather than to their faculty dean. In practice the orthogonality can somewhat be virtual with the bulk of the teachers for each section belonging to a single School with the major exceptions being with teaching members who offer undergraduate basis courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, electronics, etc. to more than one Section and/or School. The EPFL was among the first universities in Europe to adopt the Bologna reforms, and now offers 13 three-year bachelor degrees (180 ECTS credits) and 17 master’s degrees, each lasting three or four semesters (18–24 months of full-time study, 90 or 120 ECTS credits). The final semester of the MSc work consists of a project, though semester-long projects are an integral part of EPFL training and some degrees also require an industrial placement. Entry to the EPFL bachelor degrees is guaranteed for holders of the Swiss “maturité” (the high-school leaving certificate), and the EPFL tries to maximise opportunities for potential students, rather than to operate a “numerus clausus”. Depending on their background, students without the “maturité” may either be accepted directly, or may be required to strengthen their scientific background by spending a pre-university year with specialist tuition at EPFL. As a counterpart to this policy of openness, at the end of their first year of studies, students are obliged to pass a comprehensive examination (the “propédeutique”), whose success rate is typically around 60%, though this has fallen slightly following recent changes to the “maturité”. A doctoral school currently overseeing 19 doctoral programs6 was created in 2003 in order to look after the academic aspects of doctoral training and foster a sense of community among doctoral students and between research disciplines. The Doctoral school stands outside the five field-specific schools in order to ensure the uniformity of educational and degree-granting standards in the different disciplines. In 2008, 6’909 students were registered, including 3’423 in Bachelor programs, 1’440 in Master programs, 1’624 in Doctoral programs, 259 in Continuing education programs and 163 in Preparatory mathematics course. Alongside, the EPFL employed 4’303 collaborators amongst whom 313 faculty members (Full professors, Associate professors, Tenure-track assistant professors and Adjunct professors)7 at the End of 2008. Out of the faculty members, 53% are of Swiss nationality, 26% come from border countries and the remaining 21% from further away. Half of them were hired within Switzerland, 23% came from the USA and 27 from other countries. 8'000

6’909 students

7'000

76% Bachelor/Masters 24% PhDs

6'000

2009 estimate: + 15 to 20% increase in BS enrollment

5'000

5’140

4'000

Foreign students

3'000

2’560

2'000

Swiss nationals

1'000 0

Foreign residents 1980

1982

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2008

Fig. 8 – Students (BS, MS, PhD) community growth over time 6 7

See: http://phd.epfl.ch/page55499-en.html In FTE (Full time equivalent): 3’763.1 collaborators, 287.4 faculty members

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The School of engineering (STI)

The School of engineering was founded in 2002 by grouping the former departments of Electrical engineering, micro-engineering, mechanical engineering and materials science. During its four initial years, the School was split into 9 Institutes and 4 Sections. Upon its arrival in 2007, the new Dean Demetri Psaltis has reorganized the entire School, leaving only four institutes, each of them aligned to one of the four corresponding Sections. In addition the School of engineering is jointly hosting the Bioengineering Institute together with the School of Life Sciences (FSV). The reason behind this new organization was clearly to improve the overlap between the research and teaching dimensions of the school and simplify the governance.

Institutes Electrical Engineering Institute (IEL)

MicroEngineerin g Institute (IMT)

Mechanical Engineering Institute (IGM)

Institute of Materials (IMX)

Section of Electrical Engineering (SEL)

Section of MicroEngineering (SMT)

Section of Mechanical Engineering (SGM)

Section of Materials Science (SMX)

Institute of Bioengineering (IBI)1

Jointly hosted with the School of Life Science

Sections Fig. 9 – Institutes and Sections within STI

3.1

Positioning and Mission statement The School of engineering’s strategic vision is to maintain its positioning as one of the very top schools of engineering in Europe

Under this long term vision, the stated mission of the School, established upon its inception in 2002, but reinforced with the 2007 reorganization, is to: •

•

develop the best teaching curriculum and maintain the competitive edge of our teaching to train BSc and MSc students in the fields of electrical engineering, micro-engineering, mechanical engineering, and materials science & engineering with a strong polytechnic engineering background and a solid basic scientific fundament, as well as thorough, hands-on practical experience; develop a consistent research strategy based on attracting outstanding academic professors/researchers/Phds with the priority objective of producing high level fundamental knowledge in the above fields while fostering interdisciplinary research within the School and within EPFL; monitor and promote the potential of its research for technology transfer and innovation.

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In effect, this translates into a positioning at the crossroad of many disciplines such as Basic sciences, Computer & Communications and Biology/Life Sciences.

Industry CSEM

Integrated Systems Center (ICS)

Computer & Communication

Center for electron Microscopy (CIME)

Space Center (CTS)

Basic Sciences

Center of Micronanotechnology (CMI)

Micro Engineering

Materials Science & Engineering

Electrical Engineering

STI Mechanical Engineering

Idiap Research Institute- Martigny

Bio-Engineering Neuroprosthetics Center (CPN)

Life Sciences

Center of Translational Biomechanics (CBT)

Fig. 10 – STI positioning

3.2

Organization and governance

Similar to the other EPFL schools, the School of engineering is made up of Sections, Institutes, Centers and Administration: •

Sections group together teaching staff, students and the Section’s administration. They comprise one or several academic curricula leading to the Bachelor and/or Master. • Institutes comprise laboratories and chairs. They are responsible for research and outreach in one of the School’s scientific domains. • Centers are scientific and technological infrastructures, serving the Institutes and Sections, dedicated to teaching and research. • The Administration (Dean’s office and General Services) is responsible for all administrative and technical matters for the School as a whole. The STI operational structure is represented schematically in Fig. 11 hereafter. The Dean bears the overall responsibility for the School and is relying on the School Directory Board (“Direction STI”) whose role is to advise the Dean on matters regarding research strategy and planning, structures and organization. The STI Directory Board is made up of the Dean, the 5 Institute directors (Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Micro-engineering, Materials science, and Bioengineering) as well as the Chairman of the STI Academic promotion committee. The directory board meets once a month. In addition, the Dean is visiting each Institute twice a year to have a discussion and exchange with the Institute directors and the Faculty members. The Dean also meets regularly with the Section Directors to discuss issues related to teaching and education. The Section Directors organize themselves with a “primus inter pare” system so as to speak one voice to the Dean of Bachelor and Master School as well as the EPFL Section’s Director Council.

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The Dean’s office, coordinated by the Adjunct to the Dean and its 10 member’s staff, is responsible for the general service: finances and controlling, human resources8, administrative support for academic promotion and nomination, infrastructure, security/safety, IT, communication/Web. Dean D. Psaltis

General Services Committees

• CPA, CR, IT

Centers

• CMI, CPN, CTS, CBT, (SC), (CIME)

Technical workshops

School Assembly

VD-FORM (M. Kayal)

D. Psaltis M. Kayal (a.i.)

D. Psaltis J. Botsis (CPA)

PPPS, GR-SCI

Directory board Teaching Section Directors Institute Directors

School Council

IEL G. de Micheli

SEL P. Vandergheynst

IMT N. De Rooij

SMT P. Ryser (a.i.)

IGM D. Favrat

IMX A. Mortensen

SGM R. Glardon

IBI J. Hubbell

SMX H-A. Klok

Fig. 11 – STI organizational structure

The School Council (“Conseil de Faculté”) is chaired by the Dean and made up of 5 members of each of the following groups: Faculty, Scientific staff, Administrative and technical staff, Students. It approves all strategic decisions regarding teaching (e.g. the creation or suppression of degrees, the nomination of Section directors), research (e.g. the creation or suppression of Institutes or the nomination of their directors), and changes to the statutes of the School. It serves as the consultation body for all changes in EPFL rules and directives. The school Council meets at least 4 times per year. The School Assembly (“Collège élargi des professeurs”) is chaired by the Dean and made up of all faculty members (Full professors, Associate professors, Tenure-track assistant professors, Adjunct professors and senior scientists). The Faculty assembly meets approximately 4 times per year to debate issues and decisions of the EPFL or STI Direction that have general importance and to discuss problems that may arise in the Institutes/Sections. Each Institute has also its own Faculty Assembly. The School General Assembly (“Assemblée Générale de Faculté”) is made up of all School members and is an instrument of information, reflection and dialogue. It meets once a year convened by the Dean or at the request of 10% of its members. The Academic promotion committee (CPA-STI) is charged with evaluation of the following academic tasks within the School of engineering:

Functionally attached to the central HR organization under the Vice President for Planning & Logistics

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• • •

Candidatures of Assistant Tenure-Track Professors (PATT), with regard to attainting the status of Associate Professor (PA), Promotions of PA to the title of Full Professor (PO), Granting of the title of Adjunct Professor (PT), Senior Scientist (MER) and Senior Scientific Collaborator (CSS) to member of the intermediary body having applied for academic promotion.

Invested with a consultative status by the Dean, the committee gives preliminary opinions on the aforementioned dossiers. It consists of seven permanent members, all Full Professors of the School of engineering, and includes the participation of one of the Section Directors for the processing of candidatures concerning the intermediary body. The CPA-STI sits for an ordinary meeting once a month during term time. The Research Committee (CR-STI) of the School of engineering consists of one representative9 of each Institute and a chairman. The Dean attends the meeting “ad personam”. The principal objective of this committee is to advise the Board of the School of engineering and the School College on any extrabudgetary demands for research and technical platform equipments. The IT Committee (IT) of the School of engineering gathers representatives of the Institutes, the Centers, the Sections and the students. It constitutes a platform for discussion between users, general services and the Board of the School of engineering on the subject of IT matters. The committee is a consultative body, responsible for advising the Board on the judicious and measured use of computing resources of the School, and is tasked in particular with the mission of defining the IT strategy as well as proposing allocation of IT resources, in terms of personnel and material, for present and future needs. Following the closing and reorganization of some large laboratories deeply involved with teaching lab activities, the School of engineering has transferred all remaining teaching and technical staff into a central entity called VD-FORM in order to ensure day-to-day operation of the teaching labs infrastructure. This entity remains under the responsibility of the Vice-Dean for teaching within the School of engineering. The School of engineering is hosting and co-hosting a series of Centers providing research institutes and laboratories, within the School, the EPFL but also outside with the resources they need in cuttingedge technologies: • • • • • • •

Center of Micronanotechnology (CMI) Center for Neuroprosthetics (CPN) 10 Center for Electron Microscopy (CIME) 11 - including surface characterization techniques Space Center (CTS) Inter-institutional Center of Translational Biomechanics (CBT) Integrated Systems Centre (CSI) 12 Pleiades high performance computing cluster (Pleiades)

Beside, the School is also indirectly involved via its laboratories to activities developed within the Energy Center (CEN) and the Transportation Center (TRACE) recently opened. Last but not least, the School of engineering runs a network of technical workshops capable of prototyping mechanical or electromechanical systems from nano to macro scale. These workshops are an integral differentiation factor for research groups and doctoral students and serve a large community of users within and outside the School. 9 10 11 12

Maximum of 10 members selected from the professors and scientific collaborators Co-hosted with the School of Life Sciences (SV) as well as the School of Computer and Communication Sciences (I&C) Co-hosted with the School of Basic Sciences (SB) – including surface characterization techniques Co-hosted with the vice-presidency for academic affairs

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The centers and technical workshops are described into more details in Chapter 4.7 as well as in the activity report.

3.3

Faculty and personnel

The EPFL organization distinguishes between the following personnel categories or groups: • • • •

Professors (Full Professor (PO), Associate Professor (PA), Tenure-track assistant professor (PATT), SNSF-funded professor (PBFN)), Scientists (Adjunct Professor (PT), Senior scientist (MER), Research & teaching associates (CSS), Post-Doc, PhD), Administrative and technical personnel, Bachelor/Master students.

At the end of August 2009, the School of engineering was employing 1’203 collaborators (representing 1’044 FTE13), amongst whom 66 professors, 24 Adjunct Professor, 18 Senior scientist and Research & teaching associates, 694 scientists and 402 administrative and technical employees. Out of these 1203 employees, 505 (or 363 FTE) are paid on EPFL budgetary funds, the rest on third party funds (see Chapter 3.4 on resources and funding). Out of the employees paid on budgetary funds, 334 (representing 278.5 FTE) or 66% have permanent contracts (so called CDI – “Contrat de durée indéterminée”). Out of the 698 employees paid on third party funds, only 68 (representing 25.2 FTE) or 9.7% have permanent contracts. Table 1 – Personnel split among School’s units (budgetary and third party funds)

Unit

Total Positions

Men

Women

TOTAL [FTE]

Men [FTE]

Women [FTE]

Institute of Electrical Engineeing (IEL)

190

143

160.8

124.9

35.9

Micro-Engineering Institute (IMT)

410

325

365.6

299.5

66.1

Mechanical Engineering Institute (IGM)

189

154

165.8

139.7

26.1

Institute of Materials (IMX)

206

134

174.4

119.1

55.3

Institute of Bioengineering (IBI2) – STI payroll only

28.5

17.5

11.0

Independent Scientists under Dean’s office

41.4

35.1

6.3

Centers (CMI, CNP, CBT, CTS, CCMX)

59.8

42.2

17.6

Mechanical Workshops

37.9

0.0

Dean’s office/ General Services

10.6

6.9

3.7

1’203

914

289

1’044.8

822.8

222.0

TOTAL

3.3.1 Strategy and procedures for faculty hiring and recruitment One of the most important activities devoted to the School is to hire new professors, as this is directly impacting the future of research and teaching, and hence directly influencing the goal of becoming one of the very top schools of engineering in Europe. Retirement or departure of existing professors often triggers the hire of a new professor either in a similar field or more often in related new areas.

FTE = Full time equivalent

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During the time period 2007-2009, 6 professors14 have retired from the School of engineering and searches have been launched in all Institutes as will be explained later. The philosophy followed by the School, in line with its financial capabilities, is two-fold, taking advantage of: â&#x20AC;˘

the availability of a tenure-track system at EPFL, whereby young and promising group leaders are hired as Tenure-track Assistant Professors (PATT) for an initial period of three years, renewable once, or â&#x20AC;˘ the occurrence of outstanding recruitment opportunities, whereby more senior faculty members can be hired directly at full or associate level, a typical example being E. Kaxiras who came from Harvard to join EPFL and the School of engineering in August 2009.

Besides, recruitment is also influenced by the availability of sponsor funding at all level as will be explained later also. The first stage in a PATT search and recruitment process is initiated by the Dean who, after consultation within the School, designates a search committee chairman. Once the chairman has put together a search committee (with mandatory representatives from the Institute, the Section, the ETHZ, the Industry and or other academic institutions in Switzerland) and defined the exact search profile, the final go/no-go has to be delivered by the EPFL Direction. Depending on the situation, either broad or targeted announcements are published, preferably in fall thus in synchronization with the US system. The search committee relies heavily on external reference letters, not only from the people suggested by the candidates but also from independent referees. A short list of 5 to 6 candidates is generally established and candidates are invited to Lausanne to give a talk and meet with the committee and some other faculty members. Only one (sometimes two) candidate makes it to the final round of interviews with the President and the Vice-Presidents. If everything is positive, then the search committee sends a recommendation to the EPFL Academic promotion committee, which reviews the case, largely to ensure uniformity of criteria within EPFL, and makes its own recommendation to the EPFL President. If the President agrees then the candidate receives an offer with all details regarding salary, budget, installation, and starting funds. Upon acceptance of the offer by the candidate, the President presents the case to the Swiss Institutes of Technology Council (ETH Board), which holds ultimate authority for professorial nominations. The whole process can take typically between 6 and 9 months. The hiring process for tenured senior recruits is very similar and can happen either with a search committee in case of a published search or more hands-on in case of a targeted opportunity hire. In any case, presentations and interviews up to the President and Vice-Presidents remain and a file must be produced to the EPFL Academic promotion committee for recommendation to the President and eventually offer and agreement by the Swiss Institutes of Technology Council. The whole process can take typically between 6 and 12 months. 3.3.2 Procedures for academic promotion PATT are reviewed for promotion to the rank of a tenured associate professor at the latest at the end of their 6th year in Lausanne. This review follows yearly reviews with the Dean and one more detailed intermediate review after 3 years of activity. The final review takes into account both the performance in research as well as in teaching. A first evaluation is done at the level of the School, with the help of outside experts, resulting in a recommendation to the EPFL Academic promotion committee, which reviews the case, again to ensure uniformity of criteria within EPFL, and makes its own recommendation to the EPFL President. Similar to a recruitment the President then decides to present or not the case to the Swiss Institutes of Technology Council, which holds ultimate authority for professorial promotion. Similarly, promotion from Associate professor to Full professor is handled by the STI Academic promotion committee which establishes a recommendation to the EPFL Academic promotion committee. After 14

1 in Materials science (H-J. Mathieu 2007), 3 in Electrical Engineering (M. Kunt and M. Declercq both in 2008, A. Germond in 2009), 1 in Mechanical Engineering (P. Monkevitz) and 1 in Microengineering (R. SalathĂŠ 2009).

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review, the promotion committee makes its own recommendation to the EPFL President who then decides to present or not the case to the Swiss Institutes of Technology Council. Other academic promotions are possible within the intermediary body of scientists, to Research & teaching associate, Senior scientist and/or adjunct professor. The candidates which must be endorsed by a professor have to present their case to the STI Academic promotion committee who then issues a recommendation to the EPFL Academic promotion committee (in case of a promotion to PT) or the Dean and the Vice-Presidency for academic affairs (in case of a promotion to senior scientist). Only promotion to PT has to be presented to the Swiss Institutes of Technology Council. 3.3.3 Faculty members The School of engineering counts 108 faculty members at the End of September 2009, spread amongst academic ranks as follows: Table 2 – Total breakdown of faculty members at the School of engineering

Faculty rank

Total

Men

Women

% Women

% Total

Full professor (PO)

4.9%

38.0%

Associate professor (PA)

18.2%

10.2%

Tenure-track assistant professor (PATT)

23.1%

12.0%

0.0%

0.9%

6.3%

14.8%

25.0%

7.4%

5.6%

16.7%

108

10.2%

100.0%

FNS Assistant professor (PBFN) Adjunct professor (PT) Adjunct professor external (PTE) Senior scientist/Research & Teaching Ass. (MER/CSS) TOTAL

Following the arrival of the new Dean, the School of engineering has entered a period of strong growth, with the subsequent hires since 2007: 6 new full professors16, 3 associate professors including two with double affiliation with the School of Basic Sciences (SB) and the School of Architecture, Civil & Environmental Engineering (ENAC) respectively, o 9 PATT17, all coming from top tier research institutions (Harvard, IMT, Berkeley, Stanford, Caltech, Max-Planck Institute, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, Universidad Complutense, University of Bologna, etc.) as can be seen from the following Fig. 12 and Table 3, • 1 SNSF funded professor (PBFN) shared with the University of Geneva.

• •

Beside, 11 professors (5 PO, 2 PA, 3 PATT, 1 PTE, 2 MER)18 are on the School of Life sciences (SV) or School of Basic Sciences (SB) payroll but associated with the School of engineering via the inter15

Including Borgeaud Maurice (Space Center), Ott Peter (LTT), Gaumier Christian (TCOM), Koukab Adil (GR @ STI), Sallese Jean-Michel (GR @ STI) Three of them through the integration of the Institute of micro-technology (imt) from the University of Neuchâtel which was incorporated into EPFL on January 1st, 2009. In addition, 1 new PATT (Signal processing shared with IDIAP in Martigny) has signed for beginning of 2010 and 2 have received an offer (Bio-Nano engineering, Zebrafish imaging) Hubbell Jeff (PO), Auwerx Johan (PO), Wurm Florian (PO), Johnsson Kai (PO), Barrandon Yann (PO), Swartz Melody (PA), Hatzimanikatis Vassily (PA), Dal Peraro Matteo (PATT), Deplancke Bart (PATT), Lutolf Matthias (PATT), Frey Peter (PT), Wandrey Christine (MER), Schoonjans Kristina (MER)

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faculty Institute of Bioengineering, and one PA19 is on the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC) with a double affiliation with STI.

45 40

41 37

# of Positions

35 30 25 20 15 10 5

6 4

2004

2005

2006

2007

12 10

2008

09.2009

PO PA PATT

Fig. 12 – Total faculty positions during the period 2004-2009 (PO, PA, PATT)

19 nationalities are represented, with Switzerland (55 or 51%), Belgium (9 or 8.4%), France (6 or 5.6%), Germany (6 or 5.6%), Italy (5 or 4.7%) and Greece (5 or 4.7%) in the top six. Approximately 11% of the faculty members are women, with only 2 full professors and 2 associate professors. Following the strong increase in PATT, the School of engineering now has approx. 21% of its faculty (while counting PO, PA, PATT and PBFN) on a tenure track basis. The majority of our faculty members (45%) are aged between 40 and 55 years old, with another 20% below 40 and 35% above 55.

# of Positions

120

1 2

100

5 5 6 6 9

60 40

Others USA Other EU Greece Italy Germany France Belgium

Male

11 14

Tenured

Non-tenured (incl. PBFN)

20 12

Female

Intermediary body

0 Nationality

Gender

Rank

Fig. 13 – Number of professors at the School, according to nationality, gender and academic ranking

Molinari Jean-François (PA)

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Table 3 – List of recent hires between 2004 and 2009

Year Name, Firstname hired

PhD Institution

PhD. Previous Year Institution

Rank at EPFL

Institute

Area

2004

Thiran, jean-Philippe

UCL – Louvainla-Neuve, Belgium

1997

EPFL, Switzerland

PATT

IEL

Image processing

Shea, Herbert

Harvard, USA

1997

EPFL, Switzerland

PATT

IMT

Microsystems for Space Technologies

2005

De Micheli, Giovanni

Berkeley, USA

1983

Stanford, USA

Full professor

IEL and I&C

Design technologies for integrated circuits & systems

2006

Frossard, Pascal

EPFL, Switzerland

2000

IBM TJ Watson Re- PATT search Center, Yorktown Heights, USA

IEL

Multimedia Signal Processing

Pioletti, Dominique

EPFL, Switzerland

1997

EPFL, Switzerland

PATT

IBI

Biomechanical orthopedics, tissue engineering

Psaltis, Demetri

Carnegie Mellon University, USA

1977

Caltech, USA

Full professor Dean

IMT

Optics, Microengineering

Nicollier, Claude

University of Lausanne, Switzerland

1970

European Space Agency, Holland

Full professor

IEL

Space Technologies

Kis, Andras

EPFL, Switzerland

2003

Berkeley, USA

PATT

IEL

Nanoelectronic devices

Maerkl, Sebastian

Stanford, USA

2007

Stanford, USA

PATT

IBI

Biotechnology, microfluidic

Fontcuberta i Morral, Anna

Ecole Polytechnique, France

CNRS Paris, France and Caltech, USA

PATT

IMX

Nanostructured materials, nano-devices

Kippenberg, Tobias

Caltech, USA

2004

Max-Planck Institute, PATT20 Munich, Germany

IEL

Physics, Quantum photonics

Radenovic, Aleksandra

University of Lausanne, Switzerland

2003

University of California, Berkeley, USA

PATT

IBI

Nanobiotechnologie

Atienza Alonso, David

IMEC, Belgium

2005

Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain

PATT

IEL

Electronic circuits design

Jolles, Brigitte

University of Lausanne, Switzerland

1995

University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland

Adjunct Professor

IBI

Biomechanics and Orthopeadics

Kaxiras, Efthimios

MIT, USA

1987

Harvard, USA

Full Professor

IMX

Materials science, numerical simulation

Ballif, Christophe

EPFL, Switzerland

1998

University of Neuchâtel 21, Switzerland

Full Professor

IMT

Photovoltaic

Farine, Pierre-André

University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland

1984

University of Neuchâtel 4, Switzerland

Full Professor

IMT

Electronics and Signal processing

2007

2008

2009

20 21

Joint appointment between the School of Engineering and the School of Basic Sciences (Physics) As part of the Integration of the Institute of micro-technology (imt) from the University of Neuchâtel

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Year Name, Firstname hired

PhD Institution

PhD. Previous Year Institution

Rank at EPFL

Institute

Area

Herzig, Hanspeter

University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland

1987

University of Neuchâtel 4 , Switzerland

Full professor

IMT

Optics

Bona, Gian-Luca22

ETH Zurich, Switzerland

1987

IBM, Tucson, USA EMPA, Dübendorf, Switzerland

Full professor

IMT

Materials and surface sciences, photonics and optoelectronics

Millán, José del Rocio

Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain

1992

IDIAP and EPFL, Switzerland

Associate Professor

IBI

Brain-Computer Interface

Frauenrath, Holger

RWTH Aachen, Germany

2001

ETH Zurich, Switzerland

PATT

IMX

Materials science, polymers

Guiducci, Carlotta

University of Bologna, Italy

2005

University of Bologna, Italy

PATT

IBI

Bio-sensors, electronics

Gallaire, François

Ecole Polytechnique, France

2003

CNRS, Nice, France

PATT

IGM

Fluid dynamics

Seitz, Peter

ETH Zurich, Switzerland

1984

University of Neuchâtel 4 , Switzerland

Adjunct Professor

IMT

Opto-electronics

Charbon, Edoardo

University of California, Berkeley, USA

1995

TU Delft, Netherland Adjunct EPFL, Switzerland Professor

IEL

CMOS sensors, biophotonics, embedded systems

Van De Ville, Dimitri

Ghent University, 2002 Ghent, Belgium

University Hospital SNSF funded Geneva, Switzerland professor

IBI

Biomedical imaging

Table 4 – List of new hires to join STI after 30.09.2009

Start Date

PhD Institution

PhD. Previous Year Institution

Rank at EPFL

Institute

Area

10.2009 Ijspeert, Auke

University of Edinburgh, UK

1998

EPFL, Switzerland

Associate professor

IBI

Biologically Inspired Robotics

01.2010 Stellacci Francesco23

Politecnico di Milano, Italy

1998

MIT, Boston USA

Full professor

IMX

Nano-size molecular-based materials and devices

01.2010 Cevher, Volkan

Georgia Tech, USA

2005

Rice University, USA

PATT24

IEL

Signal Processing

01.2010 Fantner, Georg

Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, USA

2006

MIT, USA

PATT

IBI

Bio-Nano engineering

01.2010 Huisken, Jan

EMBL Heidelberg, Germany

2004

University of California, San Francisco, USA

PATT

IBI

Zebrafish Imaging

03.2010 Moser, Christophe

Caltech, USA

2000

ONDAX, Inc., Monrovia, CA USA

Associate professor

IMT

Energy, light sources, displays & sensors

22 23 24

Name, Firstname

Acting director of EMPA in Dübendorf. Joint affiliation to ETHZ and EPFL Starting 20% on 01.01.2010 with full relocation in Sept. 2010 Joint appointment with IDIAP Research Institute in Martigny, Switzerland (see: www.idiap.ch)

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In addition to the above hires, the School of engineering has currently 8 to 11 open positions, some of which hopefully will be filled successfully until the End of 2010. Three of those are in relation with the new Center for Neuroprosthetics (see Chapter 4.7.2 for more details), and 4 with sponsored chairs. Table 5 – List of open positions

Institute

Chair

Keywords

Rank

IEL

Distributed Electrical Systems (1 position)

• Energy generation, conversion and storage • Distribution networks and technologies • Smart grid technologies • Interfacing with multi-energy networks

PO, PA Sponsor or PATT

Sponsored chairs

A new type of funding, at least for EPFL and mostly Switzerland and Europe, has appeared recently with the advent of sponsored chairs. Already three such chairs are funded within STI, with a few more in the pipeline for 2010 and after. Table 9 – List of occupied sponsored chairs

Sponsor

Chair

Occupant

Rank

Institute

Since

Area

SwissUp

Swiss-up engineering Chair - Laboratory of Life Sciences Electronics

Guiducci, Carlotta

PATT

IBI

02.2009

Design and application of electronic biosensors

Defitech

Defitech Foundation Chair Millán, José del in Non-invasive BrainRocio machine Interface

IBI

04.2009

Neuroprosthetics, brainmachine interface

Alcan

Alcan Chair on Materials Science

IMX

01.2010

Nano-size molecular based materials and devices

Stellaci, Francesco

The School of engineering has received a few additional sponsored chairs from Mrs. Jacobi (biophotonics), the EOS Holding (distributed electrical networks), the Foundation Bertarelli (neuroprosthetics) and the Foundation IRP (Neuroprosthetics) for which a recruitment process is ongoing. 3.4.4 Buildings The space is allocated centrally by the EPFL Real estate and infrastructure services to the School of engineering which is located on 4 groups of buildings, one for each Institute. The buildings were all built at different stages, the Mechanical engineering one being the oldest and the micro-engineering the youngest. The total usable surface (office and lab space) amounts to roughly 46’000 m2, with IEL having 5’600 m2, IMT 12’000 m2 including 5’100 m2 in Neuchâtel, IGM 9’500 m2 and IMX 8900 m2. The mechanical workshops occupy another 3’400 m2 and the Center for Micronanotechnology (CMI) 2’900 m2. The rest is for the central services and some meeting rooms that are managed at School level. The Bioengineering institute is mostly located in the School of Life Sciences premises with only a few laboratories in the BM building, thus close to the CMI. Despite a rather generous space allocation, the situation remains critical in many areas of the assigned buildings. Accommodation of new professors, along with new requests from existing ones always requires a lot of effort and some areas would need to be transformed to adapt more easily to new types/areas of research. The School of engineering is fortunate though to have been able to launch two transformation projects that should help ease the situation:

Very often, the lab and/or the institution is asked to match the difference with its own funds.

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• Transformation/extension of level 5, 2 and 1 of the BM building (Micro-engineering and bioengineering) with the construction of an extension to the CMI, called CMI+(see Chapter 4.7.1), as well as new lab and office space, • Transformation/extension of the southern part of the ME building (Mechanical engineering) to bring together all teams in Robotics, Orthopedics and the recently announced Center for Neuroprosthetics (see Chapter 4.7.2). The transformation will generate a total of approx. 3’000 m2 of new office/lab space at the heart of the EPFL campus, facing the Rolex Learning Center currently under construction (see Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 below). This structural change will also improve coordination and reinforce collaborations with groups carrying out research in related areas. The first project – worth 15 MCHF from central federal money is already well under way and should be finished until the end of 2010. For the second one, the credit awarding process at Swiss parliament level is supposed to be finished at the end of 2009 (current estimates go for around 55 MCHF of transformation and extension work for the impacted building). Subsequently, a general contractor should be chosen through an open bidding process until the end of 2010 so that the new building spaces should become available around mid 2013.

Fig. 21 – Preliminary volume drawings of the planned extensions and refurbishing of the southern part of the Mechanical Engineering building (in green)

Fig. 22 – Preliminary cross sectional drawing view of the southern part of the Mechanical Engineering building (in green). To the left, the Rolex Learning Center under construction

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Other major transformation projects are under investigation, in particular in connection with the renewal of our teaching laboratory infrastructure for Bachelor students. We want to develop more interdisciplinary teaching laboratories and this requires new space and infrastructure. One idea would be to regroup them into a more central location within the STI premises. Another one would be to take advantage of a similar investigation with the School of Basic Sciences and use synergies to modernize our infrastructure. Discussions are underway. Last but not least and in relation with the integration of the Institute of microtechnology from the University of Neuchâtel on January 1st, 2009, the Canton of Neuchâtel has initiated a project to erect until the End of 2012 a new building to host all EPFL laboratories and research activities in Neuchâtel. This building worth approx. 75 MCHF will be located right next to the CSEM and should improve the working conditions of the EPFL laboratories in Neuchâtel. EPFL will run the building and pay a rent to the Canton of Neuchâtel. 3.4.5 Research equipments The acquisition or renewal of scientific equipment above 50 KCHF is done with central extra budgetary funding and on a competitive basis under the supervision of the EPFL research Direction. 3.4.6 IT The acquisition or renewal of IT equipment (hardware and software) is done with central extra budgetary funding if it’s related to teaching. Otherwise, investment is done with local budget at lab level.

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4 4.1

Research directions, results and perspectives Overview and general positioning

At EPFL and within the School of engineering, research is primarily performed within the context of “laboratory” headed by an individual professor. Larger and interdisciplinary research efforts are carried out in the context of centers. The individual laboratories headed by Faculty members and the Centers in which the School is participating are described in the STI activity report joined. The following chapter focuses on the strategic positioning of the Institutes and Centers as well as the assessment of the scientific output of the School.

4.2

Institute of Electrical Engineering

4.2.1 Positioning The Institute of Electrical engineering (EE Institute) has three major intimately interconnected axes of research as exemplified by the following figure and the keywords illustrating them:

Computer

Communication

Sciences

Sciences Computer and Communication Engineering

• • •

Optics, EM and Antennas Signal Processing Embedded Systems Engineering

Electrical

• • •

Circuits

Devices

Materials

Circuits and Devices

Engineering

•

Power Electronics

•

Energy Distribution

•

Energy Generation

Power and Energy

Microtechnics

Mechanical

& Materials

Engineering

Fig. 23 – Fields of research covered by the EE Institute

It is important to note that the research space spanned by these three axes is not fully covered. Indeed the EE Institute would never have the resources to cover all research needs in electrical engineering over a continuum spectrum. The policy of focus areas, or pinnacles of excellence, is thus a need for EE at EPFL as it is in other famous schools (e.g. Stanford).

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4.2.1.1

Computer and Communication engineering

This area provides the technological support for the design and fabrication of computing and communication systems. Activities in the Institute of Electrical Engineering touch upon the physical layer of computing and communication systems, algorithms and software (specifically in the digital signal processing (DSP) domain) and system integration issues. The underlying communication technologies encompass optics and radiofrequency engineering. The electromagnetics team is very active in areas like computational electromagnetics and in the design and miniaturization of antennas, sensors and other primary EM radiators. Signal processing (SP) at the Institute of Electrical Engineering is a strong pole and currently covers a wide spectrum of methodologies and applications: biomedical signal and image processing, computer vision, SP for multimedia, multimodal SP and SP for high-dimensional and complex data. 4.2.1.2

Circuits and Devices

This domain is an essential core area in EE as well as in EPFL. It deals with the design and experimentation of electronic devices and their integration into circuits and systems. The activities are not just limited to conventional silicon-based technologies, but cover a wide range that includes novel technologies (e.g. silicon nanowires and carbon electronics) as well as system integration (e.g. 3-dimensional integration). The circuits and systems area has several core strengths: the ability to model complex physical phenomena and devices that are used for various fundamental functions (such as storage, signal amplification, and switching); the abstraction of the time-domain and frequency-domain operation of complex systems and networks using a consistent mathematical framework; and the capacity to create a strong link between theory and experimental results. Building on this foundation, the circuits, systems and devices area is uniquely positioned to further grow and systematically address new challenges such as nano-electronic devices and circuits. 4.2.1.3

Power and Energy

Electrical power engineering research addresses three sub-areas: power systems, electrical machines and industrial electronics. The first area covers modeling, simulation and optimal operation of electric power systems, including technical and economical aspects. The importance of this field is indisputable; the electric power generation and transmission system will soon extend from Portugal to Russia/China, making it the largest nonlinear system in the world. Research in electrical machines focuses on modeling and optimization of medium and large-scale electrical machines, numerical simulation, analysis of complex power systems and monitoring systems. Industrial electronics activities encompass three principal fields: power electronics, with the development of new converter structures or topologies; energy conversion in general, including management and storage; and modeling and simulation of complex systems including renewable energies and hybrid solutions.

4.2.2 Current status The Institute of Electrical Engineering currently consists of 13 research laboratories and 9 independent research groups:

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Table 10 – Laboratories, faculty members and area of research at the Electrical Engineering Institute

Unit

Name

Director and Faculty

Research area

ESL

Embedded Systems Laboratory

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. David Atienza Alonso

Co-design methodologies for embedded systems, thermal modeling for MPSoC and 3Dintegration architectures, memory system optimizations, software mapping techniques.

LIDIAP

LIDIAP Laboratory (Lausanne branch of Idiap’s Research Institute)

Full Professor Hervé Bourlard (Head of Idiap Research Institute and 20% EPFL)

Speech processing, computer vision, information retrieval, biometric authentication, multimodal interaction and machine learning.

LSI (joint with IC)

Integrated Systems Laboratory

Full Prof. Giovanni De Micheli (Institute Director ) 50% STI, 50% I&C

Hardware and software design for traditional (computation on silicon) and non-traditional (nanotechnology and biosensors) systems.

LTS4

Signal Processing Laboratory

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Pascal Frossard

Multimedia communications, multimedia signal processing, image and video coding, image analysis.

LTS5

Signal Processing Laboratory

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Jean-Philippe Thiran

Image segmentation, PDE's, model-based image analysis, registration, medical imaging, multimodal signal/image analysis.

LTS2

Signal Processing Laboratory

Associate Prof. Pierre Vandergheynst (Section Director)

Mathematical signal and image processing, high-dimensional data processing, sparsity in signal processing, inverse problems.

NANOLAB

Nanoelectronic Devices Laborato- Associate Prof. Adrian Ionescu ry

Silicon micro/nano-electronics with special emphasis on the technology, design and modeling of nanoscale solid-state devices.

LPQM Laboratory of Photonics and (joint with SB) Quantum Measurements

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Tobias Kippenberg

Optical microcavities; cavity optomechanics; monolithic frequency comb generation; dispersive molecule detection, quantum measurements.

LANES

Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Andras Kis

Nanoelectronic devices: electronic properties of nanoscale structures; device and circuit design, fabrication and modeling; integration.

LSM

Microelectronic Systems Laboratory

Full Prof. Yusuf Leblebici

High-performance digital and mixed-signal VLSI circuits, language-based modeling and validation of SoC components, intelligent system architectures.

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Unit

Name

Director and Faculty

Research area

LEMA

Electromagnetics and Acoustics Laboratory

Full Prof. Juan Mosig Adjunct Prof. Anja Skrivervic

Acoustic Group

Dr. Hervé Lissek

Computational electromagnetics; design, analysis and characterization of passive microwave and mm-wave circuits, antennas and wireless sensors, antennas for biomedical applications. Acoustic expertise; active Control; acoustic antennae; sound design.

LEI

Industrial Electronics Laboratory

Full Prof. Alfred Rufer

Industrial Electronics, modeling and applied control; Power electronics, with the development of new converter structures or topologies; energy conversion, including management and storage.

LME

Electrical Machinery Laboratory

Full Prof. Jacques Simond

Modeling and optimization of middle-sized and large electrical machines, analysis and simulation of electrical power systems and adjustable speed drives.

GR-EB

Group Ebrahimi - Multimedia Signal Processing

Adjunct Prof. Touradj Ebrahimi

Multimedia signal processing, image processing, image compression, video processing, video compression, media security

GR-KA

Group Kayal - Electronics

Adjunct Prof. Maher Kayal (VD-FORM)

Analog and mixed-signal IC design, sensors interface and signal processing, analog VLSI, analog CAD tools.

SCI-STI-FR

Group Rachidi – Electromagnetic Compatibility

Adjunct Prof. Fahrad Rachidi

Electromagnetic Compatibility, Lightning Discharge, Modeling, Simulation.

SCI-STI-LT

Group Thévenaz - Fibre Optics

Adjunct Prof. Luc Thévenaz

Fibre Optics, Optical signal processing, Optical fibre sensors, Optical communication, Slow & Fast Light, Laser spectroscopy

SCI-STI-CD

Group Dehollain - Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits

Sen. Scientist Catherine Dehollain

Radio Frequency Wireless Communication Systems, RFID, Remotely Powered Electronic Circuits, Electronic Circuits dedicated to Biomedical Applications, Micro Power Analog Integrated Circuits, Electrical Analog Filters, Broadband Impedance Matching Circuits

SCI-STI-MM

Group Mattavelli - Video processing

Senior Scientist Marco Mattavelli

multimedia systems, algorithmarchitecture adaptation, SW-HW synthesis, data-flow programming,

SCI-STI-JMS Group Sallèse – Device Modeling Sen. Scientist Jean-Michel Sallèse

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Electron device modeling, Multigate MOSFET, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, Spintronic, Flexible electronics, Organic thin film transistors, MEMS Glucose sensor

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Unit

Name

Director and Faculty

Research area

SCI-STI-JMV Group Vesin – Signal processing

Senior Scientist Jean-Marc Vesin

Biomedical signal processing, Financial time series analysis, Adaptive filtering, Adaptive frequency tracking, Multidimensional signal analysis, Nonlinear signal processing

TCOM

Dr. & Director a.i. Christian Gaumier Optical communications, photonic networks, network planning, network modeling, transmission, modulation.

Telecommunications Laboratory

In addition to faculty attached to the above laboratories or research groups, the Institute counts among the ranks of its faculty: • Full Prof. Demetri Psaltis (50% of his time)– Dean of the School of engineering and Head of the Optics Laboratory (LO), EPFL • Full Prof. Claude Nicollier (20%) – Former ESA Astronaut, affiliated to the EPFL Space Center, Chairman of the Board of CSEM, Member of the Board of Swatch • Adjunct Prof. Eduardo Charbon (20%) – TU Delft, NL, Quantum Architecture (AQUA) Group at EPFL • Adjunct Prof. Christian Enz (20%) – Member of the Mgmt. Board, CSEM, Neuchâtel, Switz. • Adjunct Prof. Pierre Fazan (10%) – Founder & CTO of Innovative Silicon, Ecublens, Switzerland Furthermore, Prof. Alain Germond 37 head of the Power Systems Laboratory (LRE) retired in May 2009 and the lab is in the process of being closed. The Institute of Electrical Engineering is the largest one in terms of faculty members. However, 40% of the Faculty is not on the tenure line (i.e. counting PO, PA and PATT). Moreover, the positions left open by recent retirements have not been fully refilled. Since the Institute had historically very large labs that have been closed and reorganized after the professor in charge retired, the Institute has the largest group and proportion of mostly independent adjunct professors and senior scientists from all Institutes within STI. Table 11 – Number of faculty members at the Electrical Engineering Institute at the end of Sept. 2009

Faculty rank

Total 38

% Total

0.0%

23.3%

Associate professor (PA)

0.0%

6.7%

Tenure-track assistant professor (PATT)

0.0%

16.7%

FNS Assistant professor (PBFN)

0.0%

Adjunct professor (PT)

20.0%

16.7%

Adjunct professor external (PTE)

0.0%

10.0%

Senior scientist/Research & Teaching Ass. (MER/CSS)

12.5%

26.7%

6.7%

100.0%

TOTAL

Women % Women

Full professor (PO)

Men

Passed away accidentally on August 7th, 2009 a few month after retirement Prof. Demetri Psaltis is accounted only under the Microengineering Institute

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4.2.3 Situation and SWOT analysis 4.2.3.1

Global trends

The institute is suffering from global trends in electrical engineering that are affecting universities worldwide, including the world’s top departments. The eighties and nineties, with the growth of the semiconductor and electronic industrial sectors, have brought students, research moneys and public attention to electrical engineering. The current consolidation of the semiconductors sector, the increasing cost of state of the art CMOS technology as well as the shift of manufacturing to Asia has brought a diminishing interest to conventional electronics (especially in Europe and the US), but also interest and research funds to innovative technologies such as nano-electronics, bio-electronic interfaces and 3-dimensional integration. At the same time, the growth of computer and other soft technologies has attracted students to these fields, with the false impression (as perceived by the uneducated students) that in soft technologies less work is needed to achieve a university degree and that salaries and commercial opportunities are great. It is important to remark that the contribution of computer science to electrical engineering has been very important: the ability to simulate on computers the operation of circuits, electrical machines, etc. has enabled the creation of virtual labs and the exposure of complex effects to a large number of students. Similarly, any electrical engineer needs skills in languages and programming to implement electronic design. But this should not give us the false impression that laboratories and practical experimentation can be completely replaced with simulators and virtual labs. The nineties have witnessed a strong growth in the telecom area, due to the Internet and to wireless communication (e.g., mobile telephony). Despite the burst of the “Internet bubble”, the telecom area has remained vibrant in the last few years and especially in the hardware sector. Indeed many electronic products have a wireless interface, and the design of antennas and radiofrequency (RF) circuits has undergone a tremendous growth, as well as their integration within systems on chips (SoCs) and systems in packages (SiPs). Moreover a specific scientific and commercial value has been shown by codesign techniques, for example of integrated antennas and circuits as well as of analog and digital signal processing (e.g., software defined radio). The drastic increase in cost of non-renewable resources has brought once again the attention to the energy sector in various areas, ranging from smart consumption (e.g., hybrid vehicles) to smart power generation and distribution. Moreover, wireless sensor networks enable the design of smart homes and workplaces, by exploiting the synergies among various disciplines such as power switching, energy storage and information science, thus creating an exciting playground for research. At the small scale, there is a large interest in energy harvesting from the environment, such as the design of systems that extract vibrational or thermal energy to sustain untethered computation, as well as the study and use of dynamic power management techniques. The major new factor affecting electrical engineering, which has been detected more than a decade ago in the US and is affecting Switzerland as well, is the increase in popularity and expectations of biology, bioengineering, and related topics. We heard for many years that the XXI century is the century of genetics/genomics. With the discovery and publication of the human genome, many students – among the most gifted – have chosen biology or natural sciences over engineering. The EE departments at the major US universities have suffered from the loss of bright students to these emerging fields. A good long-term strategy for EE would be to build stronger links to biology and bioengineering and leverage the increasing popularity of these fields. Moreover, ranking criteria of publications and departments favor often basic sciences over engineering: the impact factor of Science and Nature are much higher than the IEEE Journals, which are still the focal point for electrical engineers. The general patterns and frequencies of citations are also markedly

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different in engineering disciplines. Very few EEs publish in Nature and Science, and indeed it is desirable that they should not change audience because of popularity factors. It is indeed important that ranking methods are tuned to engineering, if not to electrical engineering. 4.2.3.2

Local characteristics

The Institute has to face the internal competition of the Institute of Microengineering (a Swiss speciality), as well as the results of the spin-off of the Computer science & Communication science Institutes39. Because of this, several competences are positioned out of electrical engineering and thus EE looks weaker when seen in comparison with institutes/departments in other parts of the world, and specifically in comparison with US schools. In addition, the separation with the School of Computer & Communication Sciences has created some gaps and walls that, despite some efforts, have not yet been bridged. We think that without a complete understanding of the Institute and School roles and a modus operandi that leverages the synergies within them, EPFL might be severely handicapped in its outreach and its international reputation. There are some characteristics of EE at EPFL that are important though and that should be preserved. Teaching electrical engineering is done with much care, with hands-on labs and with small classes. Students are followed closely by instructors, who may have different roles in the institute, but who are also typically very dedicated to teaching. Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers have the tradition to deliver prototypes that embody their research; in contrast to the bad habit – common in the US - of “touch and go” in research. Swiss researchers are taught to follow through and to demonstrate scientific theses with circuits, machines, programs, etc. The capability of actually producing artifacts, not merely describing objects, creates more mature scientists as well as engineers who are appreciated by industry and can easily find rewarding jobs. 4.2.3.3

SWOT analysis

Following is a summary of what we perceive to be the major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the Institute of Electrical Engineering in the coming years. Table 12 – SWOT analysis of the Institute of Electrical Engineering

Strengths

Weaknesses

• Excellent infrastructure, in terms of personnel, buildings and • Too small in terms of number of tenure line professors laboratories. • Difficult to keep up the traditional teaching lines as well as the advanced research thrusts. • Access to outstanding world-class micro and nanofabrication platform (CMI) • Limited exposure to the media

• Strong record in creating successful start-ups

• Well linked to the Swiss and international industry

• Spin-offs of the communication and computer science institutes.

• Good mixture of theory and practice in both teaching and research. • Well-trained, dedicated teaching/support staff (intermediary corps) which, if properly motivated, can be very useful and effective.

Communication Sciences which used to belong to the then Department of Electrical engineering is now one Institute within the School of Computer & Communication Sciences

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Opportunities

Threats

• Two retirements until 2013 are a chance (but also a threat) for repositioning (especially in the energy area)

• Potential loss of attractiveness because of lack of visibility (especially at the undergraduate level) but also small size, and internal competition with other institutes at EPFL

• Link to industry can be further strengthened • Strong interest in nano, bio and environmental issues that intersect topics in EE

• Not enough dynamic image, too much tied to engineering practice, compared to other Institute even within EPFL • Possible lack of alignment to the needs of the Swiss industry • Competition from ETHZ and other institutions, where a much larger number of professors have an intrinsic competitive advantage.

Finally, the replacement in 2011 and 2014 of two retiring faculty members, not counting the one who retired in 2009, will be an important challenge for the Institute. By chance, the number of retiring professors is lower than in the other three Institutes. Table 13 –List of upcoming full senior professor retirement of IEL

Year of retirement

Name, First name

Laboratory

Date of birth Year hired

2011

Simond, Jean-Jacques

Electrical Machinery Laboratory

17.02.1946

1990

2014

Nicollier, Claude

Space Center

02.09.1944

2004

4.2.4 Outlook and action items An important requirement for an institute is to have a coherent program. Even though EPFL cannot afford an EE institute that covers all areas, it is important that labs within EE respond to some strategic research and educational needs. A mere collection of labs does not make a strong institute. The circuits and systems area has several strengths, but it is important to keep the momentum in analog/RF design, which is a traditional strength of the institute. Sensors, biosensors and their intimate link to circuits are an important opportunity for EE to renew its positioning and be appealing toward the young generation. As far as digital design is concerned, there is the need to foster the area of digital systems engineering which provides the bridge between circuits and signal processing as well as between circuits and system architecture/computer engineering science. On the nano-scale, there is a need of an effort in sensing, and specifically in bio-sensing, with emphasis on the electrical engineering aspects of data acquisition. Overall there is a lack in EE of a circuits and network theory laboratory that can provide the modeling and theoretical underpinning of the research in circuits and in energy systems. Circuit and systems would be the glue of the various research areas in the institute. On the power and energy field, we notice a need to reinforce the activities in classic and nonconventional Energy Generation, Conversion and Storage as well as in Distribution Networks and Technologies. A search for a Professor in the area of Distributed Electrical Systems is currently ongoing to this purpose. Signal processing is a strong scientific activity, with a long standing track of excellence in EE. Yet, it would be wise to consider a general consolidation of efforts within EPFL. Signal processing would benefit from having all its STI activities under the EE institute, and of realigning the activities between EE

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and communication systems to exploit synergisms. The signal processing pole should be further strengthened by the integration of the current PATTs and through Idiap activities in EE (research, teaching and joint appointments). A similar situation applies to optics and photonics, where most efforts are in micro-engineering but with possible synergies with the electromagnetic group.

4.3

Micro-engineering Institute

4.3.1 Positioning Micro-engineering was established as an EPFL research area around 20 years ago, building upon and following a long Swiss tradition of excellence in precision engineering and micro-machining for the watch, the space and medical device industries to name only a few. The institute IMT has gained outstanding reputation in Switzerland, in Europe as well as oversees, in particular in Japan, as being the host of highly innovative R&D and teaching for advanced micro engineering of miniaturized integrated systems as well as the associated production methods. Micro-engineering can be defined as the art of creating, manufacturing or using miniature components, machines and systems for different applications. It lies at the origin of a great number of products and of technologies that are necessary for their assembly. Microtechnology by its pure definition represents the bridge from nano-scale to the macro scale, and hence represents a formidable playground for R&D as well as teaching to prepare the scientists and engineers that develop the products of the future society in the field of information technology, environmental monitoring and health care. Therefore, micro-engineering is by essence a multidisciplinary field, which requires competences in fields as diverse as physics, chemistry, biology, optics, material science, mechanics, robotics, electronic engineering and information technology. The IMT comprehensively unifies these expertises in one institute to foster enhanced cross-disciplinary collaboration that are required for the science and technology of highly miniaturized systems. Within IMT research is performed in following three areas: • MEMS and Nanotechnologies • Optics and Photonics • Robotics and Manufacturing. Within these pillars, the existing and proven competences of the Institute are continuously developed according to priorities in a large variety of domains illustrated by the following Figure. It spans from precision engineering down to the micrometer and nanometer scales, the development of devices and micro components and their integration into functional microsystems and machines, the use of optical properties in sensors, actuators but also photovoltaic devices. MEMS & Nanotechnology

Robotics & Micro Manufacturing

Optics & Photonics

• Sensors/Actuators

• Biomedical robotics

Micro-Optics

• MEMS/NEMS

• Parallel robotics

Non-linera optics

• BioMEMS

• Space robotics

Nanophotonics

• OpticalMEMS

• Mobile robotics

Optofluidics

• Biosensors

• Ultra precision robotics

Laser tweezers

• Micro/Nanofluidics

• Bio-inspired robotics

Plasmonics

• Nanofabrication

• Production technologies

Meta-materials

• Thin films

• Image processing • Smart vision

Fig. 24 – Fields of research covered by the Microengineering Institute

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The skills around these fields are developed in two different sites: in Lausanne with focus on “biomedical technologies” due to its proximity to EPFL’s Life Sciences School and other bio-focused activities at Lake Geneva, and in Neuchâtel with focus on “green industrialization, due to its close links to CSEM and microengineering industries in the Jura and Neuchâtel Lake area 4.3.1.1

Optics and photonics

Photonics is a vivid field of research in Microengineering, covering both fundamental aspects of lightmatter interaction and applications, often in close collaboration with industrial partners. At the fundamental level, photonics in Microengineering addresses topics such as non-linear optics, optofluidics, fluorescence and plasmonics. Applications include the development of novel light sources, speckle metrology, optical signal processing, optical integration in MEMS, and the treatment of materials with lasers. The IMT has also a very strong expertise in optical imaging, from the development of novel techniques such as digital holographic microscopy, heterodyne near-field microscopy, laser-Doppler, and optical coherence tomography; to the efficient treatment of images with advanced concepts like wavelets. The competences in photonics at IMT are key to numerous collaborations spanning from life sciences to engineering. These research activities provide also a fertile environment for specific photonics courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. 4.3.1.2

MEMS and Nanotechnologies

The four LMIS labs in Lausanne, and the SAMLAB in Neuchâtel are devoted to research and teaching in several key areas of MEMS and nanotechnology, including BioMEMS, Optical-MEMS, polymer MEMS, microfluidics, lab-on-chip, and Nano-Tools. MEMS and nanotechnology themselves are very interdisciplinary by definition. Hence, all IMT labs within this area have very intensive collaborations with units in other institutes such as IMX and EE as well as in other faculties such as Basic and Life Sciences. Integration of sensors and actuators in complex Microsystems also includes research in the field of CMOS-based transducers such as single photon detectors, magnetic sensors, etc. Last but not least, further key activities are devoted to the development of novel micro/nanofabrication methods for making new multiple scale, multiple material systems. They include thin film technologies, patterning techniques, inkjet printing, as well as self-assembly methods. 4.3.1.3

Robotics and Manufacturing

EPFL has a long tradition in robotics. Several laboratories within IMT have made pioneering contributions to mobile robotics, educational robotics, bio-mimetic robotics, assistive robotics, and principles of robotics self-organization. IMT also has a strong tradition in industrial robots with applications in rehabilitation, manufacturing, and micro manufacturing techniques. Herein, research is performed in the areas of optical and vision systems for assembly and quality control, robust signal processing algorithms and efficient real-time DSP software for optimized implementation in embedded systems. Another activity is devoted to problems specific to the handling of small (< 1 mm) components. Finally, what we see often neglected in pre-competitive R&D is done in the field of thick-film hybrid microelectronics and sensor packaging for advanced applications. 4.3.2 Current status The Micro-engineering Institute currently consists of 21 research laboratories:

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Table 14 – Laboratories, faculty members and area of research at the Microengineering Institute

Unit

Name

Director and Faculty

Research area

PV-LAB

Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory

Full Prof. Christophe Ballif

Photovoltaics, thin film Silicon, amorphous silicon, heterojunction cells, lamination

LASA

Learning algorithms and systems Laboratory

Associate Prof. Aude Billard

Machine Learning, Robotics, Mechatronics

LSRO1

Robotic Systems Laboratory

Full Prof. Hannes Bleuler

Parallel robots, Frictionless bearings, Nanometric positioning, Medical robotics and instrumentation, Mechatronic design.

Senior Scientist Francesco Mondada LSRO2

Robotic Systems Laboratory

Full Prof. Reymond Clavel

Parallel Kinematics, parallel robots with high precision, micro-factory laboratory, virtual reality and active interfaces, medical robots and devices, surgical robots

LMIS 1

Microsystems Laboratory

Associate Prof. Jürgen Brugger (Vice Director IMT Lausanne)

Integrated micro & nanosystems, MEMS, nanotechnology, inkjet printing

LMIS 2

Microsystems Laboratory

Full Prof. Martinus Gijs

Microfluidics, bioMEMS, technology development, microsystems

LMIS 3

Microsystems Laboratory

Full Prof. Radivoje Popovic

Sensor devices, interface electronics, integration of sensors and electronics (magnetic and optical)

LMIS 4

Microsystems Laboratory

Full Prof. Philippe Renaud

BioMEMS, microfluidics, cell chips, bioelectronics, biosensors

SAMLAB

Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Laboratory

Full Prof. Nico de Rooij (Institute Director)

Design, micro fabrication and application of miniaturized Si- based sensors, actuators, and microsystems, time-frequency applications, micro bioelectrochemical systems, optical MEMS, microfluidics, tools for nanoscience

ESPLAB

Electronics and Signal Processing Laboratory

Full Prof. Pierre-André Farine

GNSS receivers, GPS, Galileo, ultra precise miniature atomic clocks, UWB communication systems, active picture sensors, video and audio coding, compression and signal processing

PARLAB

Pattern Recognition Laboratory – ex. Prof. Hügli

Full Prof. Pierre-André Farine (a.i)

Pattern recognition, microvision, 3D computer vision, perception systems

LIS

Laboratory of Intelligent Systems

Associate Prof. Dario Floreano

Bio-inspired Robotics; Bioinspired A.I.; Systems Biology; Evolutionary Computation; Neural Computation; Swarm Intelligence

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Unit

Name

Director and Faculty

Research area

LOB

Optics and Photonics Technology Laboratory

Full Prof. Hans Peter Herzig

Functional imaging, metabolic imaging, single molecule detection, high resolution, non-linear microscopy, optical Coherence microscopy, laser doppler imaging, tissue optics

LPM 1

Laboratory of Microengineering for Manufacturing

Full Prof. Jacques Jacot

Product conception, process control, industrialization and assembly technics applied to submillimetric scale, optical and vision systems for assembly and quality control

Adjunct Prof. Max-Olivier Hongler

Operations research, (manufacturing and production), non-linear dynamics and optimal control, (multiagents systems), applied probability and stochastic processes

LPM 2

Laboratory of Microengineering for Manufacturing

Associate Prof. Peter Ryser (Section Director)

Product development, micro system packaging, thick film technology

LOB

Biomedical Optics Laboratory

Full Prof. Theo Lasser

Functional imaging, metabolic imaging, single molecule detection, high resolution, non-linear microscopy, optical coherence microscopy, laser doppler imaging, tissue optics

NAM

Nanophotonics and Metrology Laboratory

Associate Prof. Olivier Martin

Plasmonics, nanophotonics, photonics, biosensors, metamaterials, modeling, nanofabrication, near-field optics

Adjunct Prof. Pierre Jacquot LO

Optics Laboratory

LOA

Advanced Photonics Laboratory Honorary Prof. René Salathé In the process of being closed after Prof. R. Salathé retired

LIB

Biomedical Imaging Laboratory

Full Prof. Demetri Psaltis

Optofluidics, nanoparticles, nonlinear optics, second harmonic, biophotonics, holography Laser tweezers, optical sensor applications, integrated optics, laser processing

Adjunct Prof. Christian Depeursinge

Optics, microscopy, holography, coherent imaging, tissue optics

Sen. Scientist Patrik Hoffmann

Wettability, microstructuring, electron-beam deposition, photodeposition, photoablation, nano-optics

Full Prof. Michael Unser

Biomedical imaging, image processing, splines, wavelets, inverse problems, reconstruction, multi-modal imaging, image analysis and visualization

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Unit

Name

Director and Faculty

Research area

LMTS

Microsystems for Space Technologies Laboratory

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Herbert Shea

MEMS, electric propulsion, artificial muscle, dielectric elastomer actuator, chipscale Plasma, inertial sensing, tunable optics, polymer MEMS, radiation hardness of MEMS, picosatellites

LAI

Integrated Actuators Laboratory Adjunct Prof. Yves Perriard (Vice Director IMT Neuchâtel)

Electric drives, linear transducers, complex system optimization, invasive blood pump, piezo electric motors

In addition to the above laboratories or research groups, the Institute also counts Full Prof. Gian-Luca Bona, acting EMPA Director, among its faculty members. The Micro-Engineering Institute is the largest one in terms of full professors. Considering PO, PA and PATT only, less than 5% of the positions are non-tenured. Table 15 – Number of faculty members, incl. gender, at the Micro-engineering Institute

Faculty rank

Total

Full professor (PO)

Men

Women

% Women

% Total

0.0%

53.8%

Associate professor (PA)

20.0%

19.2%

Tenure-track assistant professor (PATT)

0.0%

3.8%

FNS Assistant professor (PBFN)

0.0%

Adjunct professor (PT)

0.0%

15.4%

Adjunct professor external (PTE)

0.0%

3.8%

Senior scientist/Research & Teaching Ass. (MER/CSS)

0.0%

3.8%

100.0%

TOTAL

The Institute has just completed the recruitment of a young associate professor with strong industrial expertise who will start at the beginning of 2010. Among its upcoming challenges, the IGM faces the replacement of three retiring faculty members until 2015 as follow: Table 16 –List of upcoming full senior professor retirement of IMT

Year of retirement

Name, First name

Laboratory

Date of birth Year hired

2010

Popovic, Radivoje

Microsystem Laboratory

26.02.1945

1994

2014

Jacot, Jacques

Laboratory of Microengineering for Manufacturing

08.05.1949

1994

2015

Clavel, Reymond

Robotic System Laboratory

23.06.1950

1981

4.3.3 Situation and SWOT analysis The situation of the Micro-engineering Institute has evolved considerably with the integration of the Institute of micro-technology (imt) from the University of Neuchâtel. The integration was the result of a political decision between the Swiss Confederation supervising the ETH-Board and the EPFL and the “Canton de Neuchâtel”, supervising the University of Neuchâtel. Under the agreement, EPFL and in STI-Audit 2009 - Vol. A: Self-Assessment report

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particular the School of engineering has taken over 5 laboratories in Neuchâtel and merged it with one EPFL laboratory that was already there and one which has moved from Lausanne to Neuchâtel. The adjunction of 3 to 5 additional laboratories is envisioned over time, depending on financing and real estate means. As explained in Chapter 3.4.4, the “Canton de Neuchâtel” has agreed to construct a new building until the end of 2012 to host all EPFL labs. The labs that have joined EPFL are the following: Table 17 – Laboratories that have joined EPFL from the imt / University of Neuchâtel

Laboratory

Professor

Research area

ESPLAB Electronic and Signal Processing Laboratory

Farine, Pierre-André

Signal processing, coding and compression of audio and video signals, ultra low power A/D and D/A converters, Digital signal processing

OPT Herzig, Hans Peter Optics and Photonics Technology Laboratory

Nano-optics, nanophotonics & sensors, new optical materials, optical micro-systems, photon management

PV-LAB Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory

Thin films (amorphous and crystalline) deposition techniques for photovoltaic applications

Ballif, Christophe

SAMLAB De Rooij, Nico Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Laboratory PARLAB Pattern recognition Laboratory

Bio and chemical MEMS, MEMS for Space, Micro and Nanofluidics, Nanotools, Optical MEMS, Enegry and Power MEMS, Sensors and Actuators, Process development

Farine, Pierre-André a.i. 40

Micro-vision and 3D vision, Artificial perception, pattern recognition with neural networks

This of course has created a new and challenging situation for an EPFL Institute, but overall the integration was successfully managed without major short term negative impacts on the scientific activities, while creating new synergies. Each site is developing competencies in different fields, and in a different environment, which is an asset in terms of relations with other institutions: strong links are developed with other research institutions based in Lausanne and in Neuchâtel, such as CSEM in Neuchâtel, the Energy Center or the Life Sciences research institute in Lausanne. The main site in Lausanne hosts teaching, and develops activities in close relationships with EPFL’s life-science faculty. Neuchâtel develops activities for green industrialization, as well as strong links with the industrial community in the region. Both sites take advantage of this privileged situation well entrenched in the heart of a strong micro-engineering and biomedical industrial economic tissue. Table 18 – Main research activities on the two sites

Lausanne – Biomedical technologies • Design of micro-systems or components for biomedical applications • Sensing and actuation for basic biological investigations, systems biology and diagnostics • Bio-imaging

Neuchâtel – Green industrialization • Design of micro-systems or components in the idea of sustainable development • Industrialization of micro-engineering products while respecting environment • Design of «local intelligent power» miniatures (solar cells, movement energy convertor, modules for hybrid car, aircraft, boat, …) • Materials, components for energy generation and storage

Ad interim following retirement of Prof. Hügli, Heinz

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The Institute of Micro-engineering has a long term experience in collaborating with industrial partners. Researchers of IMT are active at all stages of the innovation process spanning from fundamental academic research, to pre-industrial prototyping. In addition, IMT offers many collaborations and partnership opportunities, such as, characterizations of new products, optimization of new processes, and development of new applications. EPFL has developed an intellectual property strategy enabling IMT’s industrial partners to rapidly launch a new product into the market. The large number of successful collaborations with industries active in fields as diverse as biomedical systems, watch industry, spatial exploration, global positioning systems, security, or energy production witnesses the capacity of the Institute in bridging the gap between fundamental research and industrial production. 4.3.3.1

SWOT analysis

Following is a summary of what we perceive to be the major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the Micro-engineering Institute. Table 19 – SWOT analysis of the micro-engineering Institute

Strengths

Weaknesses

• Activities are well aligned to the needs of Swiss and European industries

• Only one non-tenured chair

• Very attractive for (Swiss) students at B.Sc. and M.Sc. level

• Discipline is a Swiss specialty; therefore challenging to attract foreign students at B.Sc. and M.Sc. level

• Very large number of foreign PhD students and postdocs Strong record in creating successful start-ups • Good mix of professors with strong academic and industrial strengths • Depth and breath

Opportunities

Threats

• Recent merger with Neuchâtel labs offers new momentum; thus enhancing IMT’s international visibility

• Dependence from third party funding

• Local support from the Neuchâtel authorities

• Retirement of several full professors in 2010-2020 time period

• IMT is now the largest institute of that kind in Europe • Strong industrial links

4.3.4 Outlook and action items The fusion with the Neuchâtel laboratories in January 2009 makes IMT the largest Institute (in terms of staff head count) in the field of micro/nanotechnologies in Europe, thus new momentum has been gained. The IMT will refine its R&D strategies in order to strengthen its already outstanding track record and reputation in the field of conception, fabrication and integration of miniaturized functional systems. To the end the IMT plans to intensify the cooperation within the Institute, in particular in planning joint projects between the Lausanne and Neuchâtel sites. The next period will be devoted to the consolidation of the thematic concentrations (biomedical engineering in Lausanne and Green-tech/manufacturing in Neuchâtel). To this end the activities at the Lausanne site will have to be strengthened by new faculty with activities in biomedical engineering and transducers, whereas the Neuchâtel site by new faculty with activities in sustainable energy. The IMT strives to reinforce and develop partnerships with equivalent institutes such as IMTEK (University of Freiburg, D) and IIS (University of Tokyo, J), MESA+ Institute (University of Twente, The Netherlands), etc. One example is the NAMIS network currently implemented. These partnerships encourage initiatives both on institutional and personal level to leverage our impact to a larger community. It also

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forms the ground for privileged student/researcher exchange programs. Being part of thematic networks also is in particular beneficial for the preparation of large-scale integrated projects. In fact, IMT forms the ideal framework for taking up the leadership in one of the future IP’s or LSP’s funded by the EU. These projects are facilitated when a critical mass of highly competent partners is available. On the level of individual researchers aiming for high level grants (e.g. ERC), the IMT shall play a determining role as host institute offering infrastructure and complementary activities. Ongoing infrastructural upgrades including CMI+ (See Chapter 4.7.1) will reinforce and adapt the technological platforms to the upcoming R&D challenges, such soft/bio/nano materials structuring, characterization and integration. Last but not least, we aim to strengthen the outreach of IMT’s R&D efforts for instance via the cooperation with other players in the R&D field (such as CSEM, HES and industry) by specific meetings, workshops and other promotional activities.

4.4

Mechanical engineering Institute

4.4.1 Positioning Mechanical Engineering plays a major role in meeting the needs of developed and developing societies towards, in particular, an increased mobility, an improved comfort, and the provision of services, goods and artifacts, while respecting the natural resources and the environment. The general objective of the Institute's research is the design, modeling and optimization of complex systems for sustainability. The Institute participates in several doctoral programs, collaborates with the Energy Centre, the Space Centre and the newly created Transportation Center. Several international collaborations are undertaken in the frame of the research activities of the different laboratories Activities are targeted at providing a major contribution to advances in key engineering sciences with a strong focus on solid and fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and heat and mass transfer, as well as control theory. A major emphasis is also put on systemic multi-physics and multi-scale approaches in particular in advanced energy systems, processes and technology; multi-scale dynamics; sustainable product design and production; mechatronics, the science and technology of interfaces and new materials. Computational engineering, information technology, high performance instrumentation and experimental facilities are key enabling elements of the activities of the institute, which includes 11 different laboratories. The fields of research covered by the institute are schematically depicted in the following figure and described hereafter:

Mechanics

Energy

Systems Design &

Dynamics &

Production

Control

Fig. 25 – Fields of research covered by the Mechanical Engineering Institute

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4.4.1.1

Mechanics

Solid and fluid mechanics are key engineering sciences with application fields going from basic machinery to biomechanical systems. Research activities cover selected topics related to the mechanics of solids, composite materials and structures, structural dynamics, fracture and micromechanics as well as biomechanics, instabilities in fluid mechanics, microscale two-phase flow and computational engineering methods covering a broad field of applications from biomedical to process engineering through hydro- and aero-dynamics as well as computer chip cooling. Research in solid mechanics extends to nonlinear elasticity of anisotropic materials, the (bio-)rheology of materials and the mechanics of contacts. Research in fluids extends to both Newtonian or non-Newtonian fluids as well as closed plasma. 4.4.1.2

Energy

Energy, in particular its impact on the availability of resources and the environment, represents a key challenge of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world. Research activities in ME cover both methodological system approaches including considerations of environmental and economic issues as well as advanced machines and components for efficient energy conversion, transportation, storage and use. The application domains go from purely renewable energy technologies (hydromachinery and plants) to machines and systems applicable to both fossil and so-called new renewable energies (thermal turbomachinery, high power density fuel cells and heat pumps, concentrated solar thermal power plants, enhanced surface heat exchangers, high speed electrically driven microcompressors, conversion processes to biofuels, pumps and pump-turbines for pumped storage hydropower plants). Research includes contributions to key engineering sciences in fluid mechanics such as unsteady separated flows, cavitation, two-phase and transonic flows, thermodynamics including heat and mass transfer as well as reactive flows and electrochemical systems. 4.4.1.3

Design & Production

Innovative design, advanced production & logistics approaches and computer aided tools for product design and manufacturing are integral parts of modern industrialized society. Efficient design and management of material and information flows in value-adding networks constitutes a key competitive factor for highly developed societies. Recently the transparency and minimization of the corresponding energy consumption and environmental impact of the material and process flows is also becoming a key competitive factor. Research at ME includes methods for modeling & simulation, design & optimization of value-adding and ecologically effective networks, rapid manufacturing through laserbased layered manufacturing, multi-scale modeling of non conventional manufacturing processes like high-speed micro milling, selective Laser Sintering as well as the study of vibration enhanced nonconventional machining processes. Computer-aided methods and tools for sustainable product design and manufacturing, product life cycle management, near zero waste and reduced energy consumption during manufacturing and reverse manufacturing and logistics are among the methods under investigation. 4.4.1.4

Dynamics & Control

Automatic control has been a driver of technological progress for many decades. It represents a "hidden" technology that is key to deal with unstable, complex and highly interacting systems in many areas such as energy, environment, health, manufacturing and production, chemical processing, networks, and finances. Research activities at the Automatic Control Laboratory deal with the identification, control and optimization of dynamical systems. The objective is to enable or improve process operation in the presence of uncertainty that result from a lack of process knowledge or the presence of disturbances. Particular attention is given to coordination and hierarchical control, real-time optimization, da-

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ta-driven controller tuning as well as robust and nonlinear control. The application areas include systems biology, medical devices, network systems as well as process and motion control. 4.4.1.5

Special facilities

At the level of the laboratories, the Mechanical Engineering Institute can count on experimental facilities of major importance. To mention a few: test facilities for hydraulic machines, high speed cavitation tunnel, transonic annular cascade for testing thermal turbo-machines, test facilities for fuel cells, test facilities for the analysis of combustion instabilities, dedicated test benches for the characterization of high speed rotors and bearings. The Institute is also equipped with a range of mechanical testing facilities as well as special optical systems used in embedded fiber optics for micromechanics research and structural monitoring. In addition, the Institute is hosting a cluster for parallel computing with more than 900 nodes called Pléiades (see Chapter 4.7.7) that is used by a number of laboratories, primarily within IGM but also STI and other EPFL schools. Among the different topics studied using the Pleiades cluster are: Computational fluid dynamics; Multi-objective optimization of energy systems; Cardiovascular flow; Plasma & fusion physics; Atomic scale phenomena; Chemical processes in the atmosphere; Algorithm development for cryptology, etc. 4.4.2 Current status The Mechanical Engineering Institute currently consists of 11 research laboratories (one lab , LA, having two full professors): Table 20 – Laboratories, faculty members and area of research at the Mechanical Engineering Institute

Unit

Name

Director and Faculty

Research area

LMH

Hydraulic Machines Laboratory

Full Prof. François Avellan

Hydropower Plant, Hydraulic Machinery and Systems, Hydrodynamics, Cavitation Hydroacoustics, Flow Numerical Simulation

Senior Scientist Mohamed Farhat LMAF

Laboratory of Applied Mechanics and Reliability Analysis

Full Prof. John Botsis Adjunct Prof. Alain Curnier Adjunct Prof. Thomas Gmür

LENI

Industrial Energy Systems Laboratory

Full Prof. Daniel Favrat (Institute Director) Senior Scientist François Maréchal

Mechanics of solids and structures, fracture mechanics and and micromechanics. Surface and internal strain measurements. Mechanics of composite materials, Nonsmooth convex analysis. Structural Dynamics, Modal Identification, Characterization of Constitutive Parameters, Numerical Methods, Finite Element Methods, Mechanics of Composites Energy systems modeling & optimization, thermodynamics, heat pumps & ORC, fuel cells, thermal power, combustion. Solid oxide fuel cells, biofuels, catalysis, solid state electrochemistry.

Senior Scientist Jan Van Herle LCSM

Mechanical Systems Design Laboratory

Full Prof. Jacques Giovanola

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Unit

Name

Director and Faculty

Research area

LGPP

Laboratory for Production Management and Processes

Full Prof. Remy Glardon (Section Director)

Supply Chain Magagement, Selective Laser Sintering

LA1

Automatic Control Laboratory

Full Prof. Dominique Bonvin

Real-time optimization, Dynamic optimization, System identification, Process chemometrics

Senior Scientist Denis Gillet LA2

Automatic Control Laboratory

Full Prof. Roland Longchamp

Data-driven controller tuning, System identification, Robust control

Senior Scientist Alireza Karimi LIN

Computational Engineering Laboratory

Full Prof. Michel Deville

Spectral element methods, turbulence modeling, large eddy simulations and non-Newtonian fluids. Applications covering a large spectrum from biomedical engineering to process engineering going through hydrodynamics and aerodynamics.

LICP

Laboratory for Computeraided Design and Production

Full Prof. Paul Xirouchakis

Computer-aided manufacturing, computer-aided design, sustainable manufacturing

LTCM

Heat and Mass Transfer Laboratory

Full Prof. John Thome

two-phase flow, macro and microscale heat transfer

(TBD)

Fluid Mechanics Laboratory

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. FranĂ§ois Gallaire

Fluid mechanics, basic principles of fluid flows, micro-fluidics (analysis of laser manipulation of a bubble in a micro-canal) and bio-fluid dynamics (mechanical description of aneurysms in the abdominal aorta).

LTT

Applied Thermodynamics and Thermal Turbomachinery Laboratory

Director a.i. Dr. Peter Ott

Aero engines, gas turbines, turbines, compressors, aerodynamics, measuring techniques, aeroelasticity, turbine cooling, heat transfer, flow control by cold plasma

The Mechanical Engineering Institute is the second largest one in terms of full professors but has the lowest ratio of chaired professors per student of STI. Considering PO, PA and PATT only, less than 10% of the positions are non-tenured. The Institute will face one full professor retirement in 2010, one in 2013, another one in 2014 and 3 in 2015. Table 21 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Number of faculty members, incl. gender, at the Mechanical Engineering Institute

Faculty rank Full professor (PO)

Total

Men

Women

% Women

% Total

0.0%

52.6%

Associate professor (PA)

0.0%

Tenure-track assistant professor (PATT)

0.0%

5.3%

FNS Assistant professor (PBFN)

0.0%

Adjunct professor (PT)

0.0%

10.5%

Adjunct professor external (PTE)

0.0%

Senior scientist/Research & Teaching Ass. (MER/CSS)

0.0%

31.6%

0.0%

100.0%

TOTAL

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After ten years without any new professor positions, two retirements of full professors and two non renewed assistant professor positions, the Institute has just completed the recruitment of one young tenure track assistant professor (F. Gallaire) who has started in September 2009. 4.4.3 Situation and SWOT analysis 4.4.3.1

Global trends

Mechanical engineering has been able to reinforce its position among the core engineering disciplines. It plays a major role in meeting societal needs in energy, transportation, environment, devices of all types, sustainable manufacturing and production technologies. New developments in mechatronics, nanotechnologies, materials, bioengineering, aerospace, robotics, information technology, to cite only a few, have led to new opportunities in both academia and industry. 4.4.3.2

Local characteristics

Contrary to what has happened at many universities, the aforementioned new developments, including the trends towards micro and nano components that often started within ME, have then migrated to separate departments at EPFL, for example in materials, microengineering and bioengineering. Research and applications in these domains are being undertaken through collaboration on a project basis. 4.4.3.3

SWOT analysis

Following is a summary of what we perceive to be the major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the Mechanical engineering Institute. Table 22 – SWOT analysis of the Mechanical engineering Institute

Strengths

Weaknesses

• Although broad, the different domains of ME have an impor- • Aging faculty (no hiring in the period 1998 -2008; more than 50% of tenured professors will retire in the next 6 years) tant synergy potential • Two senior professors have administrative jobs at the EPFL • Attractive bachelor and master programs in ME at EPFL, level (Dean of education, Dean of doctoral school) based strongly on key engineering sciences and resulting in a truly « polytechnique » education that is well appreciated • Inability to fill a faculty position in mechanical design, which in industry might impact on education • World-class and well-recognized experimental facilities, • Limited faculty number with respect to an important experiparticularly in turbomachines, together with workshops and mental infrastructure in hydro and thermal turbomachinery well-trained personnel • Smallest ratio of chaired faculty number/student within STI • Powerful computational facilities (Pleiade cluster) • Large differences in individual publication records within the • Central role of the highly interdisciplinary Automatic Control institute Laboratory within EPFL education • Key knowledge base for meeting tomorrow’s world challenges in areas such as transportation, energy, health, climate changes and sustainable manufacturing • Strong interaction with industry and international academia

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Opportunities

Threats

• The risk of faculty imbalance between disciplines requires great care in future hiring The development of biomechanics with the installation of the neuro-prosthetics institute in ME labs • Delicate positioning with regards to - STI: microengineering, bioengineering & materials; The political and social consciousness of global challenges about energy, resource conservation and transportation - ENAC: solid & fluid mechanics; Possibility of reshaping the faculty in view of the retirement - SB: chemical engineering, computational engineering of 6 full professors in the next 6 years • Inability to maintain the present position in design, energy, Strong industrial sector control, mechanics, and computational engineering without active hiring Key role in the organization of the World Engineering Convention 2011 in Geneva • Inability to teach ME key disciplines with a globally reduced budget (full professors replaced by PATTs and “MERs” with fewer collaborators and budget)

• Growing student interest for ME studies • • • • •

Among its most urging upcoming challenges, the IGM faces the replacement, within 5 years of six retiring faculty and actions are being taken to intensify recruiting (See Table 5) Table 23 –List of upcoming full senior professor retirement of IGM

Year of retirement

Name, First name

Laboratory

Date of birth

Year hired

2010

Deville, Michel

Computational Engineering Laboratory

26.02.1945

1993

2013

Favrat, Daniel

Industrial Energy Systems Laboratory

13.02.1948

1988

2014

Longchamp, Daniel

Automatic Control Laboratory

15.04.1949

1978

2015

Xirouchakis, Paul

Laboratory for Computer-aided Design and Production

11.01.1950

1995

Giovanola, Jacques

Composites and polymer technology

09.03.1950

1996

Glardon, Remy

Powder technology

21.09.1950

1995

4.4.4

Outlook and action items

The Institute’s vision is to further develop its four main areas and, with them, its strong contribution to engineering sciences. Attention will be given to attain critical mass in each of these areas. Strengthening the various laboratories, is a priority: each laboratory should have at least one chaired professor and a MER. In the short term the present search in energy, mechanics and control partly meets this objective. A coherent and focused faculty recruiting will be a key necessity and of utmost importance for the future of IGM. This concerns both new PATT positions in all four domains as well as the identification of at least one or two senior high level faculty posts. In addition, increased partnership by proposing joint assignment to professors of other institutes, particularly in the fields of biomechanics and robotics & manufacturing, will be actively pursued. This started with the recent acceptance of such a position by Prof Aude Billard (learning algorithms and systems in robotics). Close ties also exist with PATT Dominique Pioletti (biomechanics). The planned retrofit of the ME laboratory building with the transfer of part of the robotic and prosthetic activities will also be an opportunity for further collaboration. Major opportunities lie at the interface of disciplines or domains. This is particularly true for mechanical engineering. The Institute intends to: • Keep the EPFL leadership in dynamics & control by replacing the two professors when they retire. Special emphasis will be given to real-time optimization, data-driven controller tuning as

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•

• • • •

•

well as robust and nonlinear control. The application areas will include systems biology, medical devices as well as process and motion control. Further develop the interactions between mechanics and energy technologies (two-phase flows with heat transfer, reactive flows in fuel cells, coupling of solid and fluid flows in fields like in turbomachines and fuel cells,extensive use of cluster or supercomputer for advanced numerical simulations in energy machinery and systems) Enhance its high visibility in energy technologies and systems Strengthen mechanics with an increased share in biomechanics Develop common projects in design and development of high power-density energy and transportation technologies (high-speed turbo machines, noise reduction of advanced propulsion systems,…) Reinforce the field of scientific mechanical design, possibly in collaboration with IMT. It is expected to require a new specific hiring approach and increased attention as part of a broader discussion on the proper balance between in-depth academia and industrial expertise. Such a balance might fade out as a result of the coming faculty retirements. Develop synergies with the Institute of materials and labs in ENAC and SB that are active in modeling and computational engineering

Experimentally, the present trends towards smaller systems with investigations at the microscopic scale is expected to continue even if the Institute would like to rely on World unique large facilities in both hydro- and thermal machinery. While the large hydropower lab, located off campus, does not require immediate action, the future of parts of the thermal turbomachinery lab is more problematic in light of the IGM building retrofit. Nevertheless, these activities with contributions to European transportation technology programs like Newac (new engine core concept) maintain the institute visibility in highly actual and promising domains of application. Computational engineering is considered of major importance, and IGM is the host of a very successful cluster of PCs called Pleiades (See Chapter 4.7.7). A reasonable balance between labs using numerical methods and a lab specialized on the development of numerical methods was maintained until now. However, the further closing of the laboratory of computational engineering in 2010 constitutes a major challenge both for teaching and research. Independently from the current search, the institute will explore new collaboration paths inside EPFL to keep the numerical activities at a sufficiently high level. In particular the commitment of several IGM labs to both the development of high performance computing infrastructures and the newly created Master in computational sciences will be enhanced. Last but not least, the Institute will further develop its active participation in coordinated actions with the Energy, Transportation and Space centers of EPFL as well as nationally coordinated initiatives (CCEM, Manufuture, …).

4.5 4.5.1

Institute of Materials Evolution and Current Status

Birth and growth - The creation of EPFL’s former Department of Materials (renamed in the 2002 reorganisation of EPFL the “Institute of Materials”, or “IMX”) was initiated concurrently with the birth of EPFL as a Federal Institute of Technology in 1969. Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) was viewed by the newly founded Institute of Technology as an area of growth and investment in which it could shine, even in comparison with its (very strong) sister school in Zurich. The initial nucleus of the new Materials department was formed by two chairs mostly focused on mechanical testing, respectively of metals and construction materials and formerly located in mechanical and civil engineering, respectively. The name was from the onset “Department of Materials”, making IMX one of Europe’s oldest “materials-catholic” departments. This initial nucleus then grew rapidly with

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the addition of several new faculty (arrivals of W. Kurz in 1971, D. Landolt in 1972, H. Kausch in 1976, A. Mocelin in 1977). In 1974 EPFL launched a new academic curriculum leading to the award of an Engineer Diploma in Materials Science and Engineering. By 1980 the department counted seven laboratories and covered the spectrum of structural materials (metals, ceramics, and polymers). A strong push was made to emphasize fundamental materials research (as opposed to materials testing); also, the department covered much of the ground stretching from processing to properties, which at the time was not so usual. For the next decade, the department grew at a moderate pace, expanding to include new topics such as composite materials, functional materials and thin films. Then growth stopped in the early 1990’s following a shift in priorities of EPFL’s Presidency. Meanwhile, it began facing strong competition from its sister school in Zurich, which now also harbours an active Materials Department (“D-MAT”), of roughly the same size, ambition and stature as its elder sister at EPFL. The present situation - EPFL’s Institute of Materials (IMX) currently consists of 11 laboratories (plus one independent group), comprising 8 from the former Department of Materials, plus one which joined the Institute from Physics in 2001 and three new laboratories created since Sept. 2008. Each laboratory is headed by a director, either tenured (full or associate professors) or untenured (tenure-track assistant professors). In addition to its director, a laboratory may include adjunct professors (“professeurs titulaires”) or research associates, plus other members of EPFL’s personnel, either permanent or on temporary contracts. The typical headcount of a laboratory in EPFL’s IMX is around twenty people; however, strong variations exist from laboratory to laboratory. Table 24 – Laboratories, faculty members and area of research at the Institute of Materials

Unit

Laboratory

Director and Faculty

Research area

Ceramics Laboratory

Full Prof. Nava Setter

Science and technology of functional ceramics, functional materials, piezoelectrics, ferroelectrics, electroceramics

Adjunct Prof. Paul Muralt Adjunct Prof. Dragan Damjanovic LMC

Laboratory of Construction Materials

Full Prof. Karen Scrivener

Microstructural characterization and modeling of cementitious materials. Emphasis on providing a scientific basis to support the sustainable use of cementitious materials

LMM

Laboratory for Mechanical Metallurgy

Full Prof. Andreas Mortensen (Institute Director)

Processing and exploration of links between the microstructure and the properties of advanced metallic materials.

LMMM

Laboratory for Multiscale Modeling of Materials

Full Prof. Efthimios Kaxiras

Theoretical and computational modeling of materials across multiple spatial and temporal scales, from the atomistic to the continuum.

LMOM

Laboratory of Organic and Macromolecular Materials

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Holger Frauenrath

Preparation, characterization, and application of organic molecular and macromolecular materials.

LMSC

Laboratory of Semiconductor Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Anna Fontcuberta i Morral Materials

Novel semiconductor nanostructure combinations, using mainly nanowires,

LOMM

Laboratory of Optoelectronics of Molecular Materials

Full Prof. Libero Zuppiroli

Organic thin film devices such as organic light emitting diodes and organic field effect transistors.

Polymers Laboratory

Full Prof. Harm-Anton Klok (Section Director)

Polymer and (bio)organic chemistry and their application towards the development of novel functional polymer materials.

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Unit

Laboratory

Director and Faculty

Research area

LSMX

Computational Materials Laboratory

Full Prof. Michel Rappaz

Research and modeling of microstructure and defects in advanced solidification processes.

LTC

Laboratory of Polymer and Composite Technology

Full Prof. Jan-Anders Månson

Tailoring polymers and composites systems and process cycles, research on smart composites, biocomposites, nanocomposites, and thin films and devices.

LTP

Powder Technology Laboratory

Full Prof. Heinrich Hofmann

Processing of inorganic particles ranging from the nanoscale to the microscale by colloidal methods.

Adjunct Prof. Jacques Lemaître SCI-STI-SM

Mischler group - Tribology

Sen. Scientist Stefano Mischler

Applied surface functionalization and analysis, tribology and corrosion.

In addition to faculty attached to the above laboratories, the Institute counts among the ranks of its faculty: • • • • •

Full Prof. John Botsis, Head of Laboratory of Applied Mechanics & Reliability Analysis (LMAF); Full Prof. Jean-François Molinari, Head of Computational Solid Mechanics Laboratory (LSMS); Associate Prof. Cécile Hébert, Head of Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy (CIME); Adjunct Prof. Pierre Stadelmann, Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy (CIME); Adjunct Prof. Helena van Swygenhoven, Head of research group Materials Science & Simulation at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI);

The Materials Institute ranks second in the School of engineering (together with Mechanical Engineering) in terms of the number of full professors among its faculty. Considering PO (full professors), PA (associate professors, with tenure) and PATT (tenure-track assistant professors) only, a bit less than 15% of the positions are non-tenured. Table 25 – Number of faculty members, incl. gender, at the Institute of Materials Faculty rank

Total

Men

Women

% Women

% Total

Full professor (PO)

22.2%

42.9%

Associate professor (PA)

50.0%

9.5%

Tenure-track assistant professor (PATT)

50.0%

9.5%

FNS Assistant professor (PBFN)

0.0%

Adjunct professor (PT)

0.0%

19.0%

Adjunct professor external (PTE)

100.0%

4.8%

Senior scientist/Research & Teaching Ass. (MER/CSS)

0.0%

14.3%

23.8%

100.0%

TOTAL

The Institute has recently completed the recruitment of two full professors, one from Harvard (E. Kaxiras) and one from MIT (F. Stellacci who will start in 2010), as well as two young tenure-track assistant professors, one of whom joined the IMX in September 2008 (A. Fontcuberta I Morral), the other at the beginning of 2009 (H. Frauenrath). Research activities at the IMX span a relatively wide spectrum of today’s engineering materials: metals, polymers and ceramics are all represented, as are composite, nanometric and thin-film materials. There

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is a healthy mix of synthesis/processing research on one hand, microstructure/property research on the other; in this regard the balance at EPFL has long been, and continues to be, particularly healthy. There has been an evolution towards functional materials; however, structural materials have retained a strong presence (four out of nine laboratories were primarily focused on structural materials in 2006); in this respect, IMX had, in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, not evolved as rapidly as it could have given means. This is now largely corrected, through new hires: in 2010, only one third of IMX laboratories will be focused mainly on structural materials, a balance we view as healthy. The mix of faculty is also diverse in terms of intellectual origin (with faculty having originally graduated in all of MSE, Physics, or Chemistry), gender (see Table 26), and even nationality (with roughly a dozen nationalities represented among its faculty alone). Research spans the spectrum from basic to applied research. There are significant differences from laboratory to laboratory in the fraction of fundamental and applied research; however, essentially all IMX laboratories have a presence in the fundamentals of their research area while at the same time cultivating links with industry. IMX has thus managed over the years to remain at the threshold between science and engineering. All Institute laboratories participate in teaching both EPFL’s materials curriculum, and materials-related courses elsewhere at EPFL. In 2003, in the wake of a more general 2002 EPFL reform of doctoral studies, a new Doctoral Program in Materials was created. This new organizational entity, roughly similar to an interdepartmental doctoral program at a US university, groups all IMX laboratories together with several other laboratories active, across the campus, in materials research, with a mission to coordinate and improve recruitment, and offer a palette of advanced graduate courses to doctoral students (See Chapter 5.6 for more on Doctoral School and programs). Organizationally, IMX has always remained a cohesive unit, avoiding separation into smaller research units during EPFL’s 2002 organizational reform. This has, in particular, had the implication that the same faculty body has consistently managed together the dual missions of teaching and research in materials science and engineering.

4.5.2

Situation and SWOT analysis

The following table gives, in the form of a standard SWOT table, a summary of the situation as we perceive it. Table 26 – SWOT analysis of the Institute of Materials

Strengths

Weaknesses

• • • • • • •

• Weak international graduate student hiring at the master and PhD level • Underrepresentation of some important areas of research such as biomaterials, surfaces, energy, … • Lack of “branding”, lack of promotion and lack of an accessible gateway for the IMX or the broader EPFL materials community • No clear plan or means for maintenance of existing infrastructure

Reputation New faculty hires at top level Broad activity spectrum Good balance between processing and structure research Good infrastructure and facilities Good working conditions and salaries Healthy undergraduate recruitment and healthy job prospects for IMX graduates

Opportunities

Threats

• • • •

• Poor or overly competitive relations with ETHZ and EMPA • Fragmentation by laboratory and absence of a common credo • Isolation from the wider EPFL community • Equipment obsolescence

Partnership with other Materials Science departments Link with Paul Scherrer Institute The broader EPFL Materials community New faculty hiring at the junior level

In its current position IMX has definite strengths, its relatively strong reputation in research first among these (IMX counts 3 ISI Highly Cited authors among its faculty, out of a total of 4 in the School of engi-

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neering and 12 across EPFL). It has now a relatively healthy mix of competences and activities. It has an uninterrupted track record of success in attracting undergraduate students who have no difficulty in finding positions once they graduate. The faculty of IMX has also always remained clearly knit around the discipline, despite its diversity. And finally, in the past few years IMX has attracted new faculty, both junior and senior, who are in the very top league of the discipline. This does not mean, however, that the Institute is without weaknesses, threats or challenges. The greatest IMX weakness is its low rate of success in attracting top graduate students from outside EPFL, notably at the doctoral level. The opening of M.Sc. studies to outside candidacies in the wake of EPFL’s implementation of the Bologna reform has met some (but limited) success, as has the rapid shift in recent years to English as the main language of scientific discourse on campus; however, it remains a hard fact that, at the doctoral level, IMX does not attract candidacies on par with what we believe are its level and reputation in research. This is a problem that exists across much of EPFL, and one that will be at the very top of IMX’s priority list for coming years. Another weakness is the absence at IMX of high-visibility research in some important areas of the discipline. Several imbalances and gaps have now been corrected through recent hires: semiconductors and atomistic simulation notably, which were essentially absent a little over a year ago, and a reinforcement of organic materials science as well as nanomaterials science and engineering). Other important areas of materials science are however weak at the IMX. Biomaterials stands out most strikingly: there is biomaterials research in some IMX laboratories; however, none has a strong presence in this area. The same could be said of some other important subdomains of the discipline among those named in Fig. 26, such as materials science along surfaces including catalysis.

Biomaterials

Metals

Composite Materials

Optical/Photonic Materials

Superconducting Materials

Polymers

Electronic Materials

Catalysts

Magnetic Materials

Ceramics

Fig. 26 – The various materials subcategories and examples of interrelations between them

Our links with industry can be viewed as good but in need of improvement. The structure of research funding in Switzerland is one that encourages collaborative research with industry, through a wellconceived and managed grant scheme. Nearly all IMX laboratories thus have active collaborations with Swiss companies on topics of mutual interest. Although the situation is hence relatively healthy on the front of research interactions, it could be improved. Specifically, there is little “branding” of EPFL’s materials community, meaning little done to present, to the outside world, the Institute of Materials and the broader EPFL materials community as a coherent and accessible ensemble, particularly to the interna41

According to the 1998 National Research Council study “Experiments in International Benchmarking of US Research Fields”, National Academy Press, 2000.

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tional business community. In recent years the (national) Center of Competence in Materials (CCMX) (see Chapter 4.8.2), based at EPFL and headed by an IMX faculty member, has served to some extent as a vehicle to structure relations with industry. However, the role of CCMX is not to serve the EPFL Institute of Materials and its lifetime is limited. For the future a new structure (yet to be defined and dependent on the fate of CCMX in the near term) would be needed to foster and organize links between industry and the EPFL Materials community. Among its threats, the IMX has, first and foremost, the ever-present danger that its inherently low undergraduate student body fall to a level so low that the existence of a materials-related organisational entity at EPFL come into question. Every materials department worldwide faces this threat; we have hence always been very active (and so far successful) in undergraduate recruitment; details can be found in the Materials Section-related portion of this report (See Chapter 5.5). A second potential threat is a radical shift in recent years of the mission order adopted by a national materials research laboratory (EMPA) dependent on the same Board as EPFL and ETHZ, from being an industry-oriented materials testing and development laboratory to a government laboratory aiming to focus on longer-term, academic materials research. The IMX has not so far been directly threatened by this evolution; however, it is a fact that the matter has led to confrontations and might create problems in the future. The situation is in flux at the moment, as the head of EMPA has just been replaced. Among its upcoming challenges, the IMX faces: (i)

building a coherent and engaged faculty body engaging all members, newer and older, with a common purpose that is clearly focused on Materials Science and Engineering;

(ii) the acquisition or renewal, and maintenance, of common facilities for the advanced microstructural characterization and processing of materials. In the short term, this issue is critical as concerns the common facility for surface analysis. (iii) the replacement, in a few years, of a significant number of retiring faculty. The Institute will face one full professor retirement in each of 2012, 2013 and 2015. Table 27 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;List of upcoming full senior professor retirement of IMX Year of retirement

Name, First name

2012

Zuppiroli, Libero

Optoelectronics of molecular materials

14.07.1947

1990

2013

Setter, Nava

Ceramics

13.09.1949

1989

2015

Rappaz, Michel

Computational materials

24.09.1950

1974

2017

Manson, Jan-Anders

Composites and polymer technology

11.03.1952

1990

2018

Hofmann, Heinrich

Powder technology

20.02.1953

1993

2022

Mortensen, Andreas

Mechanical metallurgy

50.10.1957

1997

2022

Scrivener, Karen

Construction materials

21.08.1958

2001

4.5.3

Laboratory

Date of birth

Year hired

Outlook and action items

To address its chief weakness, namely graduate faculty recruitment, the Institute has taken steps aimed at increasing the number of students at other universities exposed to EPFL and its Materials Institute, in the hope that increased awareness of what EPFL can offer will lead to an increased number of candidacies. Initiatives that are either ongoing or new to this end include a summer program for undergraSTI-Audit 2009 - Vol. A: Self-Assessment report

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duate students of Cambridge University; a student exchange agreement with Tokyo University (now in its second year; very active in Lausanne to Tokyo exchanges but with no exchanges to date in the other direction), and at the STI or EPFL levels a series of inter-university agreements that have led to students from various universities (University of Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh, Polytechnique Montréal, Politecnica Cataluna Barcelone,...). We have also participated in the EPFL-wide initiative of attracting top Master’s students with fellowships and the Materials doctoral program has also facilitated the interviewing of accepted students in the past two years. Last but not least with the transition to the Bologna “system”, we are rapidly moving to adopt English as the effective language of our graduate curriculum, with the implication that English-speaking students suffer no handicap in their studies if they do not know or learn French. These initiatives (detailed further in the text concerning the Materials Section and Doctoral program in Chapter 5.5 and 5.6) will be pursued and augmented with a goal to increase EPFL’s visibility among undergraduate students abroad. Overall, the Institute shares the School of engineering analysis of the situation, namely that (i) the relative youth of the university is its greatest handicap on this front, and (ii) the best remedy is exposure of the university to as many students of other leading undergraduate programs in the discipline, to increase “word-of-mouth” awareness of what EPFL is, and what it can offer. There are no new faculty positions currently advertized at the IMX. For the coming year the Institute will hence focus on consolidation, starting by welcoming and installing its four new faculty members. It is the Institute’s hope that future years will see the adjunction of more junior faculty among its ranks, who will expand the palette of current Institute research activity into critical areas such as biomaterials. This goal is coupled with the need, starting a few years from now, to ensure a smooth transition upon the retirement of several of its more senior faculty (see Table 27). Another item requiring attention in the coming years is infrastructure. The short-term is focused on two action items: (i)

Space: adaptation of Institute offices and laboratories to host four new professors and their groups while aiming to meet also the evolving needs of existing laboratories. Also in this category comes the improvement of common spaces throughout Institute buildings (e.g., creating sufficient and agreeable workspace for undergraduate and graduate students, dealing with certain areas in need of a clean-up, and dealing with the storage of bicycles);

(ii) Equipment: the first priority is the renewal, at IMX (in the CIME) of surface analysis equipment, both for the Institute and for several laboratories across EPFL. Also needing attention in the short term is the maintenance of larger institute equipment in general (made at times problematic by a reduction in laboratory running cost budgets), and the purchase of apparatuses costing from 20 to 50 KCHF, which in the present internal funding structure at EPFL is problematic and even though the School of engineering has been helpful in recent years on this front. A final short term action item is motivated by the observation that there are, at EPFL, many laboratories active in materials science and engineering that belong to other institutes than IMX. We have therefore a goal to position the Institute of Materials as a more visible and active hub for the discipline at EPFL. The strategy adopted to this end is to invite selected colleagues from other institutes across the EPFL campus who are active in materials research, to hold a second appointment with the Institute. Three such nominations have been made to date: (i) Prof. Cécile Hébert in 2008 director of the CIME (the Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy) and an associate professor in Physics; (ii) Prof. John Botsis (in mechanical engineering) and Prof. Jean-François Molinari (in civil engineering), both in 2009. These colleagues now play an active role in shaping the life of the Institute, making the initiative a success. It is our intention to continue this initiative with roughly three new nominations in the coming year, with an objective to create links across campus boundaries sufficient to define, at EPFL, a greater active materials community. In the longer term, our goal is to drive the evolution of the Institute of Materials to position EPFL as one of the world’s top ten universities in Materials Science and Engineering. This, in turn, will require steering its evolution to build a spectrum of research expertise that is sufficiently broad for EPFL to represent STI-Audit 2009 - Vol. A: Self-Assessment report

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a visible pole for the discipline (instead of a grouping of laboratories active in selected areas of the discipline, as is the case in many materials departments) and bringing in a pool of talent making this an even more exciting department to work in. As an amusing exercise, a simple statement of vision can be given by adapting the (exceptionally well written) declaration of scope of the journal Nature Materials (changes we have brought are underlined) “EPFL’s Institute of Materials provides a home for the development of a common identity among EPFL’s materials scientists while encouraging researchers to cross established subdisciplinary divides. To achieve this, and strengthen the cohesion of EPFL’s materials community, the EPFL Institute of Materials takes an interdisciplinary, integrated and balanced approach to all areas of materials research while fostering the exchange of ideas between scientists involved in the different disciplines represented on campus. The EPFL Institute of Materials aims for exceptional significance and quality in a discipline which promises to have great influence on the development of society in years to come. Topics of research within EPFL’s Institute of Materials and broader Materials community will include: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Engineering and structural materials (metals, alloys, ceramics, composites) Organic and soft materials (glasses, colloids, liquid crystals, polymers) Bio-inspired, biomedical and biomolecular materials Electronic materials and molecular electronics Optical, photonic and optoelectronic materials Magnetic materials Superconducting materials Catalytic and separation materials Materials for energy Nanoscale materials and processes Computation, modeling and materials theory Surfaces and thin films Design, synthesis, processing and characterization techniques Granular materials Geomaterials”

It is our hope that a continuation of the action list that precedes namely: (i)

the hiring of new (chiefly junior) faculty to add new areas of expertise and replace expertise that is lost through retirement in areas listed above,

(ii) the construction of links across EPFL’s various organisational entities to drive the creation of an active and involved materials community across the campus, (iii) the consolidation of IMX laboratories into a united and active community focused on the discipline of Materials Science and Engineering; (iv) the upkeep and improvement of a top-notch common research infrastructure in terms of both scientific equipment and buildings, (v) a marriage between teaching and research that will drive a continued flux of talent to EPFL in the discipline and (vi) the cultivation of strong links with industry, will drive the evolution of IMX towards this goal.

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4.6

Institute of Bioengineering

4.6.1

Positioning

History - The Institute was founded in November 2003 within the School of Life Sciences, although under a different name. In May 2007, the leadership of the Institute was broadened, to report to both the Dean of the School of Life Sciences and the Dean of the School of engineering. Thus, PIs in the Institute are members of either of the two Schools. Additionally, several members are jointly appointed in the School of Basic Sciences. As such, the Institute is referred to as an Interfaculty Institute by the EPFL Direction. Enjoying this broad support by the two deans, as well as the Dean of the School of Basic Sciences, faculty hiring has been possible unified by systems-oriented, quantitative, design-driven biology, but spanning from the computational to the experimental, from the molecular to the organismic, and from fundamental to translational perspectives. Members employ tools that are molecular and cell biological, biophysical, and micro- and nanotechnological. The Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goal is to provide this breadth under one roof, fully phase-mixed, without boundaries between the approaches; and moreover to do so situated fully within an environment of the Life Sciences (bringing engineering to biology), and simultaneously fully within an environment of Engineering (bringing biology to engineering). In doing so, the Institute strives to create a new breed of investigator, and even more importantly to train a new breed of bioengineer, deeply trained both in the bio- and the -engineering parts of the name. Active in a cross-disciplinary environment that is rich for the development of novel basic technologies as well as for seeking deeper understanding of fundamental biological processes, the scientific mission of IBI groups includes study of integrative (patho-)physiological mechanisms and develop novel technological and biotherapeutic approaches at the levels of genes, biomolecules, cells and tissues. Next to basic biological investigation, application-driven research endeavours aim at developing new systems and approaches relevant for human health and disease. Educationally, the mission of the IBI is to, mainly through the Section of Life Sciences and Technology, train bioengineers who are deeply knowledgeable in cell and molecular biology and systems biology with exposure to immunology, genetics and developmental biology, while simultaneously being strongly trained in the physical sciences and engineering. The interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering covers a wide range of fields and subjects. Research goals and questions range from mechanistic to translational and from molecular to physiological. Topics being addressed are described her after. 4.6.1.1

Fundamental systems or structural biology and biochemistry, in vitro, in vivo or in silico

Several laboratories in the Institute work in experimental and computational systems biology, examining topics and developing tools in chemical biology, including protein chemistry, structure and function, in regulation of transcription and development of drug-resistance mechanisms, in reverse-engineering of gene regulatory networks, in detecting, monitoring and modeling protein-DNA interactions, in computational biophysics at the molecular scale, in multiscale molecular simulations and modeling of complex quaternary interactions, including structural dynamics of molecular machinery, and in quantitative physiological mechanisms regulated by biological transport, including lymphatic biology, lymphangiogenesis, and dendritic cell and tumor cell homing to the lymphatics. 4.6.1.2

Biotechnology

With more translational and even industrial goals in mind, laboratories in the Institute investigate protein engineering, drug design, rapid generation of high-yield recombinant cell lines, novel technologies for

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transient transfection and large-scale production of recombinant proteins, scalable cultivation of mammalian cells, bioreactor technology and bioprocess control. 4.6.1.3

Stem cell bioengineering

In both fundamental and translational contexts, groups in the Institute study and control stem cell microenvironments and regulation, microengineer artificial stem cell niches, develop stem cell probes based on microarray / microchip technology as well as microfluidics-based stem cell culture, and they investigate fundamental issues in stem cell regulation and lineage selection, especially in the epithelia of the skin, cornea and thymus. 4.6.1.4

Regenerative medicine

Developing understand of stem cell and embryonic cell biology is combined with tools in protein engineering and biomaterials science to develop in vitro models of complex physiological function and to translate understanding of that function to tissue repair and regeneration, addressing topics in bioactive materials, tissue engineering, drug and gene delivery systems for in situ regulation. Tissue targets include skin, cornea, bone, and skin, as well as underlying fundamental questions related to angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. 4.6.1.5

Drug discovery

Both chemical and protein engineering approaches are used to develop novel technologies for high throughput screening for molecular discovery as well as for high throughput bioprocess optimization. 4.6.1.6

Biomechanics and orthopaedics

Investigations in the Institute in biomechanics range from the molecularly to the whole organism. Activities include physical activity monitoring and gait analysis or modeling, sensor systems, musculoskeletal tissue engineering, implant and joints biomechanics, drug-delivery systems, cellular mechanobiology, haemodynamics and cardiovascular mechanics of vessels, aneurysms, and the heart, vascular implants and non- or mini-invasive technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of cardio or cerebrovascular disease, mechanobiology of interstitial and lymphatic transport. 4.6.1.7

Biological and medical technology

In addition to the question-driven research mentioned above, work in the Institute includes development of technologies driven by those fundamental questions as well as technologies for diagnosis and therapy. This research includes protein and cell patterning technologies, bio-imaging and microscopy, nonlinear optics, optofluidics, nanoparticle technology, nanopore and laser tweezer technology. The present age in biology is very driven by the development of new technologies, enabling entirely new kinds of questions to be asked in entirely new kinds of ways. As an Institute, we are fortunate to have such technological bandwidth. 4.6.2

Current status

The Institute of Bioengineering currently consists of 20 laboratories or groups, which have their principal affiliation to the School of Life Sciences (8), the School of engineering (10), or the School of Basic Sciences (2). This aspect has mainly organizational and budgetary relevance. The Institute is also hosting 2 closely affiliated Centers: the Inter-institutional Center of Translational Biomechanics (CBT) (see

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Chapter 4.7.2) and the Center for Neuroprosthetics (CPN) (see Chapter 4.7.5) which are both headed by an IBI faculty member. Table 28 – Laboratories, groups, faculty members and area of research at the Institute of Bioengineering (primary affiliation to the School of engineering)

Unit

Name

Director and Faculty

Research area (keywords)

LMAM

Laboratory of Movement Analysis and Measurement

Adjunct Prof. Kamiar Aminian

Biomechanics, sport, inertial sensors, wearable systems, outcome evaluation, orthopaedics engineering, long-term monitoring, daily activity

CLSE1

Swiss-up engineering Chair Laboratory of Life Sciences Electronics

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Carlotta Guiducci

Electronic biosensors, DNA sensing, DNA chip, label-free biomolecular sensing

LBNC1

Laboratory of Biological Network Characterisation

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Sebastian Maerkl

Microfluidics, systems biology, yeast, transcriptional regulatory networks, protein dynamics

CNBI

Defitech Chair in NonInvasive Brain-Machine Interface

Associate Prof. José del Rocio Millán Ruiz

Brain-Computer Interface, EEG, Neuroprosthetics

LBO

Biomechanical Orthopedics Laboratory (EPFL-HOSR

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Dominique Pioletti

Biomechanics, tissue engineering, biomaterials, orthopaedic implant

Optics Laboratory

Full Prof. Demetri Psaltis

Optofluidics, nanoparticles, nonlinear optics

LBEN1

Laboratory of Nanoscale Biology

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Alexandra Radenovic

GPCRs, solid-state nanopores, single molecule, DNA sequencing, nanoelectrodes

LHTC1

Hemodynamics and Cardiovascular Technology Laboratory

Associate Prof. Nikolaos Stergiopulos

Cardiovascular mechanics, hemodynamics, arterial remodeling, cerebrovascular disease, vascular prostheses, active implants

GRVDB2

Van den Bergh Group

Full Prof. Hubert Van den Bergh

Photomedicine

GRVDV

Van De Ville Group

SNSF Assistant Prof. Dimitri Van De Ville

Biomedical imaging, Signal and image processing, wavelets, inverse problems, mathematical imaging, sparsity, machine learning, (f)MRI, EEG, PET, laser Doppler imaging

Table 29 – Laboratories, groups, faculty members and area of research at the Institute of Bioengineering (primary affiliation to the School of Life Sciences)

Unit

Name

Director and Faculty

Research area (keywords)

NCEM

Laboratory of Integrative and Systems Physiology, Nestlé Chair in Energy Metabolism

Full Prof. Johan Auwerx Sen. Scientist Kristina Schoonjans

Diabetes, genetics, metabolism, metabolic disease, phenogenomics, transcription

LDCS

Stem Cell Dynamics Laboratory, joint chair EPFL/UNILCHUV

Full Prof. Yann Barrandon

Stem cell, morphogenesis, microenvironment, plasticity, reprogramming, cell and gene therapy.

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Unit

Name

Director and Faculty

Research area (keywords)

UPDALPE

Laboratory for Biomolecular Modeling

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Matteo Dal Peraro

Computational biophysics, biochemistry, and structural biology; bacteria and viruses; multi-scale molecular simulations; macro-molecular assembly; protein and drug design; high-performance computing.

UPDEPLA

Laboratory of Systems Biology and Genetics

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Bart Deplancke

Systems biology, gene regulatory network, transcription, quantitative genetics, mouse, drosophila, yeast, genetic engineering

LMRP

Regenerative Medicine and Pharmacobiology Laboratory, Merck-Serono Chair in Drug Delivery

Full Prof. Jeffrey Hubbell

Biomaterials, tissue engineering, protein engineering, drug and gene delivery, vaccines

UPLUT

Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering

Tenure Track Assistant Prof. Matthias Lutolf

Stem Cell biology and microenvironment, artificial stem cell niches, microfabrication and microfluidics

LMBM

Mechanobiology and Morphogenesis Laboratory

Associate Prof. Melody Swartz

Lymphatic biology, cancer metastasis, biological transport, interstitial flow, tissue engineering, cell engineering, lymphangiogenesis, immuno-modulation, mechanobiology, lymph node

LBTC

Cellular Biotechnology Laboratory

Full Prof. Florian Maria Wurm

Recombinant protein expression, mammalian cell culture, bioreactor, bioprocess control, gene transfer, DNA integration, micro-injection, stable cell line development, tissue engineering, orbital shaking

Senior Scientist Christine Wandrey

Table 30 – Laboratories, groups, faculty members and area of research at the Institute of Bioengineering (primary affiliation to the School of Basic Sciences)

Unit

Name

Director and Faculty

Research area (keywords)

LCSB

Laboratory of Computational Systems Biotechnology

Associate Prof. Vassily Hatzimanikatis

Systems biology - Biotechnology – Metabolic engineering - Complex systems – Cellular engineering - Biological networks

LIP

Laboratory of Protein Engineering

Full Prof. Kai Johnsson

Chemical Biology, protein engineering, sensors

In addition to faculty attached to the above laboratories, the Institute counts among its ranks: • Adjunct Prof. Brigitte Jolles-Haeberli, PD and Lecturer at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and Head of the Inter-institutional Center of Translational Biomechanics (CBT) (See Chapter 4.7.5) • Adjunct Prof. Pierre-François Leyvraz, Director of the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) • Adjunct Prof. Peter Frey, Associate Prof. at the Lausanne University (UNIL/CHUV) and affiliated to the Regenerative Medicine and Pharmacobiology Laboratory of the EPFL Institute of Bioengineering. Furthermore, the Institute collaborates very closely with Nicolas Mermod, Full Professor of Bioengineering at the Lausanne University (UNIL), who is a de facto faculty member.

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With 44% of non-tenured positions when considering PO (full professors), PA (associate professors, with tenure) and PATT (tenure-track assistant professors), the Institute of Bioengineering has the “youngest” academic profile of all institutes within the School of engineering. Table 31 – Number of faculty members at the Institute of Bioengineering (primary affiliation to the School of engineering)

Faculty rank

Total 42

Men

Women Percentage

% Total

0.0%

9.1%

Associate professor (PA)

0.0%

18.2%

Tenure-track assistant professor (PATT)

50.0%

36.4%

FNS Assistant professor (PBFN)

0.0%

9.1%

Adjunct professor (PT)

0.0%

9.1%

Adjunct professor external (PTE)

50.0%

18.2%

Senior scientist/Research & Teaching Ass. (MER/CSS)

0.0%

27.3%

100.0%

Full professor (PO)

TOTAL

Table 32 – Number of faculty members at the Institute of Bioengineering (TOTAL in all Schools – SV, STI and SB)

Faculty rank

Total

Men

Women Percentage

% Total

Full professor (PO)

0.0%

25.0%

Associate professor (PA)

0.0%

16.7%

Tenure-track assistant professor (PATT)

28.6%

29.2%

FNS Assistant professor (PBFN)

0.0%

4.2%

Adjunct professor (PT)

0.0%

4.2%

Adjunct professor external (PTE)

33.3%

12.5%

Senior scientist/Research & Teaching Ass. (MER/CSS)

100.0%

8.3%

20.8%

100.0%

TOTAL

4.6.3 Situation and SWOT analysis The Institute of Bioengineering is one of the fastest growing EPFL Institutes and we anticipate further growth to around 25 laboratories. The level of international recognition of the Institute is already quite high as exemplified by various awards, in particular recently a EURYI Award (Lutolf), two ERC Advanced Grants (Hubbell, Auwerx) and an ERC Starting Grant (Swartz). 4.6.3.1

SWOT analysis

Following is a summary of what we perceive to be the major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the Institute of Bioengineering.

Prof. Demetri Psaltis is accounted only under the Microengineering Institute

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Table 33 – SWOT analysis of the Institute of Bioengineering

Strengths

Weaknesses

• Strong record of proven scientific excellence

• Limited international visibility at the departmental, rather

• Consistently successful recruiting at the junior level

• Limited recruiting at the senior level

• High degree of multidisciplinarity

• Community building is particularly difficult with groups active • Research vision and portfolio in very close agreement to in fields as diverse as the ones represented within IBI • Translation of the institute’s vision for biological engineering EPFL strategy with regard to Life Sciences • Organizational situation very helpful for bringing Engineering has not yet translated into integrated curricula to the extent that is desirable (work under way) to Biology, and Biology to Engineering • Very good attractiveness for students (at both undergrad • The distinctive brand of Biological Engineering (under that name) underlying IBI’s strategy needs to be communicated and grad levels) much more efficiently, both inside and outside the Institution, especially with regard to recruitment of students

Opportunities

Threats

• Wide opportunities for strengthening of trans-disciplinary • Competing institutions may establish more effective brandinteractions between groups, both within and across IBI ing under the rubric of “Biological Engineering”, especially in education borders • Potential further faculty recruiting may be in areas that are • Lack of space in existing buildings is already putting signifiof strategic interest also at school level (e.g. stem cell bio- cant strain on the system and is a matter of increasing worry for the near and mid-term, as plans for new hires should be engineering, immunobioengineering, cancer bioengineering) • Already existing interest from industry, as exemplified by pursued several sponsored chairs, can be built upon and should be • Strategic vision needs to be unified and remain unified between the Directions of both Schools expanded

• Many research topics bear high potential for translation and • Institute management efficiency may be impinged by the trans-Faculty organization structure (potential administrative societal impact barriers) • Uneven conditions (e.g. budget, access to core facilities and services etc.) between groups belonging to one or the other School may result in undesired individualism

4.6.4 Outlook and action items One important item on the Institute’s agenda will continue to be the strengthening of a “sense of community” among its members. Steps have been taken in this direction, for instance by introducing a weekly “Sandwich Seminar” series in which doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers from all IBI groups take turns presenting their work to their Institute colleagues, or by holding an annual retreat. Such activities will be consolidated. Strengthening ties with the CHUV through continued programmatic development, including involvement in recruiting at interface areas such as stem cell biology and regenerative medicine (related to CHUV through Experimental Surgery), immune-bioengineering (Swiss Vaccine Institute), and cancer bioengineering (Center for Oncology). From an educational perspective, it is critical that a coherent and integrated curriculum in Biological Engineering be developed (a detailed such plan has been submitted already in May 2009) to serve students from both sections associated with the School of engineering and in sections associated with the School of Life Sciences. Negotiations between the Schools are under way. Of strategic importance will be the continued search for top new faculty, and gaining support from the Deans for future openings in strategic areas, such as those described above. The ongoing development of the EPFL Center for Neuroprosthetics (CPN), to which IBI will have strong organizational ties (the Institute Director also heads CPN, at least for the near term) is also expected to foster new synergies and collaborations, as it will by its very nature bring together interest and expertise from bioengineering, neuroscience, robotics, signal processing or computer science. It is planned to devote efforts to building a community in its own right around that program, in particular by means of a

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dedicated seminar series, as well as through the organization of topical symposia or workshops, for instance on an annual basis.

4.7

Centers and technical/scientific platforms

As briefly explained in the previous chapter about organization, the School of engineering is hosting and co-hosting a number of centers and platforms which provide central research and technology facilities to the research community within the School, the EPFL at large but also under given conditions to the outside world. As the tendency is to have smaller research groups around faculty members, and at a time of tighter financial resources, such centers help sharing expensive equipments and optimize their usage. As important side effect, such centers and platforms can also promote and foster crossdisciplinary research. The centers are run individually and separated from the Institutes but generally remain under the governance of a scientific Steering Committee. Running costs (salaries, consumables) are covered either through central (EPFL or School) and/or soft money (projects, 3rd party) funding. 4.7.1 Center of MicroNanoTechnology (CMI) The Center of MicroNanoTechnology was created in 1999 and is a world-class technological platform dedicated to the research in micro- and nano-fabrication 43. It serves a growing community of currently more than 218 users coming from 40 laboratories at EPFL, 6 external research laboratories including the “Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique” (CSEM) in Neuchâtel and 16 private companies. The fields covered by the center go from electronics, to MEMS/Bio-MEMS, sensors, microfabrication, optoelectronics, photonic, bio-engineering and material science and can be categorized as follow: • • •

Fundamental research: micro- and nano-structures for research in physics. Microelectrodes for chemistry and biology. Microstructures for the characterization of new materials Manufacturing processes: new manufacturing processes in silicon and other materials. Integration and encapsulation techniques for microsystems. New processes for microelectronics. Silicon post-processing. Components and microsystems: multidisciplinary research on new microsystems.

The CMI can fabricate structures down to 10 nm on 100 and 150 mm wafers as well as on piece parts in a 1’000 m2, class 100, clean room equipped with modern and powerful processing machines and equipment covering E-beam and photo- lithography, dry and wet etching, oxidation, thin films deposition, polishing (CMP), wafer bonding, electroplating, dicing, metrology, packaging. The clean room is managed by a staff of 15 persons (10 engineers/specialists, 4 technicians and 1 admin) who guarantee the availability of processing equipment, evaluate, install and operate processing equipment, train the users, develop new processing steps, improve the existing ones and assist researchers with technical advice. The users of CMI are undergraduate students, graduate students, post-doctoral researchers. The core activities are laboratory experimentation and development of processes and techniques of interest to EPFL and to its partners. The user's access to the clean room is thus prioritized in the following order: • • •

Educational activities Internal research Partnership research with other academic institutions

A III-V lab with processing facilities is available at IPEQ, School of basic sciences

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All research activities in the clean room are invoiced on the basis of hourly processing rate. However, all educational tasks are free of charge. Integration services may be carried out occasionally by the CMI staff according to the availability of its personnel. In order to accommodate the trends toward new fabrication processes (in isolation or in combination with already established processes) and materials (chemistry, bottom-up approach, self-assembly) and generally speaking to support research opportunities related to life sciences and nano-sciences, the EPFL and the School of engineering are currently building an extension to CMI, called CMI+, that should be finished by the End of 2010. The clean room extension is budgeted around 7.5 MCHF without the scientific equipment that will come on top. The new space will host equipments not currently found in CMI or dedicated to other processes and materials, thus helping expand CMI into: • • • • • •

More diverse materials (e.g. polymers, PDMS, thin films, etc.), Unconventional/customized processing equipment (ALD, RIBE, Parylene, grinding, pulverization, evaporation, etc.), New variety of chemistries (e.g. wet etching, functionalization, etc.), Additional lithographical techniques (dry films, thick resists, contacts printing, etc.), Non-standard substrate formats and materials, Supplementary metrology tools (AFM, SEM, ellipsometry, profilometry, etc.).

The new space will be contiguous to the existing CMI and should be flexible to use, with easy access, lower running costs and support. For further details about the CMI research activities, please refer to the Vol. C: STI Activity report joined and/or to http://cmi.epfl.ch/ 4.7.2 Center for Neuroprosthetics (CPN) At the End of 2008, EPFL has initiated the creation of a large world-class center of neuroprosthetics. The Center is formally part of EPFL's School of engineering, in collaboration with the School of Life Sciences and the School of Computer and Communication Sciences. The center will also develop collaborations with other institutions in the Lake Geneva area, such as University of Lausanne and the Cantonal Hospital (CHUV), University of Geneva and its hospital (HUG), and the regional biomedical industry. This pioneering facility is positioned to be active at the crossroads between fundamental research (theoretical and experimental), clinical applications and market opportunities, concentrating on six main topics: • • • • • •

vision (retinal implants), hearing (cochlear implants), mobility (cortical and spinal implants), non-invasive man-machine interfaces (piloting at distance, robotics), the micro-and nano-fabrication of implants, neuronal coding (signal processing, sensors).

Some EPFL laboratories are already active in Neuroprosthetics or in closely related fields, such as neuronal signal processing and coding, biomedical imaging, robotics and learning, bio-informatics, micro/nano-devices, implants, biomechanics, orthopedics, etc. The aim is to create an ecosystem of affiliated laboratories and develop synergies with and around the Center. Generous donations received from the Defitech Foundation, the Foundation Bertarelli, the Sandoz Family Foundation as well as the International Institute for Research in Paraplegia (IRP) are helping financing the center that should be provided with the following chairs:

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• • • • •

Defitech Foundation Chair in Non-invasive Brain-machine Interface Sandoz Family Foundation Chair on Neural Coding and Neuroprosthesis Foundation Bertarelli Chair in Neuroengineering and Neuroprosthetics Foundation Bertarelli Chair in Neurophysiology and Coding of Cochlear implants Foundation IRP Chair in Spinal cord Neuroprosthetics

José del R. Millán was hired as associate professor in April 2009 from the Idiap Research Institute in Martigny, Switzerland and is occupying the Defitech Foundation Chair in Non-invasive Brain-machine Interface. He is currently coordinating a large European integrated project in the area of "tools for braincomputer interaction" (TOBI).The search process is still ongoing in order to progressively fill the other positions hopefully until Mid 2010. For further details about the CNP research activities, please refer to the Vol. C: STI Activity report joined and/or to http://neuroprosthetics.epfl.ch/ 4.7.3 Center for Electron Microscopy (CIME) The Centre for Electron Microscopy is a central facility dedicated to studies in solid state physics, material science and life sciences. It gathers most of the EPFL equipment for electron microscopy and some for surface analysis together with an experienced staff. This situation leads to the availability of the widest set of observation techniques at a minimum cost of investments and offers to all persons interested in electron microscopy, researcher or students of EPFL, co-workers of other universities or private laboratories - access to the best suited technique for their purpose. The electron microscopy techniques covered at CIME can be divided into three categories: transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and focused ion beam (FIB). The Center has 3 SEMs all equipped with EDX (FEI XL30, XL30 +EBSD, XL30 Sirion) 5 TEMs (FEI CM10, CM12, CM20 & CM300 FEG HRTEM; Jeol JEM2200FS), and 1 FIB(Zeiss Nvision40) machines available through a booking system for registered and trained users. These machines cover the following applications: Table 34 – Available microscopy techniques and applications at CIME

Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM)

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

Focused Ion Beam (FIB)

• Conventional TEM

• Secondary-electron (SE) imaging

• TEM lamella

• Backscattered-electron (BE) imaging

• Cross section

• Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy

• EDX analysis

• High-resolution TEM (HRTEM) • Convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED)/Large angle CBED (LACBED) • Scanning TEM (STEM) • Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy • Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) • Energy-filtered TEM (EFTEM) • SPINNING STAR (precession diffraction) • Cathodoluminescence (CL) • Tomography

• Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD)

• FIB nano-tomography • STEM detector

• High-resolution (HR) SEM • Low-kV SEM • Traction table • Cryo stage

• In-situ (heating/cooling, traction) • Cryo-EM

The newly created surface and thin film analysis facility hosted at CIME covers three techniques: Auger electron spectrometry (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). STI-Audit 2009 - Vol. A: Self-Assessment report

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To stay competent and open-minded to the user’s questions, CIME leads its own research and development activity. The main areas of this research are: • • • • •

Computational electron microscopy with its ability to calculate high resolution images and diffraction patterns for quantitative interpretation of EM images. High resolution Electron microscopy 3D imaging and analysis with focused ion beam microscopy for Materials and Life Sciences Cathodoluminescense in the scanning/transmission microscope with the new Jeol 2200FS currently being installed Electron energy loss spectrometry

For further details about the CIME research activities, please refer to the Vol. C: STI Activity report joined and/or http://cime.epfl.ch/ 4.7.4 Space Center (CTS) Working for space projects has always been a tradition at EPFL since the early 1980's as some of the key domains of expertise developed in Lausanne include aerodynamics, antennae and robotics which are important for planetary exploration. In 2002, this high interest was confirmed by including space research into the EPFL 2004-2007 strategic plan. The Space Center was formally created under Prof. Roland Siegwart's44 guidance in June 2003 when RUAG Aerospace and EPFL decided to work together. At the same time, the Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier, former staff at the European Space Agency and currently professor at EPFL, started giving a very popular lecture on space technology attended by more than 150 students in 2004. The Microsystems for Space Technologies Laboratory (LMTS), chaired by Professor Herbert Shea, was also set-up at EPFL. In Sept. 2004, Dr. Maurice Borgeaud was appointed Director of the Space Center. The Swiss Space Office (SSO) and Oerlikon Space AG became partners of the Space Center, in 2004 and 2005 respectively. The “Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique” (CSEM) in Neuchâtel became a permanent member of the Space Center in January 2006 and at the same time Prof. Juan Mosig took over the chairmanship of the Steering Center. Since then, several Swiss universities of applied sciences and the University of Neuchâtel became also academic partners of the Space Center EPFL. The founding members (EPFL, RUAG Aerospace (including Oerlikon Space since the 2009 merger), the Swiss Space Office), and CSEM are the current permanent members of the Space Center and with voting rights in the Steering committee. Three other non-permanent member categories also exist for industry, start-up and academia partners. The membership collaboration includes a financial participation of the partner in order to finance R&D activities and to participate in the running costs of the Space Center. The participation is split into a hard-return and a soft-return contribution according to the following definition: • •

Hard-return: Managed by the Space Center but used uniquely for industrial/research activities between EPFL and the partner (ex: dedicated study between an EPFL lab and an industry), hence to the entire benefit for the funding partner. Soft-return: To operate the Space Center and to run studies/activities of common interest between the partners.

The Space Center EPFL is currently hierarchically attached to the Vice-Presidency for Innovation and Technology Transfer but is embedded into the School of engineering with which it keeps closed links. 44

Left EPFL in 2006 and currently at ETHZ

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Its mission is to promote and develop space activities by involving Swiss education, science and industries along the following objectives: • • •

To link Swiss institutions and industries on national and international levels in order to establish focused areas of excellence internationally recognised for both space R&D and applications. To support implementation for technology demonstration missions and scientific missions focused on areas of interests. To become a centre for education and training for students and industry.

The Space Center is directly involved in teaching through a minor in "Space technology" that has been offered since 2006 at EPFL. This minor of 30 ETCS (European Credit Transfer System) made out of 9 entirely new lectures and 12 existing lectures related to satellites, space science, space system engineering, Earth observation, space telecommunications, etc... The Center’s flagship project, named SwissCube, was initiated in 2005 and ended with a successful launch on Sept. 23, 2009 from the India launch pad near Madras/Shenai using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). SwissCube is a small satellite using the CubeSat45 standard (1kg cube with a 1 liter volume) whose idea came jointly from the Space Center EPFL and from Prof. H. Shea’s Microsystems for Space Technologies Laboratory (LMTS). The project was designed to follow three objectives: • • •

Educational: show the students how to build a complex engineering system from its conception phase to its realisation and validation Scientific: image the night-glow luminescence created by the recombination of atoms of oxygen at 100 Km of altitude Technological: study a new generation of Earth-sensors for the new generation of satellites.

The project has helped federating and attracting students not only at EPFL but in several other Swiss academic institutions (e.g. HES-SO46, University of Neuchâtel, FHNW47) since the design, construction, and tests of such a complex system require expertise available from both EPF and HES engineers. An important part of the project was to link the work made by the students and the Swiss space industries. This close collaboration was extremely fruitful since several SwissCube students are now hired by these industries and technologies developed in the frame of the SwissCube project are being considered by these industries. From an institutional point of view, the Swiss Space Office of the State Secretariat for Education and Research played a key role in supporting the networking of academic and industrial partners. Finally, due to the fact that SwissCube is using frequencies allocated to the radioamateurs to send/receive signals, an excellent cooperation was established with this community. Another important project of the Space Center EPFL is the development of a Concurrent Design Facility, similar to what can be found at ESA and NASA, in order to foster the development of system engineering for complex projects which could be applied to both space and non-space projects. From a forward looking standpoint, discussions are currently underway to define the next phase of development and the positioning of the Space Center with the goals to foster space technology across education, science, and industry at Swiss and international levels. Some possible projects have been identified in relation with scientific missions and are now under review. For further details about the research activities of the Space Center, please refer to the STI activity report joined or visit http://space.epfl.ch.

45 46 47

See : http://www.cubesat.org/ University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland

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4.7.5 Inter-institutional Center of Translational Biomechanics (CBT) The mission of the Inter-institutional Center of Translational Biomechanics (CBT) is to promote and support the transfer of findings from basic science of the laboratory to clinical application, but also observation from clinic back to the lab, with a clear aim at improving patient care. Besides, the key point of this collaboration is based on double-headed management, with a strong relationship between a clinician and an engineer, for each specific project. This process of knowledge translation has been already established in the 80's, between the Hôpital Orthopédique de la Suisse Romande (HOSR) and the EPFL, with a project on knee implant biomechanics. Since that time, this initial collaboration has never been interrupted and it was an inspiration for the creation of the IBME 48 at the EPFL in 2006 renamed CBT in 2008. Collaborations between clinicians and engineers should even be enlarged in the near future, through the creation of a new department at the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV). Indeed the merge of the Services of Rheumatology (RMR), Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (OTR), Plastic Surgery (CPR) and the Orthopedic Hospital into the Department of Musculoskeletal Medicine (DAL) will certainly be new source of collaborations between the two institutions. At the EPFL, the CBT is reporting to the School of engineering. It is directed by Prof. Brigitte JollesHaeberli, who has a double appointment, one as Assistant Professor (PD MER) of the Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology Department at the CHUV-UNIL and one as Adjunct Professor at the EPFL. The institute is currently composed of 2 laboratories, which are both closely related to the clinical research activities of the HOSR and the CHUV: • •

Laboratory of Biomechanical Orthopedics (LBO) Laboratory of Movement Analysis and Measurements (LMAM)

In the future, the CBT wants to develop new collaborations between different departments of the CHUV and laboratories at the EPFL. In addition to CHUV-EPFL projects, the Institute is also associated to external collaborations, with numerous research institutions and industrial partners in and outside Switzerland. For further details about the CBT research activities, please refer to the Vol. C: STI Activity report joined and/or http://cbt.epfl.ch/ 4.7.6 Integrated Systems Centre (CSI) The Integrated Systems Centre is an interfaculty center to promote activities between STI, I&C and SV. The centre researches different design aspects for integrated systems on Silicon, as well as on heterogeneous platforms including, but not limited to, electrical, optical, micromechanical and biological components in various forms and mixtures. The center has spurred several transversal activities, and has been the incubator of the nano-tera.ch49 initiative. The scientific projects include topics at the intersection of various disciplines, such as electrical engineering, computer science, biology and medicine. Research and education in heterogeneous integrated systems require a departure from previous models. The complexity and breadth of the issues at stake is possibly unprecedented. There are several ingredients that are necessary to perform excellent and relevant research in this area. The first one is to have the pool of competences that goes beyond the capability of a single laboratory. The second ingredient is a continuous interaction with the industrial world, to provide a feedback me48 49

Institute for Biomedical Engineering See : www.nano-tera.ch

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chanism on the realistic impact of research done within the university domain, as well as to provide a path to physical realization of ideas, which cannot be completely done within the university. Projects of the supported by the CSI include: • • • • • • • • • •

A Methodology for Controlling and Exploiting Self-Assembly across Length-Scales Bio-Optical System-on-chip Based on CMOS Single Photon Avalanche Diode Technology Fault-Tolerant Design of Memory Arrays and PLAs With Failure-Prone Nanometer-Scale Technologies Gate-all-Around Silicon Sub-Micron Devices and Integrated Photonics for On-Chip Signaling Advanced Cell-Electronics Interface for Implanted Devices and Brain-Machine Interaction Generic Scavenger Powered DSP-Based System-on-Chip for Emerging Implantable Biosensors and Bioactuators Building 3D Silicon Architectures Perfomance Monitoring for professional and recreation sports using WSM GALS interfAce for compleX digital sYstem integration (FP7: GALAXY) Enabling Nano-Bio-Chip Technologies for Sensing Applications

The Centre SI has been organizing weekly seminars and summer schools, most notably on "Geometric Programming (2006), "Frontiers of Nanoscale Electronics" (2008), "Nanoelectronic Circuits and Tools” (2008) and "Nano-bio-sensing" (2009) For further details about the SC research activities, please refer to the Vol. C: STI Activity report and/or http://si.epfl.ch/ 4.7.7 Pleiades cluster The Pleiades cluster is a Linux based High Performance Computing (HPC) resource dedicated to a wide range of computational science. The cluster is used to obtain leading-edge scientific and engineering results for both research and teaching activities. The cluster which is hosted at the Mechanical Engineering Institute is employed by staff and students of currently 17 laboratories within each of the five schools of the EPFL. Among the different topics studied using the Pleiades cluster are: • • • • • •

Computational fluid dynamics, Plasma & fusion physics, Atomic scale phenomena, Chemical processes in the atmosphere, Algorithm development for cryptology, Cardiovascular flow.

The Pleiades cluster is an integral part of the EPFL HPC landscape, providing a solution intermediate between institute servers and the central facilities managed and hosted by the EPFL IT department. The organizational structure of Pleiades is designed to maintain a close contact between the technical and operational activities and the user community, thus enabling an optimal design and use of the available computational resources. For further details about the Pleiades Cluster research activities, please refer to the Vol. C: STI Activity report joined and/or http://pleiades.epfl.ch/

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4.7.8 Energy Center (CEN) The Energy Center (http://cgse.epfl.ch/) is an EPFL-wide and cross-disciplinary organization with the responsibility of coordinating all R&D activities on campus related to energy. EPFL has a very broad energy portfolio located within major laboratories in all five major FacultĂŠs (Schools), ranging, for example, from electric power production, distribution and end use to controlled fusion, from hydropower generation to photovoltaics, from building technologies to thermal turbo-machinery. The Energy Center also aims to incorporate R&D activities related to economics of energy and public policy. 4.7.9 Transportation Center (TRACE) The Transportation Center is a university-wide and transdisciplinary organization aiming at bringing together the whole spectrum of EPFL's key competences in the area, since it potentially involves all the faculties at EPFL. It involves all aspects of mobility of people, goods and information, and is currently being built up .The center is supposed to play an active role in promoting existing and developing new research and teaching efforts in transportation at EPFL. It will also be an interface with the scientific community, professionals and society. 4.7.10 Technical workshops The School of engineering features state-of-the-art technical infrastructure with 6 staffed mechanical and 1 printed board workshops capable of prototyping mechanical or electromechanical systems from nano to macro scale. Those workshops are equipped with CNC and non CNC fabrication tools using various technologies, from traditional mechanical to electro-erosion and laser milling. Many of these workshops are housed within the School of engineering, but also serve the whole EPFL community of researchers and students. End of last year, EPFL has invested around 150 KCHF to improve its PCB50 fabrication line which is heavily used for prototyping. Other future investments regarding machine shops are currently under discussion in coordination with the other EPFL school. Replacement and new acquisitions are becoming urgent and critical if we want to stay competitive and cope with the ever increasing demand both in terms of quantity and complexity.

4.8

Other research partnerships and initiatives

Beside its own centers, the School of engineering is interacting with various other partnerships and initiatives (e.g. competence centers, etc.) 4.8.1 Idiap Research Institute (Idiap) The Idiap Research Institute (http://www.idiap.ch/), based in Martigny, Switzerland is a non-profit foundation specialized in the management of multimedia information and man-machine multimodal interactions. Idiap was founded in 1991 by the Town of Martigny, the State of Valais, EPFL, the University of Geneva and Swisscom 51. The institute is autonomous from the ETH domain but has always retained closed ties with EPFL. The Idiap budget, which amounts to more than 9 MCHF is 75% financed by research projects awarded following competitive processes, and 25% by public funds. Idiap experienced a rapid growth from 30 50 51

Printed circuit board The Swiss incumbent telecommunication operator

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employees and researchers (senior researchers, researchers, postdoctoral students and doctoral students) in 2001 to around one hundred in 2008. Through its activities, Idiap pursues three main objectives: •

• •

Conduct fundamental research projects at the highest level in its preferred areas, aiming at being among the best on a national, European and global scale. Idiap benefits from a wide network of partners internationally and works actively with large universities, public and private research centers, etc. Develop recruitment by helping its researches discover the world of research, by welcoming talented young researchers preparing their PhD and by providing a number of courses at EPFL and in-house. Ensure technology transfer through the widest possible dissemination of its research results in the scientific community, but also by forging close ties with industry.

Current Idiap’s main research areas are as follow: • • • • •

Perceptual and cognitive systems Social / human behavior Information interfaces and presentation Biometric Person Recognition Machine learning

Through its research activities, Idiap pursues its main objective to conduct fundamental research projects at the highest level in its preferred areas, thus taking its place among the best on a national, European and global scale. Idiap benefits from a wide network of partners internationally and works actively with large universities, public and private research centers, etc. Idiap’s main positioning in the Swiss scientific landscape is as leading house for the national competence center (NCCR) on Interactive Multimodal Management of Information Systems (IM2), which gathers the major Swiss contributors from a number of institutions (Idiap, EPFL, University of Geneva, ETHZ, University of Fribourg, University of Bern). IM2 has established close contacts with industry, and works in the context of numerous international contacts, including several large European projects. It has also established an agreement for the exchange of young researchers with ICSI in Berkeley, California. Furthermore, Idiap has participated in more than 37 research programs, has taken over the management responsibility in 5 research consortiums and organized numerous international conferences since its inception. It has also taken an important role in the economic development strategy of the Canton of Valais through The Ark program and in particular the IdeArk company that has the mission to enhance Idiap's technologies and promote the emergence of new start-ups companies (Market Pull). In 2008, the State Secretariat for Education and Research has granted Idiap a 4 year funding linked to a specific performance mandate52 and has asked EPFL to take a stronger scientific supervisory role. This role has been passed onto the School of engineering and the partnership settled in a special agreement called “IDIAP-EPFL Joint Development Plan 2008-2011” signed by all involved parties. This agreement covers topics such as research directions and activities, professors, research & senior scientists, doctoral students, scientific exchanges, academic activities, infrastructure, IP rights, etc. The implementation of the joint development plan is well on track, with the completion of a first joint PATT hire in 2009. A good portion of management attention on both sides will be required to make sure that the chosen candidate feel at ease and can develop according to the expectations. With the recent

“SER-IDIAP Convention de Prestation”, April 2008

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changes in the Idiap’s governance, we are confident that the relationship will further develop fruitfully. If everything goes well, a second joint PATT should be hired within the planned period. 4.8.2 Competence Center for Materials Science and Technology CEPF (CCMX) 53 The Competence Centre for Materials Science and Technology (CCMX) (http://www.ccmx.ch/) is one of several centers of excellence initiated at the national level by the ETH Board in early 2006. It aims to serve the interests of Switzerland in the field of materials science in terms of research, education and technology transfer by reinforcing ties between academia, industry and the Swiss economy. CCMX federates the strengths of four ETH Domain institutions (EPFL, ETH Zurich, EMPA, PSI) and of CSEM, and involves the active participation of partners from industry, from industrial associations and from Swiss universities. The Centre is headed by a Steering Committee comprising members from EPFL (chair), ETH Zurich, PSI, EMPA, CSEM and industry and is hosted within the School of engineering. At the core of the Centre’s activities are ERUs – Education and Research Units – and an Analytical Platform. The ERUs offer programs of research and education, including technology transfer, in targeted fields of activity identified together with the Swiss industry such as: • • •

Surface, coatings and particles engineering (SPERU) Materials for the life sciences (MatLife) Metallurgy (MERU)

Closely linked to these ERUs is an Analytical Platform developing and promoting activities in nano- and micro-scale materials characterization for industry and academia (NMMC). The Center funds projects involving industrial partners and research institutions. CCMX concentrates on pre-competitive research and thus aims to strongly and positively influence this area in Switzerland. Each CCMX funded project includes at least two institutions and very often one or more industrial partners. This multi-partner project approach brings together the best competencies from all over Switzerland in specific materials science related domains. A wide range of continuing education is offered by CCMX. Courses, seminars and workshops are regularly organized by the ERUs and the platform. Topics are chosen based on the actual needs of the targeted audiences (PhD students, engineers, scientists from industry and/or academia). The interactions that CCMX maintains with the industry are decisive in the process of technology and knowledge transfer. By involving several institutions and one or more industrial partner in each project, CCMX ensures access to fundamental and applied know-how. The industrial liaison program of CCMX is a means for both large and small companies to have access to the technology and the knowledge developed within the Centere. Companies have two options to be involved in CCMX. They can either purchase research tickets or become members of Club CCMX. 4.8.3 Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM) The Center for Biomedical Imaging (http://www.cibm.ch/page57336-en.html) is the result of a major research and teaching initiative of the partners in the Science-Vie-Société (SVS) project between the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), the University of Lausanne (UNIL), University of Geneva (UNIGE), the University Hospital of Geneva (HUG) and the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV).

Leading house EPFL

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The CIBM was created with the generous support from the Fondation Leenaards and Fondation LouisJeantet. The overall aim is to advance state-of-the art imaging while at the same time addressing important biomedical problems. The CIBM seeks to advance the general understanding of biomedical problems in neuroscience (brain diseases), metabolic diseases (diabetes), oncology focusing on early diagnostics and treatment planning. The research is using model systems ranging from transgenic animals to human subjects ("from mouse to man") and foster multi-disciplinary collaboration between basic science, biomedical science and clinical applications. The center is designed to enhance the synergies of the founding institutions by providing a single, cross-institutional organization, thereby allowing for optimal use of human and equipment resources. Through its constitutive partners, the center can access 5 high performance human magnets ranging between 3 and 14.1 Tesla. The Center has a unified administrative structure. It is comprised of seven interactive research cores focusing on specialized research support and technology development, and sharing a common cause: • • • • • • •

Animal imaging and technology Clinical magnetic resonance (HUG) - Geneva Clinical magnetic resonance (CHUV) - Lausanne EEG Brain Mapping PET imaging Phase contrast X-ray imaging and tomography Image & Signal Processing

4.8.4 Nano-tera.ch Nano-tera.ch (NT) (http://www.nano-tera.ch/) is a program focusing on the research, development and application of micro, nano and information technologies in embedded systems, networks and software to support health, security and environmental monitoring. The broad objectives of the program are both to improve quality of life and security of people across different levels of education, wealth and age, and to create innovative products, technologies and manufacturing methods, thus resulting in job and revenue creation. Nano-tera.ch is the largest federal funding program in Switzerland in the area of micro/nano-electronics and applications, with an overall budget in excess of 120 MCHF over four years. The intrinsic value of the underlying research is to bridge traditional disciplines, including but not limited to electrical engineering, micro/nano-mechanical systems engineering, biomedical sciences and computer/communication sciences, with the objective of (i) deepening the understanding of enabling technologies and putting scientific concepts into practice, and (ii) mastering the novel challenges of engineering tera-scale complex systems. Nano-tera.ch has been established as a “simple partnership”. This legal form enables Universities and Research Centers to meet the synergetic objectives cited above. Indeed, nano-tera.ch provides a neutral platform for collaboration and development of correlated, unique competitive technology. The members of the partnership intend to position Switzerland among the world leaders in the fields of HealthSecurity-Environment Systems Engineering. Nano-tera.ch will enhance and extend interdisciplinary research and education at the highest level to meet these challenges. The nano-tera.ch program has several specific goals, such as pursuing excellence in collaborative scientific research in the aforementioned disciplines, creating and expanding educational programs, constructing demonstrators of the technologies being studied and transferring the results to Swiss industry.

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To achieve its research objectives, the nano-tera.ch program covers two major strategic axes: •

•

Research and development of advanced technologies, such as − micro/nano-electronics, electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) and manufacturing processes; −

(bio)-sensors, actuators and their system-level integration;

−

information and communication sciences as well as systems and software engineering.

Integration of these technologies into applications, such as − wearable systems (e.g., for monitoring of patients, athletes, and the elderly), ambient systems (e.g., for environmental intelligence, building monitoring and virtual world) and remote systems (e.g., space applications such as pico-satellites, remote sensing).

4.8.5 Systems.X Systems.X (http://www.systemsx.ch/) is a research consortium with eight universities and three research institutions focusing on systems biology and aiming at developing a better understanding of how all the hundreds of thousands basic constituents of cells work together to generate a functioning system, an organ, or an organism. The necessary interactions between biologists, physicists, chemists, engineers, and medical doctors should provide technological innovations with significant economic impact and knowhow that could improve preventive, predictive, and personalized medicine. About 80 research groups devoted to systems biology collaborate in eight Research-, Technology- and Development programs. Presently, SystemsX.ch consists of the ETH Zurich (leading house), the EPF Lausanne, the Universities of Basel, Bern, Geneva, Fribourg, Lausanne and Zurich, the FriedrichMiescher Institute, the Paul Scherrer Institute, and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics. The initiative is open to new partners if they have proven scientific track records in one or more areas of the Systems Biology. SystemsX.ch is funded with a federal budget of CHF 100 Mio for the period of 2008 - 2011. Federal money is available only on a matching funds basis, meaning that the partners have to invest the same sum themselves in order to receive funds. This way the total investment in systems biology will be at least CHF 200 Mio for 2008 – 2011, supplemented by third-party funds by industry and other funding agencies.

4.9

Results and scientific output

An unambiguous measurement of scientific output is a delicate issue, as each evaluation system has its strengths and weaknesses. We’ve made some bibliometric analysis based on the ISI Web of Sciences at individual as well as laboratory and Institute level and we’ve also tried some peer comparison with ETHZ. 4.9.1 Publications/Citations The total number of publications has grown by approx. 20% since 2004, driven by Microengineering and Electrical Engineering where the effect of PATT trying to get tenure has certainly contributed most. We have no doubt at all that the recently hired PATTs basically in all Institutes will very soon impact the publication rate.

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800 658

200

668

651

700

596

600

544

500

150

388

100

400 300 200

100

# Publications TOTAL

# Publications / Institute

250

2004

2005

IEL

IGM

2006

2007

IMX

IMT

2008 IBI

(2009) Total STI

Fig. 27 – Number of publications per Institute (left) and Total STI (right) – all years

15 10

2004

2005 IEL

IGM

2006 IBI

2007 IMX

2008 IMT

# Citations/Professor TOTAL

# Citation/Professor

Taking into account the number of publications since 2004, the number of citations per professor year on year out of publications the year before shows different evolutions in each Institute, the average being around 10. Again, we expect to see soon a positive trend due to the many PATT, but also senior hires.

(2009)

Total STI

Fig. 28 – Number of citations / professor per Institute (left) and STI Total (right) since 2004

For the purpose of comparing ourselves to some peers, we’ve computed the h-index and the impact factor of publication from STI vs. publications from Departments, Institutes and labs from ETHZ but working in the same perimeter as STI. Despite the engineering labs of ETHZ having on average slightly more publications (18%) than STI, the h-index between the two are very similar, with an equal median value of 15.00 and a mean of 16.57 (STI), vs. 18.02 (ETHZ – Engineering). Looking at the impact factor for publications after 2004, it’s also hard to identify a significant difference. We made a similar calculation for MIT and found a value around 2.8

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# Citations / # Publications year y-1

3.00 2.80 2.60 2.40 2.20 2.00 1.80 1.60 1.40 1.20 1.00

2004

2005

2006 STI

ETHZ

2007

2008

(2009)

MIT

Fig. 29 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Impact factor for publications after 2004

Publications in top journals / Professor

Finally, we looked at the number of publication in the top journals (generally 40 of them) in each research field and compared both STI and the engineering labs from ETHZ. We observe that ETHZ lies ahead since 2007, but we compare very well with MIT.

3.00 2.50 2.00 1.50 1.00 0.50 -

2004

2005

2006 STI

ETHZ

2007

2008

(2009)

MIT

Fig. 30 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Publication in the top journals

4.9.2 Awards and honors The different professors and researchers from the School of engineering have received numerous awards, prices and academy memberships. Notably, EPFL in general, but STI in particular, was quite successful in winning ERC54 research grants (Advanced and Starting) during the 2008 and 2009 calls as can be seen from the next overview table:

ERC (the European Research Council) is a structure established in 2005 to complement the funding activities of other classical European agencies. It supports fundamental or applied research programs in two different categories: ERC Starting Grants for young investigators and ERC Advanced Grants. See: http://erc.europa.eu/

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Table 35 – Evolution of ERC research grants (Advanced and Starting)

Call

Grantee

Rank

Laboratory

2008

Hubbell, Jeffrey A.

Full professor (PO)

Laboratory for Regenerative Med- ERC Advanced icine & Pharmacobiology Investigator Grant Serono Chair in Drug Delivery

IBI

Auwerx , Johan-Henri

Full professor (PO)

Laboratory of Integrative and Sys- ERC Advanced tems Physiology Investigator Grant Nestlé Chair in Energy Metabolism

IBI

Swarz, Melodie

Associate professor (PA) Mechanobiology and Morphogenesis Laboratory

ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant

IBI

Kippenberg, Tobias

PATT

Laboratory of Photonics and Quantum Measurements

ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant

IEL

Fontcuberta i Morral, Anna PATT

Laboratory of semiconductor materials

ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant

IMX

Frauenrath, Holger

PATT

Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Materials

ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant

IMX

Kis, Andras

PATT

Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures

ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant

IBI

Pumera, Martin

TBD

ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant

IMT

2009

Grant

Institute

ERC Advanced Investigator Grants targets exceptional researchers in science, engineering and scholarship who have established themselves as independent research leaders, and allows them to pursue frontier research of their choice with funding of up to € 3.5 M per grant (normally up to € 2.5 M) over 5 years. ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grants (ERC Starting Grants) aim to support up-and-coming research leaders who are about to establish or consolidate a proper research team and to start conducting independent research in Europe. The scheme targets promising researchers who have the proven potential of becoming independent research leaders with funding of up to € 2.0 M per grant (normally up to € 1.5 M) over 5 years In total, EPFL has received 8 Starting and 11 Advanced grants for a total funding of € 40 M in 2009. This achievement evidences the EPFL’s competitiveness at European level and the dynamism of the tenure track programs initiated a few years ago. Other STI faculty members have received recent special awards such as:

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• • • • • • • • • • • • •

IEEE Jun-Ichi Nishizawa Gold Medal: Prof. Nico de Rooij IEEE Fellow: Profs. Hervé Bourlard, Juan Mosig, Alfred Rufer, Nava Setter, Michael Unser, Dragan Damjanovic, Demetri Psaltis IEEE Technical Achievement Award: Prof. Farhad Rachidi IEEE Young Gold Member Coordinator: Prof. David Atienza President of the European Optical Society – Profs. Hans Peter Herzig Humboldt Research Award for Senior U. S. Scientists: Prof. Demetri Psaltis Optical Society of America, Fellow: Prof. Demetri Psaltis Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers, Fellow: Prof. Demetri Psaltis. American Physical Society Fellow: Prof. Peter Monkewitz IBM Faculty Award: Prof. Pascal Frossard European Physical Socitaty - Fresnel Prize: Prof. Tobias Kippenberg Apple Research and Technology Support Award: Prof. Pierre Vandergheynst Helmholtz Award for Metrology - Association for the Promotion of Science and Humanities in Germany: Prof. Tobias Kippenberg

More specific information about awards and honors is provided in the STI activity report joined dedicated to the individual faculty members and laboratories. 4.9.3 Partnerships with industry, technology transfers and spin-offs/start-ups Engineering is by nature very close to industry and STI has a long tradition of industrial partnership and is leading the other Schools within EPFL as exemplified by the following analysis. As can be seen from the following data from the EPFL tech transfer office (SRI), STI has always been the major contributor of industrial contracts since engineering is by nature is very close to industry. Table 36 – Overview of the STI tech transfer performance

Research contracts [#]

Percentage of EPFL Patents registered Percentage of EPFL Patents issued Percentage of EPFL Invention announced Percentage of EPFL Licenses and Tech Transfer agreements Percentage of EPFL “EPFL” Start-ups Percentage of EPFL

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

125

128

127

117

145

43.0%

49.2%

50.2%

47.7%

35.0%

37.1%

60.0 %

38.7 %

43.4 %

49.3 %

61.4 %

43.4 %

26.3%

47.1%

40.0%

31.0%

42.9%

37.5%

60.0%

38.7%

43.4%

49.3%

60.7%

42.3%

59.3%

40.5%

45.7%

36.4%

46.9%

44.8%

3.5

50.0%

75.0%

80.0%

62.5%

29.2%

55.6%

A significant volume increase in research contracts has been noticed since 2006, mostly due to the energy domain with in particular profs. Avellan, Favrat, Rufer, Ballif. The integration of the Institute of

Without endowed chairs or endowed money

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micro-technology (imt) from the University of Neuchâtel at the end of 2008 which is traditionally very industry oriented should support the trend further. On a per professor basis STI is successfully using industry as a source of fund, all other Schools lagging 30 to 50% behind, while at the same time EPFL lab funding per professor has remained almost level. As always though, a small amount of professors is generating the biggest contracts (> 100 KCHF) and thus the biggest chunk out of the total contract volume. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement to augment the value of industry contracts since almost 55% of the professors generate contracts smaller than 12 KCHF. The analysis also shows that STI is a driving force between all three major type of contracts, i.e. with industry, with license or with mixed focus. The biggest contract sare almost always mixed focus contracts. Finally, STI has a long tradition of industrial partnership as well as a continuous track record in developing start-ups with 10 of them created out of STI in 2008, representing 55% of all EPFL start-ups in 2008. Table 37 – List of startups fostered through STI

Year Name

Origin

Year Name

Origin

2000 2C3D medical

IMT

2004

Atracsys Sàrl

IMT

CalciphOs

IMX

Eneftech Sàrl

IGM

Cluster Solutions SA (Swiss-Tx)

IEL

i-Dent SA

IMT

MailMovie

IEL

Imasys SA (Pixartis)

IEL

OFTTech

IGM

Karmic micro&nano Sàrl

IMT

Portalys

IGM

Spinomix SA

IMT

Wavemind

IEL

Cytomec Sàrl

IBI

Xitact

IMT

Emitall Surveillance

IEL

IMT

Qualimetro SA

IMT

Singleton Technologies

IMT

ABCD Technology

IMT

2001 Bluebotics campTOcamp SA (skirando.ch)

IMT

Crystal Vis. Mic.

STI/SB

2005

2006

ForceDimension Sàrl

IMT

GCtronic, Gilles Caprari

IMT

Gollian Interactive

IMT

MECARTEX

IMT

ISS - Innovative Silicon Systems

IEL

MOTILIS

IMT

Start-up Y. Piguet - CAlerga

IGM

SENIS

IMT

Antia Therapeutics

IMX

2002 Alys Technologies

IMX

2007

FiveCo

IMT

Inocs

IEL

ISI SA - Innovative Silicon

IEL

PatternLab

IEL

Power Vision Engineering

IEL/IGM

Aimago

IMT

JAST (SOLANT)

IEL

NRCtech

IGM

2003 AlpSens Technologies

2008

IMT

Aleva Neurotherapeutics

IMT

Leman Silicon Solutions

IEL

Antlia SA

IBI

Lyncee Tec

IMT

Biocartis

IMT

SensiMed

IMT

EELCEE

IMX

TechPowder

IMX

Enairys Powertech

IEL

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IMT

Micropat SA

IMX

Promise Innovation International Oy

IGM

Sensima technology

IMT

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The School will continue its strategy of encouragement and support for industrial partnerships and tech transfer. With the adjunction of the Neuch창tel campus, we will further develop our interface to industry leveraging on the strong historical tradition of industrial partnership that exist here. We also intend to help the young faculty members establish the necessary links within the existing network of existing partners and collaborations. Only by continuously maintaining and developing those relationships will we be able to sustain the necessary funding flow that ensure almost half of our total budget nowadays.

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Education

5.1

Overview

The School of engineering delivers BS and ME degrees in the following four domains: • • • •

Electrical and electronic engineering Mechanical engineering Materials science and engineering Micro-engineering

and participate directly in almost one third of all EPFL doctoral programs. 5.1.1 Bologna reforms The Bologna reforms, launched by the European Union in 1999, are an attempt to unify the higher education system across Europe, improve student mobility, and foster competition between institutions. A number of non-EU countries, including Switzerland, have adopted these reforms, including the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)56, one ECTS credit corresponding to 14 contact hours plus approximately 14 hours of personal work. As part of this reform process, the vast range of pre-Bologna degrees has been phased out and replaces by three degrees: a Bachelor degree (BS), requiring 180 ECTS credits, a Master degree (MS) requiring 120 ECTS credits after the Bachelor, and a Doctoral degree (PhD) requiring original research leading to a doctoral thesis. A normal course load is meant to provide students with 30 credits per semester, making the Bachelor typically a 3-year degree, and the Master a 1.5 to 2-year degree. Unlike in the US, the Bachelor is viewed in Switzerland as a qualification towards a Master program rather than a “sesame” to the job market and a very large majority of students obtaining a Bachelor will continue to do a Master, either at EPFL or elsewhere. International students with a first degree

Bachelor 1

Master 3

PhD 2

To professional market & research/academia

To professional market

Student mobility

UNDERGRADUATE

GRADUATE

Fig. 31 – Bologna-based curriculum

See: http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc48_en.htm

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In the pre-Bologna system, a student had to pass all courses in a certain year before moving to the next one. The Bologna reforms replace such year-based progress assessment by credit-based progress assessment, in which the student acquires a certain number of credits for each course, obtaining the degree when sufficient credits have been acquired. The current EPFL system is a mixture of both since the year-based assessment after the first year has been maintained (“propédeutique” exam), as in the old system, to ensure a selection at the end of the first year. Students are evaluated on their overall performance, and are not allowed to continue unless they meet certain requirements. On average, approx. 50% of the students pass their first year and are allowed to continue, more or less in line with the rest of EPFL. Unlike in the US, students must choose their field of study when they enter the university. Although the Bologna reforms were also meant to facilitate changing fields during studies, in practice such changes are still rather rare. The education program of EPFL went through an accreditation audit by the OAQ (Swiss Center of Accreditation) and the French CTI (“Commission des Titres d'Ingénieurs”) at the end of November 2006. One objective of this audit was to increase the employability of our graduates, in line with the objectives of the Bologna process. Following this audit and various internal consultations and discussions, a series of seven recommendation was issued by the EPFL Direction: • • • • • • •

Advisory board: each Section should have its own advisory board with representatives of the industry Educational objectives: there should be more homogeneity at the beginning of the Bachelor with a polytechnic curriculum basis Active pedagogy: there should be less small courses, les redundancies, les contact hours and more personal work Minors: more 30 ECTS minors should be proposed in order to add flexibility without increasing the number of maters Internships: a 3 to 6 months internship in industry should be implemented during the Master or between the Bachelor and the Master Transferable skills: the offer to improve social, economical and managerial skills should be improved and developed English: the level of English of our students should be improved to at least the level of the “Swiss maturité”

The four STI Sections have of course started implementing these recommendations. The basis curriculum was already more or less harmonized within STI so that very little had to be done. Each Section has now its advisory board and each board has already met at least once in 2009. The issue of internship is the one generating the more work at the moment. There is an agreement on how to integrate the internship within the curriculum of each Section and we are now in the process of implementing the logistic behind it, looking for the right person to coordinate this task. STI feels little concerned by the active pedagogy issue. Half of the STI curricula is made of exercises, labs and projects (bachelor semester project, Master semester project, Master thesis). Lots of personal work is required from the students, in particular through the projects (example: 48 ECTS project work in the EE curricula). Students can easily get in touch with professors, lecturers, assistants (office hours are not usual in the School). Nevertheless some specific actions have been undertaken. Mechanical Engineering has just reduced the number of small courses when implementing his 120 ECTS Master and other Sections are working on reducing possible redundancies, in particular Electrical Engineering which wishes to work in close collaboration with Communication Systems on IT courses. Regarding non engineering skills, those can be to a large extent be acquired through the new internship as well as new EPFL minors.

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STI Sections encourage their new students to learn English in order to respond to the challenges of international university education, mobility and integration, professional life and lifelong learning. For the new EPFL Bachelor students a mandatory English test has been set up by the EPFL language center. Students have to register for the test at the beginning of the semester. After having been examined and according to the results, students are invited to attend English courses that are offered for all levels. 5.1.2 Overall structure of the study program Education and teaching at the School of engineering has the threefold objective of providing its students with a high-level and broad-based technical education, learning skills and professional know-how. This is reached through a balance of lectures, exercises and laboratory/project works, a strong emphasis being placed on practical work and projects closely linked to industry. Basic Sciences course and exercises are taught at the beginning of the Bachelor program and are progressively replaced by more specific lectures, but also laboratory and project work as depicted in the following figure:

MS PDM Master Thesis (30 ECTS)

Exercises 30 ECTS

Exercises 25 ECTS

Labs & projects 46 ECTS

Specific courses & lectures 84 ECTS

Hum. & Social sciences 18 ECTS

Basic Courses & lectures 37 ECTS (SB Faculty)

Fig. 32 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; STI overall curriculum with ECTS credit allocation

The entire bachelor and Master education program should provide our future engineers with a wide spectrum of knowledge, starting from a strong theoretical background and leading towards wide practical aspect. He/she will thus be able to deal with complex scientific and industrial projects in an independent way stemming from his/her ability to analyze and synthesize information. Moreover, we aim at providing our students the essential skills of all engineering graduates: good communication abilities, the knowledge of the international context and of the ethical, environmental and societal aspects of concrete problems. The multidisciplinary training proposed enables our students to pursue doctoral studies in a wide variety of fields offered at EPFL or elsewhere. Looking at the total ECTS credits, 46% of the time is dedicated to lectures, 18% to exercises, 30% to laboratory/projects and 6 % to Humanities and social sciences.

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Labs & projects 30%

Hum. & social sciences 6%

Exercises 18%

Lectures 46%

Fig. 33 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; STI overall curriculum with ECTS credit allocation

5.1.2.1

Bachelor Programs

The aim of the Bachelor is to provide students with a solid background in basic sciences (mathematics and physics) and the basic notions related to the engineering field. Some minor differences can be observed between the 4 sections within the School for engineering, so that we almost have a common first year. The ratio between basic sciences and engineering decreases over time between the first and 6th semester, and the number of optional courses increases at the same time. Teaching laboratories play a key role during the entire Bachelor program, and are intended for the acquisition of practical knowledge in a lab environment, which is essential for future engineers. It is also important to note that Section of Electrical and Electronics Engineering57, the Section of Mechanical Engineering 58 as well as the Section of Micro-engineering 59 offer their teaching labs curriculum to other sections within STI as well as outside STI (SB, SV, SC) and consequently play a major role in education at EPFL. This technical and scientific formation is supplemented by courses in Social Sciences, developing the students' critical sense and helping them to be more open-minded and conscious of the interaction between science and the society. 5.1.2.2

Masters Programs

The typical Master program requires 90 ECTS credits, but some might go up to 120. The three building blocks are the Core, the Specialization and the Master Thesis Project. Specializations consist of a set of courses allowing students to gain deep knowledge in a specific sub-domain of their discipline (Major) and are a continuation of the specializations found during the 3rd year of the Bachelor program. A specialization requires obtaining an additional 30 ECTS credits.

57 58 59

Offered lab courses: Electrotechnics, Electronics, Measurement systems and techniques, Electro-mechanics Offered lab courses: Automatic control Offered lab courses: Microcontrollers

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Major Master Thesis Project (PDM)

Core of Master 60 ECTS

30 ECTS

• Master 90 or 120 ECTS • Master 90+30 ECTS (specialization) • Master 90+30 ECTS (minor)

Specialization or Minor 30 ECTS

Fig. 34 – Masters building blocks

Each Section within the School of engineering offers between three and five Master’s specialization in which the students will specialize during their Master study: Table 38 – Masters specialization for each Section

Specializations

Electrical & electronic engineering

Mechanical engineering

Materials science & engineering

Micro-engineering

• Circuits & Devices

• Aero-& Hydrodynamics

• Transformation of Materials and Production Processes

• Applied Photonics

• Structural Materials for use in Transport Energy & Infrastructure

• Robotics & Autonomous Systems

• Power & Energy • Computer & Communication Engineering

• Control Systems • Biomechanics • Design and production • Energy • Solids & Structure Mechanics

• Materials for Microelectronics & Microengineering

• Micro & NanoSystems

• Production Techniques • Biomedical Microengineering

• Materials for Biotechnological & Medical Applications

Besides, students have the choice to follow an additional Minor program within the 14 currently offered at EPFL, each of them being hosted by a given Section. A Minor is a complementary education of 30 ECTS credits in a discipline other than the Major, aiming at improving knowledge in trans-disciplinary fields and opening up the educational and career perspectives. The minors offered at the EPFL are either multidisciplinary or complementary to the engineering education (i.e. Minor in Management of Technology and Entrepreneurship (MTE)). In theory, students have a free choice among all Minors. However, the students are asked to get approval from their Section director as well as from the minor’s administrator.

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Table 39 – EPFL minors for Master students

Minors

Electrical & electronic engineering

Micro-engineering

Mechanical engineering

Materials science & engineering

• Space technology (SEL)

• Energy (SGM)

• Biomedical technologies (SMT)

• Materials science (SMX)

• Technology Management & Entrepreneurship (CDM)

• Materials science (SMX)

• Technology Management & Entrepreneurship (CDM)

• Contemporary Asian Studies (CDH)

• Computational sciences (Section of Mathematics)

• Information security (Section of Communication systems)

• Technology Management & Entrepreneurship (CDM)

• Contemporary Asian Studies (CDH)

Table 40 – EPFL additional possible minors for Master students Additional possible minors Minors

•

Architecture (Architecture Section)

•

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (Section of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering)

•

Bio-computing / Computer engineering / Computer science (Section of Computer Science)

•

Physics (Physics Section)

•

Information security (Section of Communication systems)

•

Territorial development (Section of Environmental Sciences and Engineering)

•

Civil engineering (Section of Civil Engineering – in development 2010-11)

Finally, students have the possibility to participate in a series of international programs, involving the complementary strengths of partner European universities, all with excellent reputations in teaching and research. Three such institutionalized programs exist within the School of engineering, two aiming at Electrical & electronic engineering students, one at mechanical engineering ones: •

MNIS - Micro and Nanotechnologies for Integrated Systems 60 − Triangular 3 semester program between Politecnico di Torino (Italy’s oldest Technical University, established in 1859), INP Grenoble (one of France's leading research and engineering training centers) and the EPFL −

Degree recognized as a separate entity by the three institutions, max 60 students/year

See : http://www.master-nanotech.com/

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•

MERIT – European Master of Research on Information Technology 61 − Multitrack research-oriented 1 semester master program based on a flexible curriculum that covers a wide area of knowledge in the field of Information and Communication Technologies. −

•

The institutions participating in the consortium are UCL – Catholic University in Louvain, Belgium, UPC – Polytechnic University of Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain, UKA - TH University of Karlsruhe, Germany, KTH – The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, and the PdT - Politecnico di Torino, Italy.

SUPAERO – Master program in aeronautics and space 62 − Bilateral program between the Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace in Toulouse, France and EPFL. −

Two years double degree program, max. 5 students/year

5.1.3 Admission In line with the Swiss education system, and the (political) requirement, all students with a high school degree from an accredited Swiss high school are allowed to register to a bachelor program at EPFL, without any admission exam or other type of selection. High school students from foreign countries, however, might be required to take an admission exam, on a case-by-case basis. Admission to the Master programs is guaranteed to students with a Bachelor degree from EPFL, or equivalent training from another Swiss institute, as long as the program’s pre-requisites are met. Admission for other applicants is processed by the EPFL Masters admission committee which has the authority to require an admission exam if needed. All admission to the doctoral program is competitive, and administered by the doctoral program admissions committee. 5.1.4 Marketing and promotion At Bachelor level, EPFL is primarily aiming at students from the Swiss high-school system with a scientific degree. The School of engineering, like the other ones, is particularly active in Switzerland to promote its engineering curriculum, organizing high school student visits, but also high school sciences and physics teacher visits, as well as discovery days and summer camps to stimulate young students (especially girls) at age before high school. Marketing and recruiting at master level is mostly targeting Europe, with an increasing focus on Asia and Middle-East. The strategy followed by EPFL since 2005 is to have a more aggressive approach and target students from the best universities, improve the level of the masters program and keep foster multi-culturality. The promotion push at Master level is orchestrated by the Vice presidency for International affairs. However, some targeted initiatives are also implemented at section level within the School of engineering as described further in this chapter. A new initiative is being launched in 2009 to offer new scholarships at Master level, in order to further improve the attractiveness. Table 41 – Student’s recruiting areas

61 62

Level/Program

Recruiting area

Language

Bachelor

National

French

Master

Europe (mostly)

English

PhD

Worldwide

English

See : http://www.tsc.upc.es/merit/ See : http://www.isae.fr/en/isae_training_offer2/supaero_graduate_engineer.html

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5.1.5 Undergraduate student figures Before analyzing enrollment figures, it’s interesting to look at the evolution of our undergraduate (BA + MA) student population which went through profound changes during the last 15 years, and despite overall growth. Microengineering went through a boom at the end of the nineties and has since a drop of 1/3 of its population since the creation of the School of life science. Similarly, Electrical Engineering has suffered from the creation of a Communication System’s Section. Currently, our student population (BA+MA) amounts to 1’280 and should surpass 1’400 for the new semester starting Sept. 2009. 1'400

700

1'200

600

1'000

500 400

800

300

600

200

400

100

200

# TOTAL STI

# of registered BA+MA

800

SEL

SGM

SMX

SMT

TOTAL BA + MA

Fig. 35 – Student population over time and per Section

The number of students enrolled in the first year of the Bachelor program shows different evolution from one Section to the other too. The observed decrease in enrollment figures in Microengineering seems to be over with a new rise in 2009 which should soon be observable in the overall undergraduate population of this Section. 300

450

# of enrolled BA

350 300

200

250

150

200 150

100

# TOTAL enrolled STI

400

250

0 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 SEL

SGM

SMX

SMT

TOTAL BA1

Fig. 36 – New registered STI Bachelor students (BA1 2002-2007, incl. students repeating the year)

At Master level, enrollment has started to pick up again in all Sections. This effect is largely driven by foreign students with bachelor degree from another Institution and joining EPFL to do their Masters. These students represent between 40% of the enrollment in Mechanical engineering and up to 80% of STI-Audit 2009 - Vol. A: Self-Assessment report

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in Electrical engineering. We observe that enrollment of foreign students require a lot of marketing and work, but it’s paying off. Not taken into account in the following enrollment figures are the master students participating to special programs such as MNIS for Electrical engineering students as described in Chapter 5.1.2.2. In the case of MNIS, the average number of students has been 45 per year over the last 4 years.

140 # of enrolled MA

100

150

80 100

60 40

# TOTAL enrolled STI

200

120

0 2004

2005

SEL

SGM

2006 SMX

2007 SMT

2008

2009

TOTAL MA1

15 10

0 2004

2005

2006

2007

SEL

SGM

SMX

SMT

2008

# TOTAL enrolled STI

# of enrolled foreign MA

Fig. 37 – New registered STI Master students (MA1 2004-2007, incl. students repeating the year) and without special programs

2009

TOTAL MA1 external

Fig. 38 – New registered STI Master students (MA1 2004-2007) w/o BA from EPFL

Female representation remains low in traditional engineering disciplines. The overall EPFL female percentage figures are somewhat distorted by the high female enrollment numbers in Architecture, which has grown considerably, and Life science which is a new School. At the School of engineering, we observe a roughly 20 to 25% female enrollment rate, compared to 38% at EPFL overall.

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5.2

Section of Electrical and electronic engineering (SEL)

5.2.1 SEL Bachelor program The Section of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (SEL) has the threefold objective of providing its students with a high-level and broad-based scientific education, learning skills and profession knowhow. The EPFL electrical engineer is concerned with electricity in its dual role of information and energy vectors. The broad educational program is therefore aiming at providing the students with the essential tools for solving problems related to electrical engineering in the three following areas: • • •

Circuits & Devices, Computer & Communication Engineering, and Power & Energy.

During the first year of the Bachelor program, or foundation year, the focus is placed on the basic sciences (mathematics, general and applied physics) and teaching of the specific subjects on which electrical engineering is essentially based (electronics, logic systems, information technology). The second year of the Bachelor program focuses on consolidating the knowledge of the basic sciences (mathematics and physics) and specific electrical and electronics engineering subjects (circuit theory, electromagnetic, electronics, measurement systems, micro-programmed systems and programming). During the final and third year, students can start orientating their training in accordance with their interests and future aspirations. Students are required to choose two of the three offered specializations, plus a limited number of optional courses. Considerable importance is also attached to semester projects and laboratory work.

Labs & projects 14%

Core courses mand. 24%

Hum. & socials sciences 6%

Labs & projects 15%

Basic sciences 56%

Core courses mand. 37%

Hum. & social sciences 6%

Labs & projects 25%

Hum. & social sciences 7%

Basic sciences 42%

Electives 17%

Core courses mand. 51%

Fig. 39 – SEL Bachelor – first, second and third year ECTS credit allocation (from left to right)

In summary, the bachelor’s program in Electrical & Electronics engineering has a good mixture of theory and practice. In addition to attending regular lectures offered by our professors, students benefit from a very strong lab infrastructure and well-trained, dedicated teaching/support staff. SEL is endeavoring to increase the intake into its Bachelor’s program and to keep a large enough potential of BS students who will attend the Master’s program. It makes every effort to succeed in order to avoid a shortage of knowledge engineers in the EE technology sector who are indispensable for eco-

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nomic growth and contribute to solving major societal problems. SEL has suffered from three main issues: • • •

The creation of new educational programs at EPFL (Communication Systems, Microengineering, Life Sciences) has dramatically affected the number of BS students in EE, reducing the first year class number to less than 50. The changes in Pre-University Education (more flexibility in the pre-university programs – “nouvelle maturité”) and the relatively low interest in science and technology programs are accentuating the problem of recruitment of secondary-school students. A lack of visibility in Switzerland.

Given the society’s need for knowledge engineers with a technological background in EE, it is essential to stabilize or even increase the intake into the BS programs and the number of undergraduates. SEL has therefore enhanced its efforts to respond to the low number of BS students and is intending the following: • • •

set up attractive educational programs, based on quality, which is able to respond to changing societal needs and research trends, target a group of potential science students by exploring the possibilities of an international intake into the Bachelor’s program, especially from France, increase its visibility in Switzerland by: i) promoting its programs at special events (Gymnase day, various visits of secondary-school students); ii) providing support for “Maturité thesis; iii) providing support for varied activities especially organised for children of 6 to 9 and 9 to 12 years of age; and iv) providing information about its educational programs to science teachers.

Further activities are going to be developed to make the EE programs known and to ensure that more students enroll at SEL. 5.2.2 SEL Master program A large intake of international MS students is important to offset the relatively low intake of Swiss students into the EE Master’s program. The recruitment at SEL targets talented students. It is done on the basis of excellence. Competing on the basis of quality, SEL aims at recruiting outstanding students with a BS in Electrical Engineering from leading universities abroad in order that they get their master’s degree at SEL and pursue with a PhD at EPFL or work in Swiss or European industry. SEL is very successful in recruiting excellent students from abroad. Indeed, the Master’s program in EE at SEL is attracting more and more talented international students into Electrical Engineering and this proves the capability of SEL to compete with leading-edge university programs abroad. As part of its efforts, after having adopted the internationally recognized bachelor-master structure, SEL proposes a wide range of MSc courses (in English) to help attract international students. More than 100 interested students apply for the master in EE at EPFL and SEL is ranked second section within EPFL in terms of MS applications. Middle East universities (Iran and Turkey) provide almost 55% of admitted students where a majority of them attend the Electronics and Information Technologies courses. The very best students are eligible for excellence scholarships.

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Labs & projects 25%

Hum. & social sciences 10%

Electives 40% Core courses 25%

Fig. 40 – SEL Master ECTS credit allocation

5.2.3 SEL objectives and strategy The overall objectives of SEL are summarized as follows. First by providing high-quality education in EE using the best universities in the world as benchmark. Next, by preparing highly competitive researchers for conducting fundamental or/and applied research as well as engineers with a strong background and a spirit of entrepreneurship. Last but not least, attracting talented students, from Switzerland and abroad, by improving the visibility of the EE programs. The following steps are required to achieve the aforementioned goals: •

• • • •

5.3

SEL, must be able to strengthen its traditional key fields (Circuits and devices, Computer and communication engineering, Power & Energy). This can only be achieved through a coherent hiring and promotion policy at the level of the School of engineering. Spreading these fields over too many educational programs can only weaken them, Provide an educational program covering both theoretical foundations and practical aspects of the discipline in order to prepare students for a variety of academic and/or industrial careers, Improve the national and international visibility of the MS program, Maintain the high scientific profile and specificity of the program that directly reflects on the quality of our graduates, Introduce and expand emerging fields such as bio and nano-engineering into the EE MS curriculum.

Section of Microengineering (SMT)

5.3.1 SMT Bachelor program The Section of Micro-engineering (SMT) has organized its curriculum around the three pillars of microengineering that are: optics, micro & nanotechnologies and robotics & micro-manufacturing. During the first year of the Bachelor program, or foundation year, the focus is placed on the basic sciences (mathematics, general and applied physics, general chemistry) and teaching of the specific subjects related to engineering and microengineering (informatics, construction, electro-technics, materials). The second year of the Bachelor program focuses on consolidating the knowledge of the basic sciences (mathematics and physics) and on the introduction to specific microengineering subjects (microengineering components, microengineering materials, surface chemistry, electronics, microcontrollers, logical systems, etc.). STI-Audit 2009 - Vol. A: Self-Assessment report

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During the third year, central competences in Microengineering are established along: • • •

Product and production (conception of products and systems, industrialization, production methods, Microstructures technology, sensors), Electronics and photonics (microelectronics, micro-informatics, optics, circuits and electronic systems), Systems and commands (automation, signals and systems, electro-mechanical conversion, vibrating systems).

During the bachelor cycle, the number of project and laboratory hours is steadily increasing in order to develop conception and realization skills. A mandatory machining training allows completing the practical formation during this cycle.

Hum. & social sciences 6%

Labs & projects 14%

Core courses mand. 20%

Labs & projects 16%

Basic sciences 60%

Core courses mand. 38%

Hum. & social sciences 6%

Labs & projects 28%

Hum. & social sciences 6%

Electives 0%

Basic sciences 40%

Core courses mand. 66%

Fig. 41 – SMT Bachelor – first, second and third year ECTS credit allocation (from left to right)

5.3.2 SMT Master program The Section of Microengineering has maintained a 90 ECTS Master cycle, including a 30 ECTS Master project. The program aims to enlarge and deepen knowledge and acquire skills of advanced methods. Four orientations specific to domains and activities of industrial activities and research in Microengineering are proposed: • • • •

Applied Photonics Micro and Nano-Systems Robotics and Autonomous Systems Production Techniques

Beside a group of mandatory lectures specific to each orientation, optional courses are offered allowing each student to construct a personal curriculum. A large number of credits are dedicated to individual work: two semester projects (24 ECTS) are realized within the research laboratories affiliated to the Section or in an industrial context. During these projects, creativity, management of project and problem solving, as well as scientific spirit, innovation capacity are trained. The master project with duration of 4 to 6 months completes the education. The project, realized within research laboratories of IMT or in industry, as well as aboard in universities and industries, constitute a first opportunity to put in place all acquired knowledge and skills in an independent manner on a complex and important problem.

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The Section of Microengineering is in charge of a minor in Biomedical Technology. The minor complements the curriculum of students who want a specific insight in biomedical technology. Finally it is to be noted that the microengineering curriculum, thanks to its broad engineering basis and its product and system integration specificities is particularly well adapted to the needs of the medical and biomedical R&D. As a result it is an ideal curriculum for the medical and biomedical market place. Hum. & social sciences 10%

Electives 32%

Labs & projects 40% Core courses 18%

Fig. 42 – SMT Master ECTS credit allocation

5.3.3 SMT objectives and strategy Our objectives are to maintain the high attractiveness of the Microengineering engineers on the industrial and technology market due to their broad engineering education. This will be achieved by maintaining a balanced number of academics with a strong industrial background and with a tailored academic profile. Moreover it is of paramount importance to maintain an environment (teaching labs, facilities, academics) able to sustain the large number of students at the charge of the section. We aim to a smooth and continuous adaptation of our curriculum, especially at the master level, by increasing the courses taught in English, thus increasing our attractiveness for foreign students at the master level, while taking into account, the specific positioning of Microengineering, with a predominant recruitment at the bachelor level in Switzerland and the neighboring countries. In particularly, the section would like to introduce the following measures: • Ensure basic engineering teaching by the appropriate recruitment of new academics; • Ensure matching of curriculum to the specific needs of the industry market place, while maintaining top level research skills development; • Expand or introduce emerging fields such as bio and nano-engineering, and sustainability (green manufacturing) into the MT MS curriculum.

5.4

Section of Mechanical engineering (SGM)

5.4.1 SGM Bachelor program The Section of Mechanical Engineering (SGM) addresses some of humankind's most challenging and persistent questions. With its roots in an understanding of the fundamental laws of nature, mechanical engineering encompasses the development, design and manufacture of machines and systems that harness those forces to benefit society. As one of the broadest engineering field, mechanical engineering plays a role throughout a range of scientific domains, three of which are touched upon within the EPFL teaching curriculum:

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• • •

Energy and use/transformation of natural resources (solar, wind, thermal, hydraulic, etc.) Production of goods (industrial fabrication process, optimization, control, etc.) Transportation (from bicycles to rockets, trains to planes, etc.

During the first year of the Bachelor program, or foundation year, the focus is placed on the basic sciences (mathematics, general and applied physics, chemistry, material science) and teaching of the specific subjects on which mechanical engineering is essentially based (fabrication methods, assembly, mechanical systems, etc.). The second year of the Bachelor program focuses on consolidating the knowledge of the basic sciences (mathematics and physics) and specific mechanical engineering subjects (design, production, dynamical systems, etc). During the final and third year, students can start orientating their training in accordance with their interests and career plan. Labs & projects 13%

Core courses mand. 17%

Hum. & social sciences 6%

Labs & projects 3%

Core courses Basic sciences mand. 47% 64%

Hum. & social sciences 7%

Labs & projects 22%

Hum. & social sciences 7%

Basic sciences 43%

Electives 20%

Core courses mand. 51%

Fig. 43 – SGM Bachelor – first, second and third year ECTS credit allocation (from left to right)

It’s worthwhile to note that the Section of Mechanical engineering is playing a pioneering role with its “Homo Faber” program in the 6th semester of Bachelor. This program aims at learning how to work on a collaborative project with many participants with all the implications in terms of coordination and communication. This program is run now for the fourth time and has already become an important building block in the mechanical engineering curriculum. 5.4.2 SGM Master program Starting with the academic year 2009-10, the master program of Mechanical engineering requires 120 ECTS while before the students had the choice between 90 or 120 ECTS. This change corresponds to a strong drive towards a more active pedagogy. Several courses have been extended by integrating more active contributions from the students. In particular, case studies and mini-projects have been introduced in several courses and the corresponding number of ECTS increased up to 5 per course. Students have several choices to put together their program. First they have to choose between 6 orientations: • • • • • •

Aero-Hydrodynamics Control and Mechatronics Design and Production Energy Solid mechanics and structures Biomechanics

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For each orientation a counselor helps them to choose their courses in function of their interest and objectives. Secondly, students have the possibility to integrate a minor in their master program (see Table 38).

Labs & projects 33%

Hum. & social sciences 10%

Core courses 0%

Electives 57%

Fig. 44 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SGM Master â&#x20AC;&#x201C;ECTS credit allocation

The master is also the period chosen by the section for the mobility, which is offered only to students having excellent grades. 5.4.3 SGM objectives and strategy The mechanical engineering section has undertaken an ambitious project to integrate competences and learning outcomes in its program definition. The project aims at determining and structuring the competences targeted by the program and to set up a definition and control mechanism to foster the development of theses abilities by the courses. This project has been recognized as a pilot project by EPFL and by the KRUS, the high education federal office. It will lead to a full re-engineering of the bachelor and master program for the academic year 2010-2011. The first step of the project has allowed, through a Delphy study involving almost 40 persons to determine the major characteristics of a (mechanical) engineer in terms of knowledge, know-how and soft skills. The future work will consist in defining the learning outcomes of each domain and then each course, in coherence with these pedagogical objectives.

5.5

Section of Materials sciences and engineering (SMX)

5.5.1 SMX Bachelor program The Bachelor program from the Materials Science and Engineering section (SMX) provides the students a solid foundation in fundamental sciences and is complemented with specific coursework in materials science, that is: understanding the different classes of materials, the procedures for preparing them, their properties and performance; knowledge of analytical techniques, characterization and testing, modeling and simulation. The objective of the first year, which is very similar across the other STI Sections, is to provide a basic scientific foundation: analysis, linear algebra, geometry, general physics, chemistry, metrology and computer programming, with problem sets and lab sessions. The course Introduction to materials science introduces simple concepts that enable students to understand the behavior of materials. Finally, the courses Metals and Alloys and Materials Technology allow students to understand materials synthesis, microstructures and mechanical properties through several industrial applications. This first year

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ends with an exam. The exam serves as a selection criterion, ensuring that our educational program is of the highest quality. During the second year, the education in the fundamentals continues with more in-depth focus on the basic sciences, and is complemented by new, more specific materials science courses such as thermodynamics, crystallography, rheology, materials mechanics, transfer phenomena and continuum mechanics. This allows students to make the connection between basic science and engineering science. The scientific background acquired during the two first years, enables students of the third year to understand the interdependence between the four pillars of materials science (development, microstructure, properties and performance) in all the theoretical and practical branches which are indispensable for any materials science engineer: ceramics, polymers, composites, construction materials, metals and alloys, dispersed materials, phase transformations, modeling and analysis techniques. During this third year, parallel to courses, students do two introductory research projects, in collaboration with laboratories in the Materials Institute who have privileged contacts with communities in research and industry. They can in this way put their knowledge to work in a scientific and industrial context, and confront the reality of the industrial world through personal experience.

Hum. & social sciences 6%

Labs & projects 24%

Core courses mand. 14%

Labs & projects 5%

Core Basic courses sciences mand. 56% 40%

Hum. & social sciences 7%

Labs & projects 33%

Hum. & social sciences 7%

Electives 0%

Basic sciences 48%

Core courses mand. 60%

Fig. 45 – SMX Bachelor – first, second and third year ECTS credit allocation (from left to right)

5.5.2 SMX Master program The Master’s cycle broadens students’ field of knowledge, covering all aspects of the materials science domain and enabling them to hone their skills in solving complex problems. Students can define their study plans to fit their particular interests. The Master’s degree consists of 90 ECTS credits; 60 of these are in laboratory courses and 30 in the Master’s Project (PdM). Courses taught in Materials Science and Engineering are organized into four orientations that have a general “flavor” while still offering students the possibility of extending their knowledge outside the chosen orientation. They can compose their study program by choosing 30% of their courses from any of the following orientations: • • • •

Transformation of materials and production processes Structural materials for transportation, energy and infrastructure Materials for microelectronics and microengineering Materials for biotechnology and medical applications

In order to prepare students to solve complex problems they will face in industry and research, 30% of the Master’s cycle is dedicated to projects. These are divided into an individual research project and a group research project, during which students acquire the skills for managing complex industrial or research problems, developing their creativity, their capacity for scientific innovation, as well as their teamwork and leadership skills in the process. STI-Audit 2009 - Vol. A: Self-Assessment report

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At the end of the Master’s cycle, a 4-6 month Master’s project (30 credits) is undertaken, often in close collaboration with industries or research organizations. This project requires the student to apply his or her knowledge to carry out scientific research, with the goal of solving a concrete and complex problem in an autonomous manner. The student reports on his or her results with a written thesis and an oral thesis presentation. Hum. & social sciences 10%

Labs & projects 37%

Core courses 0%

Electives 53%

Fig. 46 – SMX Master –ECTS credit allocation

5.5.3 SMX objectives and strategy The number of students enrolled at the first year and at the master level has increased markedly in 2009. Even if the education program covers a broad range of courses in materials science and engineering, there is a need to create a more coherent curriculum in order to make our students more attractive to future employers (industry or academia). In particularly, the section would like to introduce the following measures: • Strengthening the education in basic sciences; • Combination of related courses among different teaching forms (ex-cathedra lectures, exercises, lab courses, projects) into larger integrated courses; • Reducing the number of contact hours aims encouraging self-study; • Introduction of more courses taking into account the properties and characteristic of all classes of materials global approach; • Introduction of transferable skills as management tools into the existing projects; • Extending the duration of the master project carried out at EPFL from 4 to 6 months; • Introduction of an industrial internship at the master level.

5.6

Doctoral school and programs

Up until 2002, EPFL, like most other European institutions, had an extremely disjointed structure for doctoral studies: each faculty member did his own recruiting and admission, there were no graduatelevel courses, no formal qualifying exams, the only quality control being the thesis defense with a jury at the end of the thesis project. Whatever advantages such a system may offer in flexibility are outweighted by the lack of common recruiting and advertising, comprehensive screening, coursework and quality control. In 2002, EPFL decided to create a Doctoral School with a dedicated Dean and under the supervision of the VP for Academic Affairs. The Doctoral school is currently made up of 19 Doctoral programs, each of them with a designated Director chosen among the Faculty members participating in the program. The doctoral programs seek applicants holding a 4-year BS, or MS degree.

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Table 42 – EPFL Doctoral Programs • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Architecture and science of the city (EDAR) Biotechnology and bioengineering (EDBB) Molecular biology of cancer and infection (EDCI) Chemistry and chemical engineering (EDCH) Computer, communication and information science (EDIC) Electrical engineering (EDEE) Energy (EDEY) Environment (EDEN) Finance (EDFI) Management of technology (EDMT) Manufacturing systems and robotics (EDPR) Materials science and engineering (EDMX) Mathematics (EDMA) Mechanics (EDME) Microsystems and microelectronics (EDMI) Neuroscience (EDNE) Photonics (EDPO) Physics (EDPY) Structures (EDST)

The role of the doctoral programs is to ensure 1) a homogeneous and highly competitive selection of PhD candidates, 2) an adequate monitoring of the PhD student’s progress (from admission exams if any, to mentoring and thesis defense) and 3) an attractive offer of graduate courses. Each PhD student has to take the equivalent of 12 credits courses during his PhD work. Upon approval by the responsible Program director, a PhD student can receive credits for courses taken in another institution outside EPFL. A further benefit of these Doctoral programs is the fostering of “communities” among PhD students in a similar field. PhD students from STI laboratories are usually affiliated to one program within a subgroup of 8 to 9 programs covering the research areas found within STI. The strategy within the School of engineering is to have one flagship program per Institute, knowing that these programs remain open to students from other Institutes within STI and outside. Table 43 – Doctoral programs within STI Electrical & electronic engineering

Micro-engineering

Mechanical engineering

Materials science & engineering

• Electrical engineering (EDEE) (*) • Microsystems and microelectronics (EDMI) • Photonics (EDPO) • Energy (EDEY)

• Microsystems and microelectronics (EDMI) • Manufacturing systems and robotics (EDPR) • Materials science and engineering (EDMX) • Mechanics (EDME) • Photonics (EDPO) • Computer, communication and information science (EDIC)

• Mechanics (EDME) • Manufacturing systems and robotics (EDPR) • Energy (EDEY)

• Materials science and engineering (EDMX) • Chemistry and chemical engineering (EDCH)

(*) in bold = Flagship program of a given Institute

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As one major accomplishment in 2009, we’ve been able to create a new program called EDEE for Electrical Engineering and which has become the flagship program for EE. There were two reasons behind this creation. The first relates to the limited visibility of electrical engineering at EPFL as already discussed earlier. At present, visibility of the Electrical Engineering discipline is low especially after the Bachelor + Master cycle, and this is perceived as a major problem by a large number of faculty members in EE. As a second reason, some changes in EDIC had marginalized a significant number of faculty in STI. Professors must be motivated by the possibility of hiring and educating student according to the needs of the discipline. Due to the size of EDIC and its ongoing changes, many professors in the institute of EE felt that EDIC was not serving their needs and they felt potential losses in students and eventually in research output. It is interesting to note also that our Doctoral program Microsystems and Microelectronics (EDMI) has been selected by the COMS'2009 (14th annual conference on commercializing micro- and nanotechnology) to be presented as an outstanding example of Doctoral program in Europe to be followed in training of PhD at the frontier between micro/nano-systems and micro/nano-electronics. COMS brings together leaders in the field from across the world, who represent organizations and companies from almost every sector of the community including leading industrialists, end users, researchers, equipment vendors, customers, VC and angel investors, educators, media, professional organizations, and government. 5.6.1 Key figures The STI PhD student’s population has been growing steadily by more than 26% in the last 4 years. All STI PhD students amount to approx. 35% of the entire EPFL PhD’s and this has remained more or less stable over the years. Within the historical EPFL research areas (i.e. not counting the College of management) the proportion of PhD students registered within STI has grown from 32 to 35% in the last 7 years. 250

507

200 150

405

542

500

442

429

600

347

400 300

100

200

100 0

0 2004 SEL

2005 SMT

2006

2007

SGM

2008 SMX

2009 TOTAL

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

120

108 89

80 60 40 20 0

2004 SEL

2005

2006

SMT

2007 SGM

2008

2009

SMX

Fig. 47 – Registered PhD student population (links) and awarded PhD title per Section (right)

100

TOTAL 63

Including restatement EDEE and clean up of abandon and transfers

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40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 2004 EDEE

2005 EDEY

EDME

2006 EDMI

2007 EDMX

2008 EDPO

EDPR

2009 EDBB

Fig. 48 – Enrolled PhD students per Doctoral program

As already explained the Doctoral School was established in 2002 and since then we still have a number, albeit decreasing, of students registered under the “old regime”. The continuous increase in the number of PhD is definitely linked to the creation of the Doctoral School and a general push towards graduate education. The creation of the School of Life sciences has then generated an additional push which we observe through the Bioengineering (EDBB) program. STI’s share of awarded PhD in the entire EPFL every year lies around 33%. Among those, 15% are women, which is lower than the EPFL average of 20%. Within the women PhD, the STI share is roughly 25%, which reflects the lower proportion of women in engineering anyway. The proportion of women PhD has doubled though in the last 10 years both at EPFL and at STI level. In 2009, the number of profs affiliated (to a given Doctoral program) vs PhD student ratio fluctuates between 0.7 in EDMI and approx. 1.8 in EDEE, EDEY, EDME and EDPO. EDMX and EDPR lie in between at 1.3. Finally and with 542 students, STI accounts for approx. one third of all PhD students in EPFL. Per faculty member (counting PO, PA, PATT, PT, PTE), we end up with an average of 6.0 students per faculty member, higher than the 5.2 EPFL average. Thus, one could argue that the School of engineering would deserve more faculty positions to absorb all these PhD students.

5.7

Alumni evaluation

An online survey was carried out in Mai and June 2009 among the alumni who obtained their diploma or doctor between 1998 and 2008, thus before and after the introduction of the Bologna reforms. The survey was established to assess the perception of the Bachelor/Masters (Diploma) and/or Doctoral alumnis about the education received at EPFL. It focused particularly on the education and framework conditions provided by the School, but was also intended to determine the alumni’s point of view regarding how well adapted the training was to professional requirements met after leaving EPFL.

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5.7.1

Overview

Out of the 1’413 questionnaire sent, 1’255 turned out to have valid e-mail addresses and 361 questionnaires were completed and returned, thus corresponding to close to 29% answer rate. The 361 alumni who answered had the following profiles: • Diploma/Master only: 294 alumni • PhD only: 19 alumni • Diploma + PhD: 48 alumni The women represent less than 10% of all the respondents. 33% of the women graduated after 2007 and only 17% of the male. The sections of the respondents are: Microengineering (44%), Electrical Engineering (20%), Mechanical Engineering (15%), Materials Science (14%), Bioengineering (0.3%). The distribution is similar for men and women. 70% of the PhD holder respondents graduated (Diploma or Master) from EPFL. 5.7.2

Professional status

A first set of questions was related to the professional status of the alumnis. Employment: Unemployment rate is relatively low. • 6% are unemployed (9% of the women). The unemployment rate is 7% for each section, except for Materials Science with only 2%. • 24% hold their current position for less than a year and 35% of those graduated in 2008, 50% in 2007 or after. • 45% hold their position for more than 2 years, with nearly 70% of those having graduated before 2005. Place of work: PhD holders tend to work more abroad than Masters one, with PhD predominantly working oversees, and Masters in Europe. • 19% work abroad on average: 17% of the Master respondents and 25% of the doctoral ones. • 15% of the PhD holder work in USA-Canada, with only 0.3% among the Masters holder • 65% work in large companies (more than 250 employees). Area of work, function and responsibilities: almost 70% of all respondents work in 3 economic areas, have 3 predominant functions, and to a large extent occupy a position related to their training • 84% of the respondents are satisfied or very satisfied with their current job. • 31.3% of the respondents work in Manufacturing, 28.8% in Professional, scientific and technical activities, and 8.9% in Education. The next three areas are Information & communication, Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, and Financial and insurance activities. • The main functions of the respondents are Project Management, Development and Research. However these functions tend to vary according to the degree. The Master’s main functions are Project Management and Development and the main functions of the PhD holders are Development and Research. • The level or responsibility varies: 23% are Team/Group Leader (Master 21%, PhD 28%), 10% are Department/Unit Head (Master 9%, PhD 13%) and 32% have no responsibilities (Master 35%, PhD 18%). • 69% occupy a post almost completely or completely related to their training (Master 67%, PhD 78%).

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• An EPFL degree (Master/Diploma) was requested for 36% of the respondents and demanded for 26%. In Switzerland, the degree was requested (40%) or demanded (27%) for 67% of the respondents, in Europe 41%, in the USA-Canada 27% and elsewhere 50%. • The salary level for the first position was between 60 and 80 KCHF with a tendency for higher salaries for PhDs. 5.7.3

Diploma/Masters education

Training: overall, training is very well appreciated and the respondents consider that the training infrastructure (labs, practical exercises, etc.) is an important strength. The idea of introducing professional internship is receive very positively. • 94% of the respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the polytechnic training. • 75% consider that the training was adequate whereas only 2% think it was insufficient. • More than 2/3 consider that their knowledge of techniques and technologies at the end of their EPFL training was adequate, while only 4% found it insufficient. • 46% regret the lack of cross-faculty training. • Even if 58% consider that the Social and Human Sciences training is useful, 40% find it useless or occasionally useful. • The main impact of training on the respondent’s personal skills was on interdisciplinarity, analytical skills and work methods. • With regard to the behaviour, nearly 80% of the respondents consider that their training developed their critical sense and their ability to adapt. • More than 80% consider that the projects carried out during their training prepared them well or very well to their professional activity. • Nearly 90% judge positively the idea of adding a professional internship to reinforce this aspect and 75% of them would be ready to host one in their company. Added value/quality: Some criticisms are voiced regarding the international reputation of the EPFL degree. • Approx 75% consider that their training prepared them well for their professional life. However, a lot of respondents regret the lack of practical experience and the overflow of theoretical concepts. • Some respondent consider that the EPFL degree is recognised as having a strong reputation for deep theoretical knowledge but as being weaker regarding the practical experience. • The strong points of the EPFL degree though are: interdisciplinarity (51 mentions), work methods (48), projects (44), analytical capacities (35), technical skills (28) and theoretical skills (16). • Suggestions for improvement range from much more practical work, more relationships with the industry, a better overview of the business world, much more non technical courses (management, finance, business, accounting, etc.) and more english. • Even though 16% didn’t formulate an opinion on the overall impression of Bachelor/Masters education at EPFL compared to other Schools, 29% considerer the training equivalent and 51% consider that it is better. Less than 4% have a low opinion. 5.7.4

Doctoral education

The reasons given by the respondents on how they chose their laboratory were: • Thesis subject (44%) • Extension of a previous collaboration (Master project, internship, etc.) (33%) • Thesis director (13%) • Good reputation of the laboratory or recommendation (10%)

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Almost half of the 67 PhD respondents gave no doctoral program affiliation since they promoted before the introduction of the doctoral school. The others were split among the 7 doctoral schools that are naturally associated with STI. • The benefits of a doctoral program are not clear-cut as there is a high level of no opinion (30%). Only 37% consider that the doctoral program is useful. • However, 80% very much enjoyed the scientific support during their thesis, and 96% the scientific equipment • The comments on the doctoral education are diverse. Some respondents consider that the support was limited and/or deplore the lack of interest from their thesis director • The importance attributed to the acquisition of knowledge was considered as mostly satisfactory or highly satisfactory for most of the PhD students. • The acquisition of competences such as the capacity of working independently is considered as the most satisfactory for most of the respondents. However, the level of satisfaction with the competence to lead projects was criticized by 31% of the respondents. • 70% consider that the ‘PhD EPFL’ title is well appreciated in the marketplace, however 1/5 disagree. • Approx. 2/3 consider that the doctoral education is quite adequate in view of the professional requirements. • Only few suggestions have been made to improve the form and/or the content of the Doctoral program, so it does not allow to define a clear-cut tendency in statistical terms. 8 respondents find the Doctoral program useless and restrictive, 5 would like a better support, 4 are in favour of more industrial partnerships. • Despite the high level of no opinions (20%), 33% of the respondents consider that the Doctoral education at the EPFL is as good as other schools and 40% think it is better. None believes that it is not as good as other schools. 5.7.5

Continuing education

• 65% of the respondents say they do not feel the need to attend a continuing education program to further their knowledge though subject areas covered by the EPFL. • The respondents who feel the need to further their knowledge through continuing education in subject areas covered by the EPFL are mostly interesting in project management, general management, MBA MoT (Management of Technology).

5.8

Structure, future developments

The practice of science and engineering in the real world is inherently interdisciplinary and becoming increasingly so, with many important advances occurring at the interface between traditionally defined areas. To be able to prepare our students to solve real-world problems we need to educate them in a way that enables them to integrate elements from a variety of fields. This does not mean that we should abandon traditional disciplines – on the contrary, we need to train students to be true experts in a particular field but at the same time able to cross traditional boundaries and draw from a number of different disciplines. Toward this end, we have started to reflect on the possible future of undergraduate but also advanced undergraduate and graduate teaching laboratories with state-of-the art instruments and equipment for engineering. In due course, we will need to check whether joining the basic science new and dedicated teaching building initiative or go on our own on our premises makes more sense.

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General Perspective and Conclusions

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Appendices – separate documents • •

Appendix A - Questions to the audit committee Appendix B - EPFL Strategic planning 2004-2007 and 2008-2011 (extracts)

Other Volumes as part of the overall documentation: • •

STI-Audit 2009 - Vol. B: Alumni survey report (detailed results) STI-Audit 2009 - Vol. C: STI Activity report (Lab by lab)

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