A WORD FROM THE DEAN — HIGHLIGHTS — EDUCATION — RESEARCH — INNOVATION — FACTS & FIGURES
A WORD FROM THE DEAN
I am happy to share with you the 2021 annual report for the School of Engineering (STI) at EPFL.
Our students, faculty, and staff members have all risen to the challenge marvellously, and have helped bring back our campus to its normal state, brimming with activities and optimism for the future. We are hopeful that the difficulties arising from the pandemic will fade away gracefully, with minimal disruption to our normal operations.
EPFL and its School of Engineering have withstood the interruptions to campus life with determination and thoughtful planning.
The mission of the School of Engineering at EPFL is to educate well-rounded engineering students in preparation for careers in research or industry; to advance and lead in research discoveries in engineering; to support and contribute to technology transfer; to innovate in engineering education; and to contribute engineering solutions to societal challenges. The School maintains a vibrant and dynamic environment that embraces students from their first steps in higher education and guides them through an engaging curriculum. Students are provided with many opportunities to get involved in exciting projects and competitions, both on the national and international levels, such as the Swiss Solar Boat project, the EPFL racing team, the Rocket team, and others. The School of Engineering leads in innovation and technology transfer, accounting for close to 50% of all start-ups created at EPFL and close to 50% of all patent applications as well.
Our school is one of the finest engineering institutions of higher education in Europe and the World, and 2021 has continued to be a productive year. Several initiatives have been launched or are taking place across EPFL with direct contribution from the faculty members in the School of Engineering.
In collaboration with the Schools of Basic Sciences (SB) and Computer and Communication Sciences (IC), we have launched a new Center on Quantum Science and Engineering. It coalesces strengths from the three schools to tackle some of the most fundamental and promising technologies of the future, with the potential to revolutionize computing paradigms. In another collaboration with IC and the School of Life Sciences (SV), we have also launched the new Institute on NeuroX, which is devoted to advancing the state-of-the art in neuro-technologies for the treatment of neural disorders. The institute blends the fields of basic neuroscience, engineering, and computer science to create effective translational solutions. These efforts complement other recent initiatives related to the creation of the EPFL Center on Intelligent Systems and the EPFL Center for Imaging.
Besides promoting various opportunities of this type to explore important evolving research directions, we are also developing new curricular pathways to train our students in domains related to quantum science and engineering, neurotechnoligies, imaging modalities, and the design of intelligent systems and robotics.
I welcome you to learn more about our programs and these ongoing efforts by browsing through these pages.
Ali H. Sayed, Dean of the School of Engineering
HIGHLIGHTS 2021
EDUCATION
“One of our main missions at EPFL and in the School of Engineering is to educate the next generation of engineers, and prepare them for the challenges they will face in their future life, after the Bachelor, Master or PhD studies. Beyond the acquisition of fundamental science and engineering concepts, including computational thinking, our students develop their ability to contribute to society and industry though exposure to a range of topics including ethics, data security and environmental issues, and are able to experience a multidisciplinary approach, in particular through hands-on or entrepreneurship projects”.
Véronique Michaud, Associate Dean for Education
Articles
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The Swiss Solar Boat is the first solar-powered boat designed entirely by EPFL students. Modeled after a Polynesian canoe, it will compete in the upcoming Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge and, for the first time, have a pilot on bord.
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Originally created in 2011 at EPFL, there are now thousands of Thymio II robots rolling around in Swiss and French schools, as well as private homes. The technology offers a intuitive and fun introduction to programming. Starting today, EPFL will be holding a birthday hackathon in order to come up with new ideas for how Thymio can be used to teach the basic principles of artificial intelligence.
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EPFL students have made a high-performance 3D printer that can print structures measuring just a few microns across.
Key Figures
Number of Students
RESEARCH
“At the School of Engineering more than 100 laboratories and research groups pursue the mission of understanding and improving the world we live in. They lead research in very different fields of science and engineering, with impactful outcomes that are made available to the society. The School of Engineering also promotes partnerships with other world-leading institutions and research laboratories to address the main challenges faced by humanity”.
Pascal Frossard, Associate Dean for Research
Articles
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Common experience tells us that oil and water do not mix. Yet, it turns out that they can mix when oil is dispersed as small droplets in water. This strange behavior has long vexed scientists because there is no explanation for it. A team of EPFL and ICTP scientists have studied this question using novel optical technology and discovered the mechanism by which these two neutral and immiscible compounds can in fact mix together and form emulsions. The answer lies in the electrical charge distribution at the interface.
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EPFL scientists have discovered that an engineered interleukin-10-Fc fusion protein can boost the effectiveness of exhausted T lymphocytes – our body’s immune cells for fighting cancer, by reprograming their metabolism.
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EPFL scientists have developed an injectable gel that can attach to various kinds of soft internal tissues and repair tears resulting from an accident or trauma.
Key Figures
Number of laboratories and research groups
132
INNOVATION
“Technology transfer and innovation are key to EPFL, which is fundamental if we want to have a real impact with what we do. The School of Engineering has been a particularly strong contributor. We have put in place key initiatives to facilitate the collaboration between our researchers, students, and industry partners. A strong focus going forward will be innovation in response to the major societal challenges, including sustainability, the pervasive nature of data, and the role of artificial intelligence”.
Holger Frauenrath, Associate Dean for Industry and Innovation
Articles
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One thousand newly-minted microrobots created in EPFL labs will soon be deployed at two large-scale telescopes in Chile and the United States. These high-precision instruments, capable of positioning optical fibers to within a micron, will vastly increase the quantity of astrophysics data that can be gathered – and expand our understanding of the Universe.
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Engineers at EPFL’s DESL lab, working in association with EPFL spin-off Swisspod, have built a Hyperloop test track on the Lausanne campus. They will use the loop – a large vacuum tube for ultra-high-speed travel – to test a linear induction motor. The research is being funded by an Innosuisse grant.
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A team of EPFL engineers, in association with local businesses and authorities, are testing novel algorithms for the deployment of greener EV fast-charging stations.
Key Figures
FACTS & FIGURES
116 Professors
1412 Employees (FTE)
4 Campuses
