News

Phillip Huwiler began his PhD at EPFL's School of Engineering on 15 April. Here, he reflects on the challenges he faced in making the move from the United States to Switzerland.

The Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology has announced the appointment of five professors at EPFL including 2 from the School of Engineering.

EPFL scientists have developed a new computational approach to create artificial proteins, which showed promising results in vivo as functional vaccines. This approach opens the possibility to engineer safer and more effective vaccines.

LiDAR is a technique used for measuring distances with laser light. In a study published in Nature, researchers at EPFL show a new way to speed up a type of LiDAR engine by using photonic circuits.

Researchers at EPFL’s Nanoelectronic Devices Laboratory (Nanolab), working under Professor Adrian Ionescu, have designed and demonstrated a new type of technology based on 2D semiconducting materials that’s almost as energy-efficient as the human brain.

EPFL’s new Center for Intelligent Systems (CIS) will act as a research promotion platform for bringing together experts in machine learning, data science, computer vision, cyberphysical systems, and robotics.

The University of Aalto in Finland granded this prestigious title to the former EPFL professor

EPFL scientists have developed a gel that can locally reinforce bones weakened by osteoporosis. The startup they created, called Flowbone, has just made it through the second round of the Venture Kick competition.

EPFL opens a position as tenure-track assistant professor for the Chair on Sustainable Materials

Sylvie Roke from the EPFL School of Engineering, has been awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept (PoC) Grant.

While backcountry ski racers are disappointed that they won’t be starting the Patrouille des Glaciers, one disabled skier is happily strapping on the climbing skins once again. The designers of TWIICE adapted their exoskeleton so that it can be used to skin up mountains.

Using integrated photonic chips fabricated at EPFL, scientists have demonstrated laser-based microwave generators. These microwave signals, as well as their optical carriers, could be used in radars, satellite communications and future 5G wireless networks.

EPFL scientists, working in association with Canon, have developed a camera that can take 3D images with record-breaking speed and resolution

The Werner Siemens Foundation has given a major grant to the Supramolecular Nano-Materials and Interfaces Laboratory (SuNMIL), headed by Francesco Stellacci, within EPFL’s School of Engineering. His team, which is working on a compound that can block viral activity, hopes to make progress in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.

Scientists at EPFL have developed an artificial protein that can keep the CRISPR genome-editing tool on its tracks. The research appears in a paper in the journal Nature Chemical Biology

EPFL researchers have developed an artificial intelligence-based system that can listen to your cough and indicate whether you have COVID-19.

EPFL spin-off Annaida is developing a magnetic resonance system that can detect the chemistry inside the tiniest living organisms. The technology’s initial application will be in the field of fertility treatment, where it will be used to assess the viability of embryos before implantation. The company has just raised one million Swiss francs to validate safety and efficacy of its technology.

EPFL researchers have been working for weeks to help fight the pandemic and mitigate its short- and long-term consequences. Studies are already under way on methods to stem the spread of the virus, diagnose the disease and discover a vaccine. EPFL researchers are also part of an EU initiative called PEPP-PT to develop an app that can identify people who have been in contact with a coronavirus carrier. Hackathons are yet another element of our School’s effort to combat COVID-19.

EPFL students teamed up with startup IcosaMed to develop the SmartBra – the first piece of smart clothing that can be used for cancer prevention.

Due to the Covid 19 situation, the Engineering PhD Summit, which should have taken place in the fall, is postponed to 2021.

EPFL researchers have developed a device that can zoom in on previously invisible cells at the back of the eye. The technology could be extremely useful for ophthalmologists, in particular for detecting age-related macular degeneration early and assessing new treatment options.

Francesco Stellacci, a professor in EPFL’s School of Engineering, discusses his research in the field of nanomedicine and how it could help us get past the coronavirus crisis.

Researchers at EPFL School of Engineering have developed a nanodevice that operates more than 10 times faster than today’s fastest transistors, and about 100 times faster than the transistors you have on your computers. This new device enables the generation of high-power terahertz waves. These waves, which are notoriously difficult to produce, are useful in a rich variety of applications ranging from imaging and sensing to high-speed wireless communications. The high-power picosecond operation of these device also hold immense promise to some advanced medical treatment techniques such as cancer therapy. The team’s pioneering compact source, described today in Nature, paves the way for untold new applications.

Following the restrictions due to the Covid-19, the School of Engineering (STI) has decided to cancel the “E3 Program – EPFL Excellence in Engineering”. This year, the program should have welcomed 46 foreign students during the summer season in 33 of the school’s laboratories. 

The Tech4Dev program connects EPFL researchers with NGOs in order to develop technologies able to address specific needs in the global South and withstand local conditions. Four projects have been awarded grants following the first call for proposals.

New medical technologies hold immense promise for treating a range of conditions. Despite the pace of innovation in the medtech field, however, most discoveries never make it out of the laboratory. New research from EPFL could fast-track the route to clinical translation.

The fifth annual My Thesis in 180 Seconds competition was held behind closed doors last night because of the coronavirus. Out of a high-caliber field, two PhD students from the same laboratory took first and second place and will now go on to the national final.

The fifth annual My Thesis in 180 Seconds competition was held behind closed doors last night because of the coronavirus. Out of a high-caliber field, two PhD students from the same laboratory took first and second place and will now go on to the national final.

EPFL scientists have developed powerful tools to unmask the diversity of amyloid fibrils, which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. The scientists made the breakthrough by developing gold nanoparticles that combine with cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, to provide rapid and unprecedented images of fibrils.

EPFL has decided that classes with at least 150 students will be given online starting this Wednesday, 11 March 2020. This measure is part of our effort to protect people at especially high risk. Below you will find all necessary informations for teaching staff and students.

EPFL has decided that classes with at least 150 students will be given online starting this Wednesday, 11 March 2020. This measure is part of our effort to protect people at especially high risk. Below you will find all necessary informations for teaching staff and students.

What do you get when you place a thin film of perovkite material used in solar cells on top of a magnetic substrate? More efficient hard drive technology. EPFL physicist László Forró and his team pave the way for the future of data storage.

The Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology has announced the appointement of several professors at EPFL School of Engineering.

Researchers at EPFL School of Engineering have developed a novel way to increase fuel-cell efficiency and lifespan, using a recirculation fan driven by a steam turbine that runs on steam-lubricated bearings.

Researchers at EPFL have developed a novel way to increase fuel-cell efficiency and lifespan, using a recirculation fan driven by a steam turbine that runs on steam-lubricated bearings.

EPFL scientists have developed a new type of microscope slide that can boost the amount of light in fluorescence microscopy by a factor of up to 25. These new slides can both amplify and direct light, making them ideal for applications ranging from early-stage diagnosis to the rapid archiving of pathology samples.

EPFL scientists have developed a new type of microscope slide that can boost the amount of light in fluorescence microscopy by a factor of up to 25. These new slides can both amplify and direct light, making them ideal for applications ranging from early-stage diagnosis to the rapid archiving of pathology samples.

An experiment by EPFL researchers has confirmed a theory that has been used in mechanics for over half a century – despite never having been fully validated. The team could now use the theory in bolder and more innovative ways in their quest to develop ever better energy systems.

Professor Selman Sakar and professor Andras Kis from the EPFL School of Engineering, have been awarded prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept (PoC) Grants.

Researchers at EPFL have developed a new, high-precision method for 3D-printing small, soft objects. The process, which takes less than 30 seconds from start to finish, has potential applications in a wide range of fields, including 3D bioprinting.

The only therapeutic cancer vaccine available on the market has so far showed very limited efficacy in clinical trials. EPFL researchers are currently working on an alternative. They have developed a platform that allows a cancer vaccine to be delivered to a precise location and stimulate the immune system in a safe way – thereby overcoming one of the two obstacles to creating an effective vaccine.

Researchers at EPFL and MARVEL have developed a novel formulation that describes how heat spreads within crystalline materials. This can explain why and under which conditions heat propagation becomes fluid-like rather than diffusive. Their equations will make it easier to design next-generation electronic devices at the nanoscale, in which these phenomena can become prevalent.

EPFL and its electric single-seater racing car will take part in Formula Student motor racing competitions in Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany this summer.

CAR T-cell therapy is a highly promising treatment strategy for tumors, but is associated with life-threatening side effects. Researchers at EPFL, UNIL and CHUV have developed a new way to “switch off” the therapy when a cancer patient’s life is in danger, paving the way for safer immunotherapy approaches to target solid tumors.

First successful edition of a joint Masters course between STI and CDM to expose students to entrepreneurial challenges by designing a product to be marketed.

First successful edition of a joint Masters course between STI and CDM to expose students to entrepreneurial challenges by designing a product to be marketed.

Researchers at EPFL have developed a material that combines transparent properties with the moiré effect to produce images. The technology could have interesting decorative and anti-forgery applications.

New antiviral materials made from sugar have been developed by researchers from the University of Manchester, the University of Geneva and the EPFL in Lausanne. They can destroy viruses on contact and may help in the fight against viral outbreaks. Although at an early stage of development, the broad-spectrum activity of this compound could also be effective against new emerging viruses such as the recent coronavirus currently of concern in China.

EPFL researchers have developed a highly sensitive and portable optical biosensor that stands to accelerate the diagnosis of fatal conditions like sepsis. It could be used by ambulances and hospitals to improve the triage process and save lives.

EPFL startup hiLyte has developed an eco-friendly battery that will allow people in Sub-Saharan Africa to light their homes and charge their cell phones. The technology is currently being tested by families in Tanzania.