Tanja Zimmermann inducted into Academia Europaea

With this appointment, the Academia Europaea recognizes the outstanding scientific achievements of Tanja Zimmermann in the field of sustainable materials and environmental technologies. Her research contributes significantly to the development of innovative solutions for a circular and climate-friendly future.

Tanja Zimmermann has been Director of Empa since June 2022 and is Professor for Materials Science at ETH Zürich and EPF Lausanne. She received her PhD from the University of Hamburg in 2007. Tanja Zimmermann built up the cellulose and nanocomposites research topic at Empa as group leader and later on as head of the laboratory "Applied Wood Materials". She became a member of the Directorate of Empa in 2017, leading the department "Functional Materials" as well as the research focus area "Sustainable Construction", dealing with different materials such as concrete and asphalt, wood, ceramics, advanced polymer fibers and energy materials and components. She is deeply invested in topics related to circular economy, resource efficiency and strategies to achieve net zero. Tanja Zimmermann is a member of various national and international committees, scientific advisory boards and research commissions.

Tanja Zimmermann regards the election as new member as a recognition for applied research in Switzerland: "I am delighted to receive this honor and view it as an acknowledgement of the contribution that research can make to solving global challenges."