The change will see one physicist taking over from another and the deputy becoming President. The Federal Council’s choice of Dissertori, a 56-year-old from South Tyrol, is a vote for continuity. “I’d like to thank the Federal Council for their confidence and am excited about working to keep ETH Zurich a top global university together with the strong team of the Executive Board, our professors and all members of staff,” says Dissertori. He has served as Professor of Particle Physics since 2001; in 2022, he was named Rector, Deputy President and member of the ETH Zurich Executive Board. 

A top-notch researcher… 

Dissertori’s appointment brings a distinguished scientist to this important office – one whose work made “key contributions to the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Geneva in 2012”, according to the Federal Council’s media release. In addition to contributions to basic research, Dissertori also helped drive the use of detector technologies in medicine, which led to the founding of an ETH spin-off that launched a cost-efficient brain PET scanner. As Rector, he has emphasised working together with the private sector, for example as part of the Learning Factory project in Zug, which will bring ETH students into cooperation with industrial companies. He has also advanced the Student Project House, a place for students to develop entrepreneurial skills and an innovative spirit. 

…and a passionate instructor 

Fostering early-career researchers has always been at the heart of Dissertori’s work. As Rector, he was responsible for teaching and instruction on all levels, including the university’s continuing education courses. In the words of the Federal Council, Dissertori “has signifiantly shaped the strategic direction of academic instruction at ETH Zurich” over the past four years. He launched the PAKETH project, the largest curriculum reform since the introduction of the Bologna system. PAKETH will facilitate the development of degree programmes, create more flexibility and open up new avenues for students to build contacts with companies. Dissertori also developed a comprehensive vision for teaching, strengthened project-based teaching formats and proactively pushed for the strategic integration of AI into the curriculum. 

Proven leadership skills 

Joël Mesot, who will continue serving as ETH Zurich’s President until the end of December, expressed approval of the selection of Dissertori: “I am pleased that my successor is such an experienced figure, someone who has already shown impressive skill in managing scientific and research institutions. As a leader, he’s empathetic, sensitive to a variety of concerns and politically savvy.” 

The President of EPFL, Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, adds: “I’m looking forward to working with Günther. I especially appreciate his collegial spirit, which we’ve already had the chance to experience on a number of occasions. Together, we will keep building on the strong ties between EPFL and ETH Zurich to the benefit of our country.” 

To ensure continuity in the Rector’s office, the process for nominating and selecting Dissertori’s successor will be kicked off immediately. The new Rector will be nominated by professors and voted on by the ETH Board – a process that requires some time. The goal is to ensure that the successor has been named by 1 January 2027.  

Thanking Joël Mesot for his service 

In March 2025, 62-year-old Joël Mesot external page announced that he would not seek a third term of office. Counting his time as Director of the PSI from 2008 to 2018, Mesot will have served 18 years in a leadership role within the ETH Domain and 16 years on the ETH Board. The Federal Council commends the outgoing President of ETH Zurich, who will remain in office until the end of the year, for his dedication to the university and to Switzerland as a hub for research and science: “During his eight-year term in office, Joël Mesot has succeeded in establishing ETH Zurich as one of the world’s leading universities and ensuring that it is rightly regarded as a driving force for innovation in Switzerland.” 

Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board, also expressed his gratitude to Mesot, pointing out that during his time in office, he strengthened not only ETH Zurich as a top university globally but also pushed for knowledge transfer that ultimately bolstered the innovative power of the Swiss economy. “Joël Mesot achieved these successes partly because he always cared deeply about having face-to-face interactions with people, which gave him a wide network built on trust,” says Hengartner. “He was also always personally committed to fostering the dialogue between science and society.”