Congratulations
The awards, grants and appointments received by our researchers are testament to the relevance and impact of our work for science and society – and to the broad range of topics we pursue. They span the full range of our academic work, from outstanding Master's theses to major international collaborative projects.
Congratulations to our researchers!
The list is not exhaustive and was started in 2026.
Are you missing an entry on the list? Report it to us via email.
2026
Hoda Allahbakhshi, ESS, has been awarded the UZH Innovation Grant.
Andreas Vieli, 3G, was presented with the UZH Mentoring Award 2027 in recognition of his outstanding mentorship and supervisory excellence.
Guido Wiesenberg, 2B, was appointed Adjunct Professor at the University of Zurich.
Kathrin Habegger, H2K & 3G, received the UZH Semester Award, Spring Semester 2026 for her MSc Thesis Linking Landforms to Water Signatures: Hydrological and Hydrochemical Variability in Two Alpine Catchments
Sara Fabrikant, GIVA, was appointed member of the Board of Trustees of the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam (Germany).
Qi Ying, GIVA, received the COSIT2026 Best Short Paper Award for her PhD research Habitual use of navigation systems impairs spatial learning depending on navigation strategy
Two Master's theses were honored with UZH Semester Awards, Fall Semester 2025.
Ella Schubiger, RSS: Remote Sensing of Mental Health: The Burden of Heat Exposure in Switzerland. An Interdisciplinary Study Combining Earth Observation and Epidemiology
Mirjam Steiger, PGG: Everyday Tourism Encounters in Bocas del Toro – Understanding Afro-Antillean Experiences with Global North Tourism in Panama
Two Master's theses were awarded the prize by the Swiss Society for Applied Geography for their strong practical orientation, innovation and great relevance for action.
Claude Widmer, GIVA & GCO: A Computer Vision Framework for Automated Evaluation of School Route Safety in Zurich
Sebastian Quinten, GIVA: Emotional Impact of Façade Colors and Materials: A Virtual Reality Study in Rural Switzerland
Jon Guler, GIVA, won the Esri Young Scholar Award 2026 for his Master's thesis MyPlaces – An Adaptive Mobile Map Application
Adrien Wehrlé, 3G, received the Prix de Quervain from the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) for his PhD thesis Dynamic Responses of Fast Outlet Glaciers to Short-Term Forcings in Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland)
Oliver Selmoni, SG, was awarded the Living Planet Fellowship from the European Space Agency for the project genEOcean which leverages Earth Observations to monitor genetic diversity in the oceans.
Nitin Bathla, SNS, won the Urban Studies Best Article Prize 2025 for his paper Authoritarian urbanism beyond the city: Infrastructure-led extended urbanisation and India’s more-than-neoliberal configurations.
The ALANart project was awarded the 2026 Optimus Agora Prize by the Swiss National Science Foundation. ALAN stands for artificial light at night, and the project brings to life the impact of artificial lighting at night on ecosystems. Janine Bolliger from WSL is in the lead, and Norman Backhaus and Nitin Bathla, SNS, are part of the team.
Maria J. Santos, ESS, and Andreas Hueni, RSS, were part of NASA's first biodiversity-focused project BioSCape. In recognition of the exceptional collaboration to measure, map and understand the unique biodiversity of the Greater Cape Floristic Region in South Africa, the BioSCape team was awarded the prestigious NASA Group Achievement Award.