The Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) is delighted to announce the appointment of Frédéric Herman (UNIL) as Chair and Christian Wolfrum (ETH Zurich) as Vice-Chair of the SPI Foundation Board. Their mandates will start on 1 January 2025. Earlier this year, the SPI also welcomed Virginia Richter who succeeded to her predecessor Christian Leumann as a new member representing the University of Bern.
In anticipation of the retirement of the current Foundation Chair, Martin Vetterli (EPFL) at the end of 2024, the SPI Foundation Board has appointed two of its current members, Frédéric Herman and Christian Wolfrum, to the positions of Chair and Vice-Chair, fostering continuity and a smooth transition.
Frédéric Herman is Rector of the University of Lausanne (UNIL). Elected Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences and Environment (FGSE) at UNIL in 2018, he was promoted to full professorship a year later. His research focuses on the interactions between climate, erosion and tectonics. Since 2022, he has served as a member of the SPI Foundation Board and took on the role of Vice-Chair on 1 August 2024, following Christian Leumann’s retirement.
Advancing polar science is vital, linking our planet’s history with the urgent policies we need for a sustainable future.
Frédéric Herman, Chair of SPI Foundation Board
Christian Wolfrum has been full professor at the Institute of Food Nutrition and Health at the ETH Zurich since January 2017. His research aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms associated with obesity and other metabolic disorders. Since 2023, he has been the Vice President for Research, a member of the Executive Board at ETH Zurich, and a member of the SPI Foundation Board.
Member of the SPI Foundation Board since 1 August 2024, Virginia Richter is Rector of the University of Bern and Chair of Modern English Literature. She is also President of the Forum für Universität und Gesellschaft, dedicated to furthering the dialogue between the university and society. Her research encompasses Victorian and modernist literature and culture, literature and science with a focus on Darwinism, as well as gender and postcolonial studies.
The SPI warmly thanks Martin Vetterli and Christian Leumann for their unwavering dedication and precious support, congratulates Frédéric Herman, Christian Wolfrum and Virginia Richter for their newly appointed positions, and looks confidently toward fruitful guidance and continued collaboration in the coming years.