Universität Zürich

28/05/2026

A new wave of digital change is underway. Virtually all students now use AI tools. Researchers are exploring how AI can support doctors in intensive care medicine, improve workplace productivity and influence decision-making.

Yet AI systems are never error-free.

🤖 “We need to develop a culture for addressing AI errors,” says UZH informatics professor Abraham Bernstein. Instead of blindly trusting machines, people must learn to assess results critically and challenge decisions when necessary.

🔎 Bernstein chaired the steering committee of the National Research Program Digital Transformation (NRP 77), which is now coming to a close after eight years of research. Between 2018 and 2026, 46 projects at universities and higher education institutions across Switzerland examined how digital transformation is reshaping education, healthcare, work and democracy.

👉 In the full interview Abraham Bernstein reflects on key take-aways: https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/news/2026/digital-transformation.html?mtm_campaign=facebook

📱 One UZH study led by media researcher Mark Eisenegger explored how young adults stay informed in the digital age. Together with researchers from Taiwan State University, the University of Trier and EPFL, the team investigated the role journalism plays in young people’s digital information behavior.

👉 How do young adults stay informed nowadays? https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/news/2026/digital-news-young-adults.html?mtm_campaign=facebook

26/05/2026

A research team of the University of Berne and UZH investigated how a crew lived together during a ten-month overwintering mission in Antarctica. The station is considered a model for future space missions.

The key finding: It is not only isolation that poses a risk to teams, but also constant physical proximity.

Using sensor data, the team found that:

👉 More physical contact did not automatically have a positive effect.
👉 Team members with particularly high levels of contact reported more frequent conflicts, growing mistrust, and lower performance.
👉 Over time, the team also split into linguistic and national subgroups.

💡 These findings are not only crucial for future Mars missions, but for all extreme working environments — from submarines to offshore platforms. Team development and social dynamics must be actively managed from the very beginning.

👇 More in the study: https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/media/2026/teams-in-isolation.html?mtm_campaign=facebook

20/05/2026

Blatten: Kann man Heimat wieder aufbauen? 🏔️ Diese Frage diskutierte Christian Huggel, Umwelt- und Klimaforscher an der UZH, gestern im SRF Club.

💡 Ein Jahr nach dem verheerenden Bergsturz ringt das Walliser Bergdorf Blatten um seine Zukunft. Häuser und Erinnerungen liegen unter Schutt begraben – jetzt beginnt der Wiederaufbau.

👉 Wie geht es den Betroffenen heute? Kann man Heimat wieder aufbauen? Und wie umgehen mit Berggebieten, die zunehmend vom Klimawandel bedroht sind?

Hier zum Nachschauen:

Ein Jahr nach dem verheerenden Bergsturz ringt das Walliser Bergdorf Blatten um seine Zukunft. Häuser und Erinnerungen liegen unter Schutt begraben – jetzt beginnt der Wiederaufbau. Wie geht es den Betroffenen heute? Kann man Heimat wieder aufbauen? Und wie umgehen mit Berggebieten, die zunehmend...

19/05/2026

48 Hours in prison?! 🔒😳

👉 Michel Maréchal and his team from .uzh study how direct, personal experience of incarceration affects the way people think about the justice system. 💭⚖️

19/05/2026

Monasteries are seen as symbols of tradition. Yet this is precisely what makes them surprisingly well-suited to digital transformation today.

📚 Researchers at the University of Zurich have investigated why monasteries remain remarkably adaptable despite their long history. Their findings challenge a common misconception: it is precisely traditional structures that can foster innovation. In many monasteries, decisions are made collectively, responsibility is distributed locally, and new technologies are trialled gradually.

The study analysed 112 monasteries in the DACH region and shows how digital tools are specifically integrated into existing routines. The internet and social media are not adopted uncritically. Many communities consciously set boundaries and create offline periods to protect their spiritual practices.

💡 The key finding: Successful digitalisation requires participation. Those who develop changes together strengthen an organisation’s adaptability in the long term.

👉 More on the study: https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/media/2026/digital-flexibility-in-monasteries.html?mtm_campaign=Facebook

19/05/2026

After 35 years in the USA, the world-famous Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony is moving to Europe for the very first time 🎉

On 3 September 2026, the 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony will take place in Zurich: complete with brilliant ideas and unusual discoveries.

🌟 The ceremony honors achievements that make people laugh, then think. It celebrates science that surprises us, challenges assumptions and sparks curiosity far beyond academia.

🇨🇭 The move to Zurich is made possible through a collaboration between the University of Zurich and institutions of the ETH Domain. Together, we are bringing one of the world’s most unconventional science event to Switzerland.

💡 Or as Swiss Ig Nobel Prize winner and UZH researcher Milo Puhan puts it: “The Ig Nobel Prize makes research visible, and does so with a wink.” His research showed that playing the didgeridoo can reduce snoring and sleep apnea (Yes! Share this with your sleep-deprived friends and family members!).

🎟️ Tickets are available at https://eventfrog.ch/de/p/wissenschaft-und-technik/the-36th-first-annual-ig-nobel-prize-ceremony-7446575553581194400.html

18/05/2026

On Saturday, 1,103 teams – each with 14 runners – conquered the legendary 113 km SOLA relay race in and around Zurich. For the over 15,500 participants, the focus of this special event was on team spirit, fun and the shared experience. 💙 Swipe for some impressions of this year’s SOLA! 💪🏃‍➡️

A big thank you to ASVZ for organizing! 👏🥳

📸: ASVZ/Jan Sobotkiewicz

14/05/2026

Treating inherited epilepsy may one day mean fixing the genetic error behind it.

🧠 For the first time, a UZH research team has successfully treated mice carrying an inherited form of epilepsy by correcting faulty DNA directly in brain cells.

🧬 The team used prime editing, a precise gene editing method based on CRISPR/Cas. Unlike conventional gene therapy, this approach does not add an extra copy of a gene. It repairs the faulty sequence itself, while preserving the body’s natural gene regulation.

🐁 In the mouse model, the treatment improved nerve cell communication, reduced fever-induced seizures and markedly increased survival.

👉 Read more about how this approach could pave the way for future therapies: https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/media/2026/gene-editing-epilepsy.html?mtm_campaign=Facebook

12/05/2026

Wissenschaft stärkt nicht nur Innovation, sondern auch die Demokratie: Der Dies academicus der UZH zeigte, welche Rolle Hochschulen heute spielen.

💬 Zum 193. Geburtstag der Universität Zürich betonte Regierungsrätin Silvia Steiner die Bedeutung der Wissenschaft für Gesellschaft und Demokratie. Gerade in Zeiten von Desinformation brauche es Hochschulen als Orte, die Orientierung bieten und öffentliche Debatten faktenbasiert stärken.

🏛️ Gleichzeitig zeigte die Feier, wie eng Forschung, Innovation und Gesellschaft verbunden sind. Mit jährlich über 800 Millionen Franken Unterstützung investiert der Kanton Zürich gezielt in Bildung, Forschung und neue Infrastruktur wie das FORUM UZH. Dort soll künftig ein offener Begegnungsort zwischen Universität und Öffentlichkeit entstehen.

🚀 Die UZH sei dabei nicht nur Wissensspeicher, sondern auch Innovationsmotor: Über 80 Prozent der UZH-Startups bleiben in Zürich. Neue Ideen entstehen dort, wo verschiedene Disziplinen zusammenkommen, etwa im Space Hub Dübendorf oder in der Universitären Medizin Zürich.

🤖 Besonders aufmerksam verfolgt wurde auch der Auftritt des «PresAIdenten»: Der KI-Zwilling von Rektor Michael Schaepman sorgte für Unterhaltung, machte aber auch deutlich, wie aktiv sich die UZH mit Chancen und Risiken künstlicher Intelligenz auseinandersetzt.

👉 Den vollständigen Rückblick auf den Dies academicus gibt es hier: https://www.news.uzh.ch/de/articles/news/2026/dies-academicus-2026.html?mtm_campaign=Facebook

08/05/2026

🏆 As part of its annual Dies academicus celebrations, UZH has awarded seven honorary doctorates to exceptional individuals who have distinguished themselves through their research or lifetime achievements.

Congratulations to all honorees! 👏

🔹 Faculty of Theology and the Study of Religion: Klaus Merz
In his work, the Swiss author explores existential, religious and spiritual themes using striking language and subtle nuance.

🔹 Faculty of Law: Prof. em. Dr. iur. Ingeborg Schwenzer
The professor emerita of law has worked across cultural boundaries on societal issues in family law, contract law and international sales law.

🔹 Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics: Prof. Phanish Puranam
The professor at INSEAD Business School was honored for his foundational work at the intersection of organization design and competitive advantage.

🔹 Faculty of Medicine: Prof. Yap-Seng CHONG
The Dean of the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine was honored for his strong commitment to developing modern medical curricula and for his contribution to transitioning from a disease-centered model to an approach that optimizes health and well-being.

🔹 Vetsuisse Faculty: Prof. Dr. John Bonagura of North Carolina State University. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in recognition of his scientific and clinical contributions to veterinary cardiology, as well as his role in educating and training future veterinarians.

🔹 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences: Svetlana Alexievich
The Belarusian Nobel Prize-winning author's research trips in her home country were long considered taboo. As one of Eastern Europe’s leading intellectuals, she promotes critical engagement with the history of Soviet dictatorships.

🔹Faculty of Science: Prof. em. Dr. Catherine Housecroft
The former professor at the University of Basel was honored for her scientific contributions to coordination and materials chemistry, as well as her work supporting early-career researchers and advancing chemistry in Switzerland.

🎬 Each honoree was introduced in a short video that is also accessible through the university’s website: https://www.uzh.ch/de/explore/portrait/dies/2026.html

More about the Dies academicus and other prizes awarded: https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/media/2026/Dies.html