News

Gaps in data and difficult‑to‑compare datasets limit what climate and weather AI models can reliably predict. Researchers from the ETH Domain have now introduced an AI model that helps close these gaps, reconstructs satellite images, and sheds light on how weather, land and water interact. 

Clarissa Siegfried, Noa Kurz, and Marie Goodall bring complementary expertise across the full food value chain, covering farm-level interventions, market development, and consumer behavior, as the project enters its first phase of empirical work. 

Zinc from industry and fossil fuel combustion reaches even the most remote oceans, as researchers at ETH Zurich have shown. There, it now exceeds natural inputs, potentially disturbing the balance of marine ecosystems. 

The reintroduction of extinct animals such as beavers or the restoration of wilderness: nature conservation is often imposed without involving the local population. Ecosystem researcher Jaboury Ghazoul writes that we must incorporate concepts of fairness and justice into landscape management to ensure the success of restoration projects. 

We are excited to share with you our Annual Report 2025, presenting an overview of our research, education, and outreach and dialogue activities dedicated to transforming food systems. 

ETH Zurich Master's students engaged with FAO experts in Rome to explore how gender equality and youth empowerment shape food and nutrition security. The three-day workshop, organized by the World Food System Center, combined expert inputs, hands-on discussions, and case-based learning; connecting students directly with the UN organizations driving global agrifood systems transformation.

The World Food System Center's second Dialogue Series event of 2026 brought together researchers, students, and practitioners at ETH Zurich to examine PFAS and what their presence in Swiss soils, waterways, and food means for our health.

In 16 disciplines, the university ranks among the 10 best in the world. In addition to Earth Sciences, it also achieves an outstanding ranking in Architecture, Civil and Structural Engineering, and Environmental Sciences. These are the latest results of the QS World University Rankings according to subject.

Whether a plant can draw water from the soil depends on the soil’s physical properties, not the plant itself. This explains why previous programmes aimed at cultivating drought-resistant plants have never been successful.