Addressing Environmental and Human Health Risk Research Program
The Addressing Environmental and Human Health Risk Research Program brings together leading expertise across ETH Zurich to develop innovative, scalable solutions for sustainable, resilient, and competitive food systems. By integrating knowledge from food and nutrition sciences, agronomy, agroecology, plant breeding, data science, artificial intelligence, economics, and management, the program aims to accelerate meaningful transformation across the entire food value chain.
The program encourages projects that demonstrate how research at the interface of fundamental and applied science can address environmental and human health challenges. A strong emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary collaboration and engagement with stakeholders, ensuring that research outcomes are scientifically robust and relevant for real‑world application.
The next call for proposals will open in Spring 2027.
For more information, please contact Jeanne Tomaszewski, .
Funded Projects
Towards pesticide-free agricultural production systems
Principal Investigator: Prof. Robert Finger, D-USYS, ETH Zurich
Project Webpage: https://aecp.ethz.ch/research/pestifreeagsys.html
Publications:
Ziehmann, E., Huber, R., Finger, R. 2025. external page Remote-Sensing for Herbicide-Free Agriculture: A Bio-Economic and Policy Appraisal. Journal of Agricultural Economics.
Ziehmann, E., Huber, R., Finger, R. 2025. external page Fernerkundungstechnologien können herbizidfreie Produktionssysteme ökonomisch attraktiver machen und deren Umweltfussabdruck senken. Agrarpolitik-Blog.
Ziehmann, E., Möhring, N., Finger, R. 2024. external page Economics of herbicide-free crop production. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy.
Ziehmann, E., Möhring, N., Finger, R. 2024. external page Ökonomische Implikationen herbizidfreier Weizenproduktion. Agrarpolitik-Blog.
Addressing impacts of the gut microbiome on health risks from food systems factors: Food-Gut Safety
Principal Investigator: Prof. Shana Sturla, D-HEST, ETH Zurich
Project Webpage: https://toxicology.ethz.ch/research/biotransformation-of-xenobiotics-by-the-human-gut-microbiota/metabolism-food-related-compounds.html
Poly-fluorinated (PFAS) chemical contaminants in the food system: Environmental and human health risks mediated by microbial metabolism of agrochemicals and food packaging residues
Principle Investigator: Prof. Nicholas Bokulich, D-HEST, ETH Zurich
Project Webpage: https://toxicology.ethz.ch/research/biotransformation-of-xenobiotics-by-the-human-gut-microbiota/FluxiGut.html
Microalgae: A resilient and dense source of micronutrients
Principal Investigator: Prof. Alexander Mathys, D-HEST, ETH Zurich
Safe and sustainable circular food value chains for healthy people and planet
Principle Investigator: Prof. Catharina Bening, D-MTEC, ETH Zurich
Solid-state fermentation of lupin-based foams to enhance the digestibility
and applicability of lupins
Principle Investigator: Prof. Patrick Rühs, D-HEST, ETH Zurich
World Food System Center Research Programs
The Center's Research Programs support new cross-disciplinary and solution oriented research to address food system challenges. The Center administers these competitive programs in coordination with the Research Commission of the ETH Zurich.