Portrait

Eawag is part of the ETH Domain, which comprises the two Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne and the four research institutions PSI, Empa, WSL and Eawag. The headquarters of Eawag are located in Dübendorf, Zurich. The joint library of the research institutions of the ETH Domain (Lib4RI), the Ecotox Centre and a child care centre are also located there. Eawag also manages the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry (CEEB) in Kastanienbaum, which is not far from Lucerne and directly on Lake Lucerne.

With its research infrastructure, Eawag provides an excellent environment for research in aquatic science and technology. Eawag’s research departments are dedicated to three areas:

• Water for Human Welfare
  with a focus on Drinking Water and Wastewater
• Water for Ecosystem Function
  with a focus on Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Pollutants
• Strategies for making trade-offs and resolving competing demands
  with a focus on Water and Development, Inputs for societal Decision-Making and Energy

Researching with curiosity and sharing new knowledge

At Eawag, researchers from the natural, engineering and social sciences work closely together. Because technology can only provide a start when it comes to solving a problem – it is political and social processes that establish a solution in the long-term. The researchers are supported by the technical and administrative staff of the Support Departments, which enable them to successfully implement their projects.

Eawag also works with a broad network of partners and benefits from the mutual exchange of know-how and the joint development of practical applications as solutions. Eawag passes on its research findings by consulting, knowledge and technology transfer, the PEAK courses, the Info Day and publications to experts from business, industry and management, and to engineering and environmental consultants. This enables them to keep their knowledge up-to-date.

Investing in the next generation

Academic education plays an important role at Eawag. Through joint professorships and lecturers at the ETH Zurich and EPFL, at national and international universities and at universities of applied sciences, Eawag researchers can develop contact with emerging researchers and promote the exchange of knowledge. Students fully participate in research projects and doctoral students find excellent conditions for their dissertation. ” Through the “Eawag Partnership Programme for Developing Countries,” students from low- and middle-income countries are given the opportunity to conduct research at Eawag and can bring their acquired know-how to their home countries.

Apprenticeships are also important to Eawag. It, therefore, offers several apprenticeships for vocational trainees each year. Specialists supervise and support the apprentices in acquiring technical, methodological, social and personal skills.

Closely networked nationally and internationally

Eawag places special importance on international cooperation and the composition of its staff. Almost half of its employees come from abroad. Eawag researchers also participate in numerous national and international committees – as members of scientific societies, of advisory boards of renowned research institutes or in cross-border commissions.

Cover picture: Eawag researchers Giulia Gionchetta and Robert Niederdorfer are preparing samples to study the spread of antibiotic resistance in sludge microbiome through real time sequencing. (Photo: Christian Dinkel, Eawag)