Wood swings to ETH Zurich executive

ETH Zurich has appointed Vanessa Wood, a professor at its Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, as vice-president for knowledge transfer and corporate relations.
Wood was assigned to the role last week, having joined ETH Zurich in 2011. She will continue to perform her academic duties, which specialise in areas such as nanotechnology and batteries.
She is the chairwoman of ETH Zurich’s materials and device engineering group, research from which has led to multiple spinouts, although the university did not identify which companies it was referring to.
Wood earned her PhD in electrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2009, after completing a bachelor’s degree in applied physics at Yale in 2005.
Wood said: “I have always had a keen interest in the interface between research and industry; I am delighted that I can now assist ETH at an institutional level in facilitating the transfer of knowledge to society.”
Her appointment to the executive board is part of an effort to strengthen ETH Zurich’s processes and boost its reputation within global academia.
As part of the strategy, the university has also hired Julia Dannath-Schuh as vice-president for personnel development and leadership.
Dannath-Schuh was previously a partner and shareholder at management consultancy Manres.
Joël Mesot, president of ETH Zurich, said: “Given the rapid pace of technological change, it is crucial that research findings from ETH labs find their way swiftly to industry and society.
“I have no doubt that Vanessa Wood will succeed in enhancing and expanding knowledge transfer at our university.”
– Picture of Vanessa Wood courtesy of ETH Zurich