Jürg Alexander SchiffmannAfter obtaining his diploma in mechanical engineering from EPFL in 1999 he co-founded a start-up company dedicated to the design of gas bearing supported rotors. In 2005 he joined Fischer Engineering Solutions where he led the development of small-scale, gas bearing supported high-speed turbomachinery for fuel cell air supplies and for domestic scale heat pumps. In parallel he worked on his PhD, which he obtained from EPFL in 2008 and for which he was awarded the SwissElectric Research Award. He then joined the Gas Turbine Lab at MIT as a postdoctoral associate where he worked on foil bearings and on the experimental investigation of radial diffusers. In 2013 he was nominated assistant professor at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne where he founds the Laboratory for Applied Mechanical Design. His current research interest are in gas lubricated bearings, in aerodynamics of small-scale compressors and turbines and in automated design and optimization methodologies.
Alfred RuferOriginaire de Diessbach (BE), Alfred Rufer est né en 1951. Il obtient en 1976 le diplôme d'ingénieur électricien de l'EPFL et poursuit son activité dans le même établissement en tant qu'assistant à la chaire d'électronique industrielle. En 1993, il est nommé professeur-assistant au Laboratoire d'électronique industrielle. Au début 1996, il est nommé professeur extraordinaire. En 1978, il débute son activité dans l'industrie de l'électronique de grande puissance à la société ABB, Asea Brown Boveri à Turgi, où il contribue au développement d'entraînements réglés à fréquence variable. Dès 1985, il exerce la fonction d'assistant technique et de chef de groupe. De 1988 à 1991, il poursuit le développement de nouveaux systèmes d'électronique de puissance dans différents domaines d'application. A. Rufer est l'auteur et co-auteur de plusieurs demandes de brevet, ainsi que de plusieurs publications. De 1991 à 1992, il est chef d'un département de développement d'appareils d'électronique de réglage et de commande pour l'électronique de puissance. Durant son activité professionnelle dans l'industrie, il participe activement à l'enseignement technique dans plusieurs écoles d'ingénieurs.
François AvellanLe professeur François Avellan, directeur du Laboratoire de machines hydrauliques de l'EPFL, est Ingénieur hydraulicien diplômé en 1977 de l'Ecole nationale supérieure d'hydraulique, Institut national polytechnique de Grenoble, France. En 1980, il obtient, son titre de docteur ingénieur de l'Université d'Aix-Marseille II, France. Engagé à l'EPFL en 1980 en tant qu'adjoint scientifique, il est depuis 1994 directeur du Laboratoire de machines hydrauliques de l'EPFL et il a été nommé en 2003 professeur ordinaire en machines hydrauliques.
Directeur de 37 thèses de doctorat de l'EPFL, il a été distingué par la Société hydrotechnique de France qui lui a décerné son "Grand Prix 2010 de l'hydrotechnique". Son activité de recherche est centrée sur l'hydrodynamique des turbomachines, pompes et pompes-turbines incluant en particulier les domaines de la cavitation, l'hydroacoustique, les interactions fluide-structure, la conception et l'évaluation des performances des machines hydrauliques et systèmes associés.
De 2002 à 2012, le Professeur Avellan a présidé la section machines hydrauliques et systèmes de l'Association internationale de recherche hydraulique, AIRH. Le Professeur François Avellan a dirigé avec succès plusieurs projets de recherche aussi bien suisses qu'internationaux en partenariat avec les principaux acteurs industriels et exploitants du secteur hydro-électrique, parmi ces projet-on peut citer notamment:
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Coordination du projet de recherche FP7 n° 608532 "HYPERBOLE: HYdropower plants PERformance and flexiBle Operation towards Lean integration of new renewable Energies" (2013-2017);
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Directeur adjoint du pole Suisse de compétence en recherche énergétique – approvisionnement électrique (SCCER-SoE) pour développer une recherche innovante et pérenne dans le domaine des géo-énergies et de l'hydro-électricité pour la phase I (2013-2016) et la Phase II (2017, 2010).
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Projets de recherche EUREKA: N° 4150 et N° 3246, "HYDRODYNA, Harnessing the dynamic behavior of pump-turbines", (2003-2011), N° 1605, "FLINDT, Flow Investigation in Draft Tubes", (1997-2002). N° 2418, "SCAPIN, Stability of Operation of Francis turbines, prediction and modeling";
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Projets de recherche de la Commission pour la technologie et l'innovation, CTI, avec GE Renewable Energy (anc. ALSTOM Hydro), Birr, ANDRITZ Hydro, Kriens, FMV, Sion, Groupe E, Granges-Paccot, Power Vision engineering, Ecublens et SULZER Pompes, Winterthur.
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Domaine des EPF, Projet HYDRONET du Centre de Compétence énergie et mobilité, PSI Villingen.
Enfin, il est impliqué dans l'expertise scientifique et les essais contractuels indépendants des performances des turbines et pompes-turbines des centrales hydro-électriques les plus importantes du monde. En reconnaissance de son activité de responsable du groupe de travail du comité TC4 en charge de la nouvelle édition de la norme CEI 60193, la Commission internationale électrotechnique, CEI, l'a distingué par le "IEC 1906 Award". Dario FloreanoProf. Dario Floreano is director of the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). Since 2010, he is the founding director of the Swiss National Center of Competence in Robotics, a research program that brings together more than 20 labs across Switzerland. Prof. Floreano holds an M.A. in Vision, an M.S. in Neural Computation, and a PhD in Robotics. He has held research positions at Sony Computer Science Laboratory, at Caltech/JPL, and at Harvard University. His main research interests are Robotics and A.I. at the convergence of biology and engineering. Prof. Floreano made pioneering contributions to the fields of evolutionary robotics, aerial robotics, and soft robotics. He served in numerous advisory boards and committees, including the Future and Emerging Technologies division of the European Commission, the World Economic Forum Agenda Council, the International Society of Artificial Life, the International Neural Network Society, and in the editorial committee of several scientific journals. In addition, he helped spinning off two drone companies (senseFly.com and Flyability.com) and a non-for-profit portal on robotics and A.I. (RoboHub.org). Books
Manuale sulle Reti Neurali, il Mulino (in Italian), 1996 (first edition), 2006 (second edition)Evolutionary Robotics, MIT Press, 2000
Bio-Inspired Artificial Intelligence, MIT Press, 2008
Flying Insects and Robots, Springer Verlag, 2010
Christophe BallifChristophe Ballif is director of the Phototovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratoryb) (PV-Lab at the institute of microengineering (IMT) in Neuchâtel (part of the EPFL since 2009). The lab focus is on the science and technology of high efficiency heterojunction crystalline cells,so-called passivating contacts for solar cells, multi-junction solar cells include novel generation Perovskite on innovative optical high speed detector and on various macroelectronics application. It also deals with energy management with a focus on integration of solar electricity into the energy system. The PV-Lab has strongly contributed to technology transfer and industrialization of novel devices and full technology with numerous companies. Christophe Ballif graduated as a physicist from the EPFL in 1994, where he also obtained in 1998 his Phd degree working on novel PV materials. He accomplished his postdoctoral research at NREL (Golden, US) on compound semiconductor solar cells (CIGS and CdTe). He worked then at the Fraunhofer ISE (Ge) on crystalline silicon photovoltaics (monocrystalline and multi-crystalline) until 2003 and then at the EMPA in Thun (CH) before becoming full professor at the University of Neuchâtel IMT in 2004, taking over the chair of Prof. A. Shah. Since 2013, C.Ballif is also the director of the new CSEM PV-Center, also located in Neuchâtel. The CSEM PV-Center is focussing more on industrialisation and technology transfer in the field of solar energy, including solar electricity management and storage. At the core of the CSEM PV-center activities lies several "pilot lines" for various kinds of solar cells manufacturing, with a focus coating technologies, wet chemistry processes for crystalline silicon, metalisation techniques for solar cells, and a platform for developing "ideal packaging solutions and polymers" for PV modules. In addition, joined facitilites between CSEM and EPFL of over 800 m2 are available for modules manufacturing, measuring and accelerated aging. CSEM PV-center has also full team dedicated to storage and energy systems and operates a joined center with BFH in Biel for research on electrochemical storage. He (co-) authored over 500 journal and technical papers, as well as several patents. He is an elected member of the SATW, member of the scientific council of the Swiss AEE, and member of the board of the EPFL Energy center. In 2016, he recieved the Becquerel prize for his contributions to the field of high efficiency photovoltaics.
Anastasios VassilopoulosPERSONAL INFORMATION Name : Anastasios P. Vassilopoulos email : anastasios.vassilopoulos@epfl.ch Tel: 41 21 6936393 Fax: 41 21 6936240 SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS 1995: Dipl. Mechanical Engineer, University of Patras, Greece 2001: Dr Mechanical Engineer, Doctoral thesis in fatigue of composite materials from the Dept. Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras, Greece CURRENT POSITION Senior Scientist (MER), Composite Construction Laboaratory (CCLab), EPFL PREVIOUS POSITIONS 2006-2012 Research and Teaching Associate, Composite Construction Laboaratory (CCLab), EPFL 2002-2006 Assisstant Professor, Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Patras, Greece 2001-2003 Post-doctoral Research associate, (Part-time) Dept. Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics of the University of Patras, Greece. EDUCATION 1990 - 1995 Graduate student, Dept. Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras, Greece October 1994-January 1995 Dept. Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol, U.K. (In the frame of Erasmus project for the final year thesis, under the supervision of Prof. R. D. Adams) 1995 - 2000 Research assistant, Dept. Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras. LANGUAGES English, Greek, French COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES (Member of) Council of the European Society of Composite Materials (ESCM) Council of the European Society of Experimental Mechanics (EuraSEM) The European Structural Integrity Society (ESIS) The European Energy Research Alliance (EERA, JP WIND) The Technical Chamber of Greece (TCG) The Hellenic Association of Mechanical & Electrical Engineers SCIENTIFIC-RESEARCH INTERESTS Experimental methods for the study of the behavior of composite materials under static and fatigue loading Development of analytical methods for the study of the behavior of FRP composite materials under variable amplitude complex stress states Development of fatigue life prediction methodologies for composite materials and structures Design of constructions with composite materials Franz GrafA graduate in architecture of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Franz Graf (°1958) has worked as a freelance architect in Geneva since 1989. A lecturer in architecture and construction at the University of Geneva (1989-2006), he became Full Professor of Technology at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio in 2005 and Associate Professor of Architectural Theory and Design at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in 2007, as head of Laboratory of Techniques and Preservation of Modern Architecture.
His research focuses on knowledge of modern and contemporary systems of construction and techniques of preservation of 20th-century heritage. He has published in major reference works on Perret (2002), Prouvé (2005 and 2018), Mangiarotti (2010 and 2015), Addor (2015), Le Corbusier (2017), etc. In 2014, he publish the reference book on restoration of modern architecture, “Histoire matérielle du bâti et projet de sauvegarde”, PPUR, Lausanne.
Since 2010 he has been President of Docomomo Switzerland and a member of the International Specialist Committee on Technology, and since 2012 member or the “Comité des experts pour la restauration de l’oeuvre” of the Le Corbusier Fondation. From 2008 to 2014, he is co-director of the research project Critical Encyclopaedia for Reuse and Restoration of 20th-century Architecture.
Christian EnzChristian C. Enz (M84, S'12) received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the EPFL in 1984 and 1989 respectively. From 1984 to 1989 he was research assistant at the EPFL, working in the field of micro-power analog IC design. In 1989 he was one of the founders of Smart Silicon Systems S.A. (S3), where he developed several low-noise and low-power ICs, mainly for high energy physics applications. From 1992 to 1997, he was an Assistant Professor at EPFL, working in the field of low-power analog CMOS and BiCMOS IC design and device modeling. From 1997 to 1999, he was Principal Senior Engineer at Conexant (formerly Rockwell Semiconductor Systems), Newport Beach, CA, where he was responsible for the modeling and characterization of MOS transistors for the design of RF CMOS circuits. In 1999, he joined the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) where he launched and lead the RF and Analog IC Design group. In 2000, he was promoted Vice President, heading the Microelectronics Department, which became the Integrated and Wireless Systems Division in 2009. He joined the EPFL as full professor in 2013, where he is currently the director of the Institute of Microengineering (IMT) and head of the Integrated Circuits Laboratory (ICLAB).He is lecturing and supervising undergraduate and graduate students in the field of Analog and RF IC Design at EPFL. His technical interests and expertise are in the field of very low-power analog and RF IC design, semiconductor device modeling, and inexact and error tolerant circuits and systems.He has published more than 200 scientific papers and has contributed to numerous conference presentations and advanced engineering courses. Together with E. Vittoz and F. Krummenacher he is one of the developer of the EKV MOS transistor model and the author of the book "Charge-Based MOS Transistor Modeling - The EKV Model for Low-Power and RF IC Design" (Wiley, 2006). He has been member of several technical program committees, including the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) and European Solid-State Circuits Conference (ESSCIRC). He has served as a vice-chair for the 2000 International Symposium on Low Power Electronics and Design (ISLPED), exhibit chair for the 2000 International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS) and chair of the technical program committee for the 2006 European Solid-State Circuits Conference (ESSCIRC). Since 2012 he has been elected as member of the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society (SSCS) Administrative Commmittee (AdCom). He is also Chair of the IEEE SSCS Chapter of Switzerland.
