News
Swiss Young Academy SYA
News
New Sounding Board members appointed
The Swiss Young Academy (SYA) has established a sounding board as a new advisory body to specifically strengthen the evaluation and implementation of its members' joint projects. The election of the first four Sounding Board members by the Board of Directors of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences represents another important step in the further development of the Young Academy, five years after its foundation.
Swiss Young Academy SYA
Blog
Clara Zemp doesn’t just want to produce knowledge
She looks for change in her research: Clara Zemp is Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Neuchâtel – and seeks dialogue across disciplines. At the Swiss Young Academy, she finds space to rethink science and reflect on her social role as a scientist.
Swiss Young Academy SYA
News
New Executive Board members and speaker elected
The members of the Swiss Young Academy elected their new Executive Board for 2025/26. Nawal Kinany was appointed as the new speaker, Sabrina Heike Kessler will serve as the vice-speaker. In their one-year term of office, they intend to further strengthen the Swiss Young Academy as a vibrant platform that advocates for and amplifies the perspectives of early and mid-career researchers throughout Switzerland.
Publications
Swiss Young Academy SYA
On Science for Policy and Diplomacy Education in Switzerland and Beyond: A Brief Overview
Some of the most pressing challenges worldwide, from global pandemics to the climate and environmental crisis, require efforts at the interface of science, policy, and diplomacy. To this end, skills development for scientists engaged with science for policy and diplomacy is increasingly important, yet relevant educational offers in Switzerland and worldwide remain limited. The Swiss Young Network for Science Policy and Diplomacy, in collaboration with the Geneva Science-Policy Interface and the Franxini Project of Reatch, considered educational offers in science for policy and diplomacy available for early-career academics, including courses, workshops, and webinars in Switzerland, across Europe, and beyond.
Swiss Young Academy SYA
Podcast "Spark - Stories from Advocates for Global Change"
Spark offers young listeners (ages 16–23) an accessible entry point into the world of transdisciplinary research, showcasing how collaboration across different fields of study is essential to solving complex real-world problems. Through engaging storytelling, the podcast highlights how careers in science can take many shapes, offering insights into the diverse paths within this field. By connecting young listeners with the stories behind the research, Spark aims to foster public engagement with science, encourage deeper connections between established experts and young audiences, and inspire greater involvement in global issues.
Swiss Young Academy SYA
Countering online misinformation and conspiracy theories - Recommendations from scholars and practitioners in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
Misinformation, half-truths, and conspiracy theories can cause considerable harm to society. Therefore, it is crucial to take effective measures to counter their spread. Researchers from the Swiss Young Academy (SYA) and the University of Zurich have decided to tackle this challenge head-on. In a three-wave Delphi study scholars and practitioners from 13 countries were asked to identify current challenges in responding to online misinformation and conspiracy theories, to predict developments in this area, and to use these findings to develop targeted measures that respond to the challenges. The recommendations presented in this flyer are specifically aimed at the DACH region and are intended to support decision-makers in politics, technology platforms, journalism, academia, and other fields.
