Five new members admitted to the Swiss Young Academy

Bern, 13 May 2024

Press release

Every two years, an Election Committee consisting of seven members of the Swiss Young Academy is entrusted with the difficult task of selecting the new members. The Committee, whose composition is extremely diverse, prepared the election for the attention of the Members’ Assembly of the Swiss Young Academy. Key requirements for membership – in addition to an outstanding scientific portfolio – include above all motivation and exciting ideas for promoting the dialogue between science, society and politics and working together in an inter- and transdisciplinary manner. Against this backdrop, the Members’ Assembly of the Swiss Young Academy has named the following people as new members:

·        Raffaela Kunz, Law, University of Zürich

·        Clément Meier, Humanities and Social Sciences of Medicine and Health, University of Lausanne

·        Julio Paulos, Anthropology / Urban Studies, ETH Zürich

·        Mohammad Peydayesh, Chemical Engineering, ETH Zürich

·        Eda Elif Tibet, Anthropology, University of Bern

The five-year membership of the new members will begin on 21 June 2024 after a formal event. “We are very much looking forward to working with the new members and are convinced they will complement wonderfully the existing members and projects, bring with them valuable new ideas and dynamics, and also contribute to the existing structures and initiatives,” said the Election Committee.

Through their membership, the 44 members of the Swiss Young Academy are given an opportunity to contribute creatively to the dialogue between science and society. Members implement projects and hold events and activities in an innovative environment with other motivated and talented scientists and scholars from a diverse range of disciplines and universities. “We were particularly impressed by the proposed project ideas due to their strong interdisciplinary focus and the original approaches to communicating with society,” said Sofie Behluli, the speaker of the Swiss Young Academy.

Members can contribute their specific concerns as the young voice of science in various forums in order to further develop the existing science system. In addition, they can benefit from a mentoring programme and other personal support measures to further their careers.