Researcher stories

Please provide a brief description of your research.

My research is interdisciplinary, loosely situated in applied linguistics, social psychology, cultural psychology, personality psychology, positive psychology and psychotherapy. It focuses broadly on the effects of individual differences on multilingual language learning and use, with a focus on personality and emotion.

How does your research demonstrate societal impact?

My research with Beverley Costa showed that therapists around the world are often unaware of the complex relationships between language, emotion and identity among their multilingual and multicultural clients, and how it may affect communication. We raised awareness about code-switching in psychotherapy, integrating modules on this topic into their curriculum.

What does being named a Highly Cited Researcher mean to you?

It is flattering and pleasing to have one’s work recognized. It means that all that work and engagement over the years has paid off somehow. It was also incredible fun to investigate all these complex issues and to extract practical implications for psychotherapy and foreign language education.

Please provide a brief description of your research.

I investigate the role of land processes in the climate system, in particular soil moisture and vegetation dynamics, as well as how they affect climate extreme events such as heatwaves or droughts. I also investigate past and projected changes in climate extremes in the context of human-induced climate change, including extreme event attribution, the validation of processes in climate models with ground observations and satellite data, and the role of extreme events in affecting projected emissions scenarios.

How does your research demonstrate societal impact?

My research addresses environmental processes related to vegetation and ecosystems and their role in the context of human-induced climate change. I also investigate how human-induced climate change affect changes in climate extremes and associated environmental impacts. Finally, some of my research addresses the role of land use and land cover change for the climate system, e.g. through changes in agricultural management or forest cover.

What does being named a Highly Cited Researcher mean to you?

It is of course a great honor to be on the Highly Cited Researcher list and to see that many publications of our research group have been impactful. It is important to state that I have done the highlighted research with my group members and many colleagues. This nomination is also a recognition of this collective work, in particular the contributions of my fantastic group members over all the past years.

You’ve been named a Highly Cited Researcher every year since 2014 — what do you think sustains your research impact over time?

On a personal level. I just love doing research and always want to address new research questions. My high motivation and curiosity always drives me to investigate new research areas, and I find it essential to try and provide research of relevance for society. I was also fortunate to work with many talented young researchers since I established my research group in 2007. Finally, I have excellent research conditions at ETH Zurich, both institutionally as well as resource-wise. This has also been a continued support for my research.

Please provide a brief description of your research.

My work focuses on how we can manage the global land resources to benefit nature, the climate, the food system, the wider environment and society. I use data and ecosystem modeling to inform my work, and collaborate widely across disciplines, since the global challenges facing the world today cannot be solved by working in our disciplinary silos.

How does your research demonstrate societal impact?

I am, of course, interested in conducting the most rigorous science possible, but what really gets me out of bed in the morning is doing science that helps us live more healthily and sustainably in the face of multiple global challenges. For this reason, I have applied scientific understanding to help develop decision support tools that allow land managers and policy makers to make the best decisions to sustainably manage our precious global land resource. Efficient management also improves efficiency, reduces waste, and leads to economic benefits. We need to show that saving the planet does not come at the cost of the earth.

What does being named a Highly Cited Researcher mean to you?

Being named a Highly Cited Researcher each year since 2014, and in both Environment and Ecology and in Agricultural sciences each year since 2020, shows me that my work is being used widely by fellow researchers. This is great news, since scientific progress is built upon the work of others who came before you. I have cited many researchers who have influenced me and helped me to do better research. In turn, being highly cited assures me that the work I am doing is proving useful to others.

You’ve been named a Highly Cited Researcher every year since 2014 — what do you think sustains your research impact over time?

In addition to trying to publish my own papers in widely cited journals, I work with brilliant people all over the world who are generous enough to involve me in their work. I owe a lot of my impact to these collaborators.

Please provide a brief description of your research.

I work on developing new materials and devices for energy conversion, photon sensing, and carbon management. This includes new high-efficiency solar cells; quantum dot-based light sensors; and electrocatalytic systems for hydrocarbon transformations, for CO2 upgrade, and for CO2 capture.

How does your research demonstrate societal impact?

We have commercialized our work, both in light sensing and in photovoltaics. We also work with corporations, via sponsored research, on addressing basic scientific questions, and on studying practical devices and systems and their reliability and scale. We also seek to communicate with policymakers, and with the broader public, about why science and engineering research, and its translations, are important priorities in a just and progressive society.

What does being named a Highly Cited Researcher mean to you?

First and foremost, being named a Highly Cited Researcher is a celebration of the impact of our group’s graduate students and post-doctoral alumni. For example, we held a recent Asia-Pacific alumni reunion in Singapore! I am enormously proud of the work of our current and past group members, who are contributing – in academia, government labs, and companies large and small – in energy, sustainability and deep tech.

Please provide a brief description of your research.

My research is mainly focused on epidemiology and prevention of stroke to inform policy makers on priorities, needs for healthcare planning, resource allocation and the evidence-based strategies on the individual and population levels to reduce stroke burden.

How does your research demonstrate societal impact?

My research has had major societal impact by providing robust, evidence-based data on stroke epidemiology and prevention that directly informs national and global health policies. My work has guided governments and international organizations in prioritizing stroke prevention, raising stroke awareness, optimizing healthcare planning, and allocating resources effectively. By translating scientific evidence into actionable policy recommendations and proven effective digital tools for stroke prevention (e.g., free to use Stroke Riskometer app translated into 30 languages for community people and PreventS-MD for health professionals), my research has helped to strengthen political and institutional capacity to reduce the global burden of stroke and related neurological disorders.

What does being named a Highly Cited Researcher mean to you?

Being named a Highly Cited Researcher is an honor for me, as it reflects the exceptional influence and impact of our team’s research on stroke epidemiology and prevention. It demonstrates that our findings are widely recognized, used, and valued by scientists, clinicians, and policymakers around the world.

Please provide a brief description of your research.

My research is about supply chain resilience, viability and digital twins. In particular, I am interested in cross-industry network effects and cyber-physical supply ecosystems.

How does your research demonstrate societal impact?

My research on developing supply ecosystem viability has a strong societal impact showing that supply chain resilience is not just a business concern, but it is crucial for society survivability.

What does being named a Highly Cited Researcher mean to you?

Being on the distinguished list of Highly Cited Researchers means a lot to me and underlines once more the importance and the recognition of the impact and knowledge transfer of cutting edge research results into practice.

Please provide a brief description of your research.

My research focuses on climate change mitigation and net-zero solutions, specifically examining the interactions between human activities and climate change. This includes developing accurate, multi-scale methods for GHG emissions accounting and assessing the impacts of climate change on human health and economic systems. Additionally, my work provides insights into strategies for achieving sustainable, equitable net-zero transitions in urban environments.

How does your research demonstrate societal impact?

My research demonstrates significant societal impact, particularly in the area of human capital, by providing essential knowledge, tools and open-access data that empower governments and individuals to address climate change effectively and equitably. Through advancements in accurate and multi-scale, multi-sectoral GHG emissions accounting and by revealing inequalities, my work not only enhances educational programs and professional training but also raises public awareness of the urgent need for climate action.

What does being named a Highly Cited Researcher mean to you?

The designation of Highly Cited Researcher not only underscores the influence of my research within the academic community but also enhances my ability to engage with local governments, environmental agencies, and policymakers who rely on robust data to implement meaningful climate action. This visibility creates new opportunities for impactful collaborations.

Please provide a brief description of your research.

My research is driven by a deep desire to fight energy and climate injustice. These injustices pose a triple inequity – some groups are more affected by the physical impacts of climate change, by climate interventions and solutions, and by how loud their voices are heard or ignored in policymaking and planning discussions. I explore the behavioral changes, policies, innovations and other forms of action that can address climate change in more equitable ways.

How does your research demonstrate societal impact?

Achieving research with impact requires four things. Designing research from the start to address some sort of compelling social challenge or policy problem. Ensuring the results are robust, data-driven and rigorous. Translating those results explicitly into policy recommendations and implications in our academic papers. And translating our academic papers into policy briefs, press releases, blogs and stories that help people understand what our research means.

What does being named a Highly Cited Researcher mean to you?

It symbolizes the immense value that the social sciences and humanities research have in the domain of climate change and energy studies, often dominated by the natural sciences. It also signifies the value of the outstanding 318 colleagues across 40 nations I have worked with in my career. Moreover, it recognizes the dedicated commitment of my own personal mentors Brent Brossmann, George Ziegelmueller and Richard Hirsh.

Please provide a brief description of your research.

My research focuses on the science of synthesis and applications of new inorganic and hybrid materials, particularly those with unique optoelectronic and thermoelectric properties. I work to develop materials that address critical needs in sustainable energy, environmental remediation and advanced sensing technologies.

How does your research demonstrate societal impact?

My work in inorganic materials contributes to technological advancements with broad societal benefits. For example, by improving energy efficiency in new semiconductors for solar energy conversion and thermoelectric materials, that convert waste heat into electricity. These have significant implications for reducing energy consumption and promoting sustainability. Additionally, my research in new semiconductors aims to enhance materials for radiation detection, with applications in healthcare and environmental safety.

What does being named a Highly Cited Researcher mean to you?

Being named a Highly Cited Researcher is an incredible honor, as it recognizes the lasting impact and relevance of my research within the scientific community and beyond. It reflects the value of my work as it resonates with colleagues worldwide, advancing the field of chemistry and materials science and contributing to solutions for real-world challenges.

Please provide a brief description of your research.

My research focuses on developing efficient, low-cost and environmentally friendly nanostructured materials for energy storage and conversion systems. We have developed several general strategies to synthesize hollow structures with high complexity. These hollow structured functional materials exhibit exceptional electrochemical properties for batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells and (photo-)electrocatalysis.

How does your research demonstrate societal impact?

While solar and wind energy have their limitations in terms of time and space, electrochemical energy storage and conversion (EESC) systems are emerging as a crucial part of our future energy production and daily lives. My research focuses on designing and synthesizing electrode and electrocatalyst materials that are both high-performance and low-cost. These materials are essential for various EESC applications such as electrochemical capacitors, rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, hydrogen production, and CO2/N2 reduction.

What does being named a Highly Cited Researcher mean to you?

Being a Highly Cited Researcher means that my research has been recognized by many other scientists and it has been a source of inspiration and motivation.