Empa Leadership Secured as Federal Council Reappoints Tanja Zimmermann to Drive Innovation and Research Collaboration

Empa director Tanja Zimmermann. Image: Empa

(IN BRIEF) The Swiss Federal Council has confirmed Tanja Zimmermann for a second four-year term as Director of Empa, extending her leadership through May 2030. During her first mandate, Zimmermann strengthened Empa’s strategic position within the ETH Domain, expanded collaboration across Swiss research institutions, and advanced initiatives in energy, sustainable materials, climate technologies, and health research. Her tenure has also seen increased support for early-career researchers and successful spin-off growth, reinforcing Empa’s role as a bridge between science, industry, and society.

(PRESS RELEASE) DÜBENDORF, 29-Jan-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Empa, Switzerland’s Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, will continue under the leadership of Tanja Zimmermann after the Swiss Federal Council confirmed her re-election for another four-year term as Director. The renewed mandate will run from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2030, reinforcing continuity at the helm of one of Switzerland’s key research institutions.

During her first term, Zimmermann has overseen significant strategic and structural development at Empa, strengthening its role within the ETH Domain and deepening collaboration with partner institutions including ETH Zurich, EPFL, the Paul Scherrer Institute, WSL, and Eawag. Under her leadership, Empa has further consolidated its position as a national innovation driver and a key bridge between science, industry, and society.

Empa’s research portfolio has expanded through numerous inter-institutional initiatives addressing strategic priorities for Switzerland. These include projects aimed at strengthening the domestic semiconductor ecosystem, developing sustainable alternatives to materials containing persistent chemicals such as PFAS, advancing scalable climate and negative-emissions technologies, and contributing solutions to the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance. These efforts align closely with Empa’s focus areas spanning energy systems, the built environment, infrastructure, and health technologies.

Alongside scientific expansion, Zimmermann has also implemented cost-saving measures while increasing institutional support for early-career researchers and spin-off companies. In late 2025, several Empa spin-offs — including viboo, BTRY, and Ionic Wind — collectively secured close to CHF 10 million in investment capital, highlighting the institute’s growing impact on technology transfer and entrepreneurship.

Zimmermann earned her doctorate from the University of Hamburg in 2007 and has spent much of her career at Empa. She played a central role in establishing the field of cellulose nanocomposites through close collaboration with industry partners, later leading the Applied Wood Materials department before joining Empa’s Directorate in 2017 as Head of the Functional Materials department. In parallel, she holds numerous national and international advisory and governance roles across research, innovation, and technology transfer organisations.

Her re-appointment signals the Federal Council’s confidence in her leadership and Empa’s continued role in strengthening Switzerland’s innovation capacity and international research standing.

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SOURCE: EMPA