Empa Appoints Jakob Schwiedrzik as Head of High-Performance Ceramics Laboratory

Empa Appoints Jakob Schwiedrzik as Head of High-Performance Ceramics Laboratory

(IN BRIEF) Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, announces Jakob Schwiedrzik as the new head of the High-Performance Ceramics laboratory, effective from August 1, 2024. With around ten years of experience at Empa’s site in Thun, Schwiedrzik’s background in mechanical engineering and expertise in investigating bone strength at the microscale positions him well for this leadership role. Having joined Empa as a postdoc, Schwiedrzik has since progressed to become a scientist and group leader for Architectured Materials, demonstrating his commitment to innovative research. Alongside his scientific endeavors, he also serves as a lecturer at ETH Zurich, EPFL, and the University of Bern. Schwiedrzik’s appointment marks a significant step in Empa’s ongoing pursuit of excellence in materials science.

(PRESS RELEASE) DÜBENDORF, 30-May-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — The designated head of the High-Performance Ceramics laboratory is Jakob Schwiedrzik. He has been working at Empa’s site in Thun for around ten years and will take over the leadership of the research lab on 1 August 2024 from Thomas Graule, who is retiring.

Jakob Schwiedrzik (*1986) completed his degree in mechanical engineering at the Vienna University of Technology in 2010. He then pursued his doctorate under Philippe Zysset at the University of Bern on the topic of investigating the strength of bones on the microscale using experimental and numerical methods, graduating summa cum laude in 2014. He joined Empa as a postdoc in the Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures lab in Thun headed by Johann Michler. He was promoted to scientist in 2017 and was awarded an Ambizione Grant by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in the same year. In 2021, he became group leader for Architectured Materials.

Jakob Schwiedrzik will take over as head of Empa’s High-Performance Ceramics lab as of 1 August. In addition to his scientific work at Empa, he is also a lecturer at ETH Zurich, EPFL and the University of Bern. He is married and has two children aged eight and six.

Media Contacts:

Jakob Schwiedrzik
Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures / High-Performance Ceramics
Phone +41 58 765 63 52
jakob.schwiedrzik@empa.ch

Remigius Nideröst
Communications
Phone +41 58 765 45 98
redaktion@empa.ch

SOURCE: EMPA