Philippe Gillet to head EPFL for six months
© 2013 EPFL
The Federal Council has named Professor Philippe Gillet, Vice President of Academic Affairs at the EPFL, as its interim President for the period between 1 August 2013 and 31 January 2014.
During his six months as interim president of the EPFL, Philippe Gillet will hold a seat on the ETH Board by virtue of his office. During this time, Patrick Aebischer will be on sabbatical with the agreement of the ETH Board. Philippe Gillet (born 1958, French national) has been Vice President of Academic Affairs and Patrick Aebischer's deputy since 1 April 2010. Between 2007 and 2010, Philippe Gillet was chief of staff at the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, and was previously Director of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Lyon where he successfully managed major research projects.
After 13 years of intensive and successful work as President of the EPFL, Patrick Aebischer wishes to dedicate a six-month sabbatical to themes of learning. The ETH Board supports this wish. The subjects Patrick Aebischer will address include opportunities for online-learning; the EPFL is one of the pioneers in Europe in this area. Professor Aebischer intends to develop this tool in French and English, for example, with a view to reaching young people in Africa. An initiative to that effect was announced by Switzerland during the ‘Francophonie' summit in Kinshasa in October 2012.