“Inspiration motivates people to become engaged, remain loyal and work towards their goals”
Effy Vayena will take up the post of Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations on 1 January 2026. The following is a portrait to commemorate her election by the ETH Board.
Eftychia Vayena has been appointed as the new Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations (VPWW) at ETH Zurich, as announced at today’s meeting of the ETH Board. Vayena is a world-renowned authority in the field of ethics in digitalisation in healthcare.
“I am honoured by the trust placed in me by Jo?l Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, and by the entire ETH Board. I look forward to building on the excellent foundation established by my predecessor, Vanessa Wood, and to further enhancing knowledge transfer and corporate relations at our university,” was Vayena’s first reaction to her new appointment.
Specialist in ethics and governance issues
Effy Vayena has been Professor of Bioethics at ETH Zurich for seven years. Her work focuses on ethical, legal and social issues concerning genomics, the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare and overarching governance challenges related to emerging technologies. She has held various academic and non-academic positions and has served on multiple committees in Switzerland and internationally, including the COVID-19 Science Task Force. At ETH Zurich, she has held the office of the Executive Board’s Associate Vice President for Digital Transformation and Governance for the last two years.
“Effy is a colleague who upholds high scientific standards and possesses extensive experience in both national and international collaborations, further enhancing the diversity of expertise of our Executive Board team,” says Jo?l Mesot, who is delighted with the appointment.
Familiar with different ways of thinking
For some, the choice of a bioethicist for this position may come as a surprise. Before taking up her professorship at ETH Zurich, Vayena was already involved in designing responsible innovation processes that ranged from theoretical ideas to practical governance frameworks.
About
Effy Vayena has been full Professor of Bioethics at ETH Zurich since May
2017. She was born 53 years ago on the western Greek island of Lefkada. After studying history and the philosophy and history of science, she
received a PhD in Medical History from the University of Minnesota in
1999. Vayena worked as a technical officer in the field of reproductive
medicine and research ethics at the World Health Organization (WHO)
before joining the University of Zurich, where she was awarded a
professorship in bioethics and health policy by the Swiss National Science Foundation in 2015.
“In my research, I have consistently explored the ethics and governance of emerging technologies and how they can be upheld in public-private partnerships,” says the new Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations. Regulatory issues have always been a part of this. Legal matters concerning technologies, patents and intellectual property are consequently familiar territory for her.
Vayena is very familiar with the diverse ways in which the private and public sectors approach innovation and brings significant experience from long term collaborations with public policy organisations. “I have worked extensively on exploring how scientific findings and ethical considerations can be translated into public policy. To create meaningful impact, it's crucial to comprehend the various stakeholders and their diverse approaches,” she explains.
Making a difference for society, has always been important to her. In her new role as Vice President, she now sees an opportunity to have a different kind of impact through supporting ETH’s knowledge transfer: “I am taking over a superbly structured department with a fantastic team from Vanessa. I am very much looking forward to working with these seasoned experts and the entire ETH community to accelerate knowledge transfer, promote entrepreneurial excellence, and enhance ETH’s presence in public policy discourse and action.”
Vice Presidency for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations
The Vice Presidency for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations is
tasked with fostering relationships between ETH Zurich and its partners
in the private sector, as well as public institutions and political
bodies. Its purpose is to ensure that both society and the business
world benefit from research results. The unit drafts and approves
contracts that ETH Zurich units conclude with third parties and provides
funding to (future) founders of spin-offs. It also assists experts from
the fields of politics and the administration who wish to collaborate
with ETH researchers, as well as researchers seeking contacts in these
fields.
Leading by listening
When asked about her leadership style, she explains that she motivates her team by inspiration: Based on her experience from serving on many committees and with her research group, Vayena is convinced that inspiration motivates people to become engaged, remain loyal and work towards their goals. Listening is also very important: “There are many highly experienced colleagues in the Vice Presidency for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations. And at ETH, there are professors and researcher who are nothing short of brilliant. I can learn a lot from them.”
Vayena understands that her new role will require her to make decisions that some people may not agree with. “In such cases, it is essential to explain openly to people why certain things should be done in a particular way; it is also important to acknowledge a mistaken position or action” she firmly believes.
Before taking office in January 2026, Vayena will listen and ask questions – not only in discussions with her future team members but also with other ETH members across the university. She will also be talking to the people in her research group, which she will continue to lead on a part-time basis (around 20 percent of her time). “My group is extremely important to me because it grounds me and connects me with my expertise,” she explains. “Together with my family, it provides me with inspiration and energy.”
Another motivating factor is sports, particularly running and cycling. “My sources of energy are physical activity, deep human relationships and, ultimately, the meaningfulness of my work.”