MaP Graduate Symposium

On 18 June 2026, ETH Zürich's Materials and Processes community came together at HG Audi Max for a day of cutting-edge science, lively poster sessions and plenty of networking. From battery anodes to biohybrid microswimmers, the breadth of research on show made one thing clear: materials and processes touch nearly every corner of engineering and science.

On Thursday, 18 June 2026, around 220 doctoral researchers, postdocs, faculty members, and industry partners gathered at HG Audi Max, ETH Zürich, for the 21st annual MaP Graduate Symposium and MaP Award Final.

It was a day full of cutting-edge science and networking across Materials & Processes at ETH Zürich with:

14 engaging scientific talks by doctoral students
50+ doctoral posters - each of them presented in a one-minute pitch
3 poster sessions for participants to marvel at what other doctoral students are working on, asking questions, filling in the poster bingo, or finding MaP terms (e.g. microswimmers, biofabrication, polymers) in a word puzzle
a gallery with 22 images showcasing the beauty of materials and processes
4 MaP Award finalists presenting the best of the best doctoral theses of the previous year
7 industry partners offering poster prizes, explaining their products, and answering questions during the industry panel discussion
1 sneak preview of the new MaP Doctoral School outreach video

After all 12 awards and prizes had found a deserving winner, MaP Doctoral School director Prof. Lucio Isa concluded the symposium and invited everyone to stay for the networking reception. May this day have inspired the community and helped forge new (research) connections!

Symposium Impressions

2026 Award Winners

MaP Award 2026: Dr. Julie Laurent (D-MATL), for her work on directed evolution of cellulose-producing bacteria for sustainable biofabrication.

Congratulations also to the other MaP Award Finalists: Dr. Thomas Buchner, Dr. Yannick Brägger, and Dr. Florian Huwyler.

MaP Gold Poster Award: Nensi Toncich (D-MATL)

MaP Silver Poster Award: Niklas Windbacher (D-MATL)

MaP People's Choice Poster Award: Stella Afroditi Mountaki (D-MATL)

Industry Poster Prizes

Mimotype Technologies GmbH Soft Matter Emergence Prize: Simon Moser (D-HEST)
Merck Group Life Science Poster Prize: Athénaïs Pascal Touraine (D-MATL)
On Innovation Poster Prize: Pierre Kateb (D-HEST)
Geistlich Regeneration Poster Prize: Anna-Lena Bauknecht (D-HEST/EMPA)
NeoChemurgy Poster Prize: Eleonora Giulia Radaelli (D-MATL)

MaP Best Image Prize: Nils Rentsch (D-HEST) and Elias Pescialli (D-MAVT)

MaP Scientific Talk – People's Choice: Tazio Pleij (D-MATL)

MaP MasterMind: Isabelle Feller (D-MATL)

Najma Sultana Shaik (D-BAUG) was elected as MaP Student Representative 2026/27.

MaP Best Image Prize

Aspergillus oryzae on lupin-based substrate. Nils Rentsch
Helical Horizons - An extreme close-up of an intertwined metamaterial, revealing the hidden symmetry and mathematical elegance buried within seemingly chaotic fibers. Elias Pescialli

MaP Graduate Symposium 2026

MaP Graduate Symposium announcement poster

Thursday, 18 June 2026
ETH Zentrum, HG Audi Max F30

Talks - Posters - Images - Networking
MaP Award Final

Download Download the programme (PDF, 70 KB)
Download Download the symposium booklet (PDF, 15.9 MB)

Acknowledgments

A huge thank you to our speakers, poster presenters, jury members, industry partners, everyone who joined us, and especially this year's organising committee: Elise Ansart, Marco Finger, Hanna Krupke, Victoria Lohmann, Dimitra Mantzara, Federica Messi, Najma Sultana Shaik, Carolina Söll, Ueli Töpfer, Xianjun Yang, Fabio Bargardi, Klara Berg, Josephine Baer, and Barbara Lau-Hauser.

A special mention goes to the SV catering team for making sure everyone was fed and happy throughout the day.

Save the date: the MaP Graduate Symposium 2027 and MaP Award Final will take place on 24 June 2027 at HG Audi Max.

Organising Committee 2026

The MaP Doctoral School Executive Office organises the symposium together with a committee of doctoral students.

Elise Ansart (D-MATL)
Fabio Bargardi (D-MATL)
Marco Finger (Empa, D-ITET)
Hanna Krupke (D-CHAB)
Victoria Lohmann (D-MATL)
Dimitra Mantzara (D-MATL)
Federica Messi (Empa, D-MATL)

Najma Sultana Shaik (D-BAUG)
Carolina Söll (D-MAVT)
Ueli Töpfer (D-MATL)
Xianjun Yang (D-HEST)
Josephine Baer (MaP)
Klara Berg (MaP)
Barbara Lau (MaP)

Our Industry Partners 2026

Many thanks for the continued support and collaboration!

Mimotype

Mimotype Technologies designs and produces Optically Active Proteins (OAPs) that make soft nanomaterials light-responsive, enabling real-time, non-destructive quality control in bioprinting and tissue engineering.

Mimotype will be awarding the Mimotype Soft Matter Emergence Prize.

IMT

IMT is a Swiss expert in precision microstructures and thin-film technologies, delivering high-performance solutions for medical, optical, and photonic applications.

Merck

Merck is a science and technology leader, offering cutting-edge solutions in life science to support research, development, and production in pharma and biotech.

Merck will award the Merck Life Science Poster Prize.

ON

ON is a global sportswear brand rooted in performance, design, and sustainability. We create high-performance products through cutting-edge research in materials science, engineering, and sport science.

ON will be awarding the On Innovation Poster Prize.

Geistlich

Geistlich specialises in the regeneration of bone, cartilage and tissue. Geistlich’s regenerative medical devices aim to improve patients’ quality of life.

Geistlich will be awarding the Geistlich Regeneration Poster Prize.

Pilatus Aircraft

Founded in 1939, Pilatus Aircraft Ltd develops and produces the world’s most unique aircraft. With a workforce of over 3'000 people, the company is one of Central Switzerland’s largest and most innovative employers.

NeoChemurgy

NeoChemurgy is an ETH spin-off developing innovative concepts for the industrial valorisation of biomass, searching for sustainable solutions to work with and for chemicals.

Founder Dr. Guido Panzarasa will award the NeoChemurgy Poster Prize.

Overview MaP Graduate Symposia

Questions & Support

to the MaP Doctoral School team.