Portraits and Interviews

Learn more about our researchers through CSH and UniAktuell portraits and interviews.

2025/05/07

© Liliane Burkhard

Making science tangible with art

How do you make the tectonic development of the planet Mercury tangible with a piece of paper? For planetary scientist Liliane Burkhard, the answer is clear: with the means of art. While she works at the Institute of Physics in the Space Research and Planetary Sciences Divison, she thinks not only in terms of science, but also in terms of artistic forms and structures.

2025/04/03

© ESA/ATG medialab

“What should I definitely not do?”

For more than five years, the Bern-based CHEOPS telescope has been providing highly precise data from space. At the beginning of 2025, Christopher Broeg took over the leadership of the mission from Willy Benz. Now the two have met for a conversation for uniAKTUELL.

2025/03/14

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

"As a woman, you're often alone but also highly visible"

Audrey Vorburger is a planetary scientist and a mother of three children. In the video, she talks about the search for life beyond Earth and her experiences in a male-dominated professional field.

Archive - Portraits

2024 - 2023

2024/08/28

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

Uni Bern Searching for Life in Space

The ESA mission Juice launched in April 2023 to Jupiter to search for signs of life on three icy moons. Astrophysicist Audrey Vorburger talks about the University of Bern's involvement in this space adventure.

2024/07/12

© Valentin Bickel

New partnership with NASA

A new network of Swiss research institutions teams up with NASA to accelerate the exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Valentin Bickel, planetary scientist at the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH), is the principal investigator of the Swiss research network CHEESE.

2024/06/03

© iStock

Will there soon be solar power plants in space?

A question for Christoph Mordasini: Solar power plants in space will one day collect solar energy and send it back to Earth. But can that really work?

2024/05/29

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

Comet research with Bernese instruments

The University of Bern is contributing two instruments to the European Space Agency's (ESA) Comet Interceptor Mission, which is due to set off for a comet in 2029. Martin Rubin explains the importance of this mission for understanding our origins.

2023/12/22

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

The sun in view

Lucia Kleint researches powerful solar storms that can cause major problems on Earth. In a video interview, the active researcher explains why the University of Bern is the perfect place for her research.

2023/12/13

© University of Bern, Image: Ramon Lehmann

Space Telescope Made in Bern

For four years now, the CHEOPS space telescope has been astonishing us with its discoveries. Willy Benz, head of the CHEOPS consortium, talks about the fascination of space and the challenges involved in building a space instrument in Bern.

2023/11/30

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

Visitor from outer space

'Oumuamua is the first interstellar object ever observed in our solar system. In a video interview, Niels Ligterink from the University of Bern presents new research findings on why 'Oumuamua accelerated as it passed by the sun.

2023/06/02

© Global Science Film Festival

She turned the space explorer into a detective

Tatiana Keller (Drozhzhova) is a particle physicist with a PhD and a filmmaker. As a member of astrophysicist Nicolas Thomas’ research group at the University of Bern, she came up with the idea of making a short film series about CaSSIS, the Mars camera developed in Bern, and the mysteries of the red planet.

2023/03/27

© University of Bern/Ramon Lehmann/Axel Murk

Challenges on the way to Jupiter

Peter Wurz, Nicolas Thomas and Axel Murk have all been involved in the ESA mission Juice from the very beginning. For uniAKTUELL, they look back and talk about the challenges they have already encountered on the way to the largest planet in the solar system and those that still await them.

2023/03/15

© University of Bern, Image: Thierry de Roche

How to build a space probe

Administration, design, mechanics, electronics, software development, science and project management: for the construction of space instruments, as with complex puzzles, a wide variety of components must be compiled into a whole. How does this work?

2023/03/08

© University of Bern, Image: Vera Knöpfel

Bern's Interstellar Head Chef

Maria Drozdovskaya searches for recipes every day. But not for balanced main courses or fine desserts, but for comets, stars, and planets. In her research, she investigates how astrochemical processes form celestial bodies from dust grains, gases, and ices – and perhaps also life.

2023/03/06

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

From vision to mission

The European Space Agency’s Juice space mission is scheduled to start its journey to Jupiter on April 13, 2023, where it will, among other things, search for traces of life on three of Jupiter’s icy moons. The University of Bern is strongly involved in this project. uniAKTUELL introduces local researchers Yann Alibert, Audrey Vorburger, André Galli and Andreas Riedo, who are working hard on accomplishing the Juice mission.

2022 - 2021

2022/11/11

© Adrian Jäggi

Bernese Astronomy celebrates double anniversary

The Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) is celebrating a double anniversary on November 25 and 26: 200 years of the "Old Observatory Bern" (Uraniae) and 100 years of the AIUB. In an interview, Director Adrian Jäggi explains how and in which areas the AIUB became a global leader.

2022/10/28

© University of Bern, Photo: Dres Hubacher

His son's smile and the call from NASA

Space scientist Andreas Riedo wants to find signs of life on Saturn’s icy moons. It is entirely probably that he won’t be able to achieve this ambitious goal himself within his professional career. And that’s why his research work always includes the promotion of early career researchers.

2022/06/09

© Alessandro della Bella

The advocate for puzzling astronomical objects

Brown dwarfs are puzzling astronomical objects that are heavier and hotter than planets, but lighter and colder than stars. A research team led by Clémence Fontanive from the University of Bern has recently directly imaged four new of these mysterious celestial bodies. In this interview, the astrophysicist explains why brown dwarfs are important to our understanding of stars and planets.

2022/06/01

© Alessandro della Bella

What do we know about ignorance?

Knowledge is commonly taken to be one of the most important values. But how is it related to its counterpart ignorance? This is the topic of the 2nd edition of the interdisciplinary "CSH Science, Philosophy and Religion Forum" which will take place from June 7 to June 9. Vera Matarese, co-organizer of the event, explains what visitors can expect and what fascinates her about the topic.

2022/05/03

© University of Bern

The man with the instruments in space

Nicolas Thomas wants to understand Mars, comets, and Jupiter's icy moons. To do this, he builds instruments that fly through space aboard space probes.

2022/03/16

© Audrey Vorburger

Bernese Astrophysicist Flying High

A major success for Audrey Vorburger: she has been elected to a specialist committee of the European Space Agency (ESA) that will define the scientific objectives of the ESA's next major space mission. In this interview, the astrophysicist explains how this came about and why Uranus is her favorite planet.

2021/12/14

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

Research with the $10 billion space telescope

Yann Alibert and Matthew Hooton are eagerly awaiting the planned launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on December 22, 2021. In this interview, the two astrophysicists from the University of Bern tell how they managed to get observation time with JWST and what this has to do with CHEOPS.

2021/11/05

© ESA

ESA Voyage 2050 and NCCR PlanetS: That fits!

This year, the European Space Agency (ESA) selected three topics for its major scientific missions for the period 2035–2050. The National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS is actively involved in two of these topics with promising projects.

2021/08/30

© Alessandro della Bella

The astrophysicist who achieved a rare feat

As a child, Kevin Heng wanted to become an astronaut. Today, he is the director of the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) and has recently discovered new mathematical solutions that help solve a century-old problem in astronomy. In this interview, the astrophysicist talks about his career and what motivates him.

2021/06/21

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

Fascination Exoplanet

Kevin Heng, Christophe Lovis, and Sascha Quanz are researching distant planets in other solar systems. Among other things, they are searching for life. In doing so, they are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible. An encounter with three project leaders from the NCCR PlanetS.

2021/05/12

© Ramon Lehmann/Tanja Kurt

Space technology in the operating theater

The instruments were developed to search for signs of life on other planets. But now they will also be used to distinguish healthy nerve cells from brain tumor cells. A conversation with astrophysicist Brice-Olivier Demory and Raphael Sznitman, an expert in machine learning and artificial intelligence, about their BrainPol project.

2021/04/12

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

What is out there? – UniPress in Space

More than 4,000 planets have been discovered since Michel Major and Didier Queloz detected the first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star in 1995, triggering a revolution in astronomy. With the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, Switzerland is at the forefront of this adventure, as the current issue of the science magazine UniPress shows.

2021/01/26

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

On the passing of Hans Balsiger

Hans Balsiger, former director of the Physics Institute and professor of experimental physics at the University of Bern, has passed away at the age of 83. Balsiger played a key role in strengthening the global reputation of the University of Bern's Physics Institute in the field of space research.

2020

2020/11/24

© Denis Bajram/Pexels

What exoplanets have to do with the coronavirus

Astrophysicist Kevin Heng and epidemiologist Christian Althaus have just published a joint study. In an interview with "uniaktuell", the two researchers explain what the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 has to do with exoplanetary chemistry and what they hope to gain from INPUT, a newly founded interfaculty platform.

2020/11/05

© ESA/NASA

CHEOPS had to avoid space debris

Space debris increasingly threatens rockets, the international space station and satellites. At the beginning of October, the CHEOPS space telescope had to make an evasive manoeuvre due to a piece of Chinese space debris.

2020/08/18

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

A duo in search of life in space

Andreas Riedo and Niels Ligterink are searching for life in space. A portrait of two space explorers who are already eagerly awaiting how mankind will react to this, should their instrument ORIGIN find extraterrestrial life one day.

2020/08/18

© Jürg Meister

On the passing of Jürg Meister

Just over a year ago, Jürg Meister held part of the solar wind foil that had flown to the moon aboard Apollo 11 in his hands once again – on the occasion of a film portrait marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. As a doctoral student at the University of Bern, he played a key role in the world-famous solar wind experiment. The physicist passed away on August 7, 2020, at the age of 81.

2020/07/06

© University of Bern, Image: Manu Friederich

Kathrin Altwegg: Space Researcher with Charisma

As project manager of the ROSINA mass spectrometer, which measured the comet “Chury” on board ESA's Rosetta space probe, she suddenly found herself in the spotlight: Kathrin Altwegg looks back on an impressive career as a space researcher that was never planned.

2020/06/30

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

The planetary scientist has one great wish

Christoph Mordasini deals with the formation and evolution of planets inside and outside our solar system. In an interview he explains why the University of Bern has been at the forefront of space research since an experiment on the moon. And he reveals the question to which he would very much like to have an answer.

2020/06/19

© Patricio Becerra

Mars research elite visits the end of the world

Patricio Becerra is a planetary scientist working as a post-doc at the University of Bern in Professor Nicolas Thomas' Planetary Imaging Group (PIG). In January, he co-organized an international conference on Mars ice research in Ushuaia, Argentina. He brought back spectacular pictures from the field trips and explained to "uniaktuell" why the conference took place at the "end of the world".

2020/03/27

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

Questioning theory can be worth it

Where few thought to look, the NCCR PlanetS co-funded telescope "SAINT-EX" is searching for new worlds. After a year of operation, the project has brought some exciting first results.

2020/02/18

© Karo Krämer

Reaching for the stars over a beer

Astronomy on tap – is that possible? Yes, on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, the science slam event “Astronomy on Tap” took place in Bern. In a relaxed atmosphere, the audience learned all about molecules in space and hidden buttons on the Apollo missions. Daniel Angerhausen is the man who brought the Science Slam from America to Bern. “uniaktuell” met him and found out why a visit to the ONO cultural venue is worthwhile.

2020/02/17

© University of Bern

On the passing of Johannes Geiss

The University of Bern mourns the loss of a pioneer in space research: Johannes Geiss, former professor of physics at the University of Bern, passed away last Thursday, January 30, 2020, at the age of 93. Under Geiss's leadership, the University of Bern developed its famous solar wind sail, which was used in the first moon landing in 1969 and established the international success of Bernese space research. Kathrin Altwegg looks back on his life with her obituary for the Swiss Physical Society.

2020/02/14

© Adrian Jäggi

"We provide data on the effects of environmental changes"

The Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) is at the forefront when it comes to determining the Earth's global gravitational field. In this interview, AIUB Director Adrian Jäggi explains what satellite missions have to do with this and why a Chinese delegation is interested in the Bern gravitational field models.

2020/01/08

© Alessandro della Bella

Big Day for the CHEOPS Space Telescope

Today, the space telescope was switched on for the first time. Willy Benz from the University of Bern is the principal investigator of the CHEOPS mission. In an interview with Radio SRF 1, he explains what happens next.

2019

2019/11/26

© ESO/N. Bartmann

Exoplanet Research: A Rising Star of Science

The search for extraterrestrial life in the state-of-the-art space research, and its importance for life on earth: These are the main topics of this year’s Hans Sigrist Symposium due to awarding the Dutch astronomer Ignas Snellen the prestigious Hans Sigrist Prize. Kevin Heng, director of the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University of Bern, speaks in advance about the top-class conference.

2019/11/07

© CSH

Favorite drawings on the CHEOPS space telescope

The Swiss space telescope CHEOPS will soon be launched from the European spaceport in French Guiana to study exoplanets. On board the satellite are two panels with 2,748 miniaturized children's drawings. Three members of the CHEOPS team in Bern introduce themselves and their favorite drawings.

2019/10/28

© University of Bern, Image: Vera Knöpfel

"We want to renegotiate the boundaries between religion and science"

Interdisciplinarity is a top priority at the University of Bern. This is because important questions can only be answered today if the disciplines work together. In the case of the CSH Science and Religion Forum, this involves space research, theology, and philosophy. At the international conference in early November, they will jointly address the boundaries between the natural sciences, religion, and philosophy.

2019/10/14

© Alessandro Della Bella

"They both live on another planet now."

Willy Benz is particularly pleased about this year's Nobel Prize in Physics for the Swiss astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz. He was Michel Mayor's first PhD student at the University of Geneva. Today he is Professor at the University of Bern, Director of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS and President of the Council of the European Southern Observatory ESO.

2019/08/19

© Airbus Defence and Space, Spain

CHEOPS is ready for transport to the spaceport

The launch of the Bernese space telescope CHEOPS is scheduled for the last quarter of 2019. “In July, we carried out the final tests on the instrument at Airbus in Madrid,” says project manager Christopher Broeg. CHEOPS is now ready for transport from Madrid to the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. From there, CHEOPS will begin its journey into space.

2019/06/19

© NASA/J. Young

"We had the time of our lives"

Charles Duke was the tenth person to walk on the moon and, on April 21, 1972, he deployed a Bernese solar wind sail as part of the Apollo 16 mission. Herbert Cerutti was an assistant at the University of Bern's Physics Institute at the time and evaluated data from the solar wind sails. Now he asks Charlie Duke about his memories of this legendary time.

Audio recordings of the interview (in English) are available here: 1) Solar Wind Sail of the University of Bern, 2) Lunar Rover and "Olympic Games", and 3) Lasting Memories.

2019/06/16

© NASA

Bern in Space: From the Moon to Jupiter

At the end of June, the University of Bern will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing with a big science festival open to the public. Since 1967, the University of Bern has been participating in missions organized by the space agencies ESA, NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, and other international space activities. “uniaktuell” provides an insight into the fascinating space missions in which Bern is involved.

2019/06/13

© University of Bern, Image: Manu Friederich

From the University of Bern to NASA

He grew up in Heiligenschwendi and studied at the University of Bern, where he earned his doctorate in experimental astrophysics in 1996. Today, Thomas Zurbuchen is NASA's Associate Administrator for Science. He will be taking part in the celebrations “Bern in Space: Celebrating 50 Years of the Moon Landing.”

2019/06/10

© University of Bern

UniPress on the 50th Anniversary of the First Moon Landing

This issue of UniPress, the University of Bern's science magazine, was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. The issue features the Charlie Duke interviews, the reprint of the 1998 UniPress article on Johannes Geiss, and contains eight special pages on space research in Bern.

2019/06/06

© University of Bern

How Bern got to the Moon

When Buzz Aldrin became the second man to step out of the lunar module on July 21, 1969, the first thing he did was unfurl the University of Bern's solar wind sail and plant it in the moon's soil, even before the American flag. The current issue of “UniPress,” the University of Bern's science magazine, is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. This preview article tells the story of how the solar wind sail got to the moon.

2019/06/04

© University of Bern

Oral History: Prof. em. Dr. Kathrin Altwegg

"It touches your heart to see your own 'baby' fly away." Kathrin Altwegg talks about spectacular space missions, cosmic ducks, and smelly comets.

2019/06/04

© University of Bern

Oral History: Prof. em. Dr. Hans Balsiger

"We can fly to comets. For us Bernese, that was the ultimate achievement." Hans Balsiger on his career, the launch of Apollo 11, and Bern's participation in international comet missions.

2019/06/04

© University of Bern

Oral History: Prof. em. Dr. Peter Bochsler

"We rented a TV especially for the lab so we could watch the moon landing." Peter Bochsler on collaborating with Russia and the US, cosmic radiation, and solar wind measurements.

2019/06/04

© University of Bern

Oral History: Prof. em. Dr. Otto Eugster

"We had the great privilege of being able to participate in the NASA program." Otto Eugster on the Swiss cross on the moon, moon rocks in quarantine, and extraterrestrial minerals.

2019/06/04

© University of Bern

Oral History: Dr. Jürg Meister

"Unfortunately, there are no clotheslines on the moon!" Dr. Jürg Meister explains what selfie sticks and roller blind have to do with the development of the Bernese sun sail.

2019/06/04

© University of Bern

Oral History: Prof. em. Dr. Ernest Kopp

"In Bern, we were able to produce all the technology in-house." Ernest Kopp on forgotten "Öl-Pintli" in Sardinia, rapid rocket launches, and the secret to the success of Bernese space researchers.

2019/06/04

© University of Bern

Oral History: Prof. Dr. Claude Nicollier

"The people of Bern are passionate, talented and have first-class instruments." Switzerland's only astronaut, Claude Nicollier, talks about his unusual career, his favorite flights, and the role of Bernese astrophysics.

2019/06/04

© University of Bern

Oral History: Urs Schwab

"I was a physics lab assistant in my second year of training and was involved from the very beginning." Urs Schwab on the development of the "holy foil" and dangerous experiments.

2019/01/29

© University of Bern, Image: Vera Knöpfel

China looks to Bernese space expertise

A delegation of Chinese space researchers tested and calibrated an instrument for China's 2020 mission to Mars at the University of Bern. Even the "Tagesschau" was interested. The inside story.

2018 - 2017

2018/10/08

© University of Bern

Risky maneuvers on the way to Mercury

When the BepiColombo spacecraft takes off for Mercury on 20 October 2018, it will also be carrying an instrument from Peter Wurz, Professor of Experimental Space and Planetary Physics at the University of Bern. In an interview with "uniaktuell" he tells what the mass spectrometer STROFIO will have to do with Mercury.

2018/10/08

© University of Bern

"Mercury awaits us at 400 degrees Celsius"

The BepiColombo spacecraft is scheduled to start its journey from the Kourou spaceport to Mercury on 20 October 2018. Nicolas Thomas, Director of the Institute of Physics at the University of Bern, and his team designed and built the most important and delicate instrument on board. In an interview with "uniaktuell" he talks about the challenges.

2018/07/23

© University of Bern

"Like looking into the distance with a telescope"

NASA is seeking to look beyond the limits of our solar system with a new space probe from 2024 – and the University of Bern is helping to build the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP). For Peter Wurz and André Galli from the Space Research & Planetary Sciences Division, missions like this are never routine.

2017/10/27

© University of Bern/UniAKTUELL

"Space research is not a nine-to-five job"

On October 27, 1967, space research began at the University of Bern with the test flight of a Zenit rocket. Many more milestones have followed over the past 50 years. In an interview to mark the anniversary, Peter Wurz, head of the Department of Space Research and Planetology, looks back at the past, ahead to the future, and up at the stars.