Kern Team
Julia Bachmann
sus.lab Co-Lead
Circular Economy Lead
Julia joined sus.lab in 2018 and now leads the circular economy projects to accelerate sustainable transformation across various industries. Prior to sus.lab, she completed her MSc in Management, Technology and Economics at ETH, preceded by a BSc in Mechanical Engineering. She previously worked on process optimization and digitalization projects across supply chains at Airbus Helicopters and procurement teams within Siemens.
Oliver Akeret
sus.lab Co-Lead
Decarbonization Lead
Oliver joined sus.lab in 2022 and now leads the decarbonization projects and activities, focusing on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and carbon capture and storage (CCS) in various industries.
Oliver previously worked for the management consulting firm HCM International Ltd. where he advised board members and senior executives in the areas of corporate governance and compensation. Prior to that, Oliver finished his master’s degree in Finance at the University of St. Gallen.
Ricarda Fieber
Project Manager
Ricarda completed her studies in Industrial Engineering, majoring in Sustainability and Technology. She studied at University of Augsburg, Carleton University in Ottawa and University of Berkeley in California. She has gained practical experiences at Fraunhofer Institute, KUKA AG and Siemens Energy Middle East. Ricarda joined sus.lab in January 2023 and will primarily work on circular economy projects, with a focus on packaging and food waste.
Dianne Hondeborg
Senior Project Manager
Dianne joined SusTec in 2019 for her Master thesis in collaboration with Nestlé, analysing the abatement potential and cost of greenhouse gas reduction technologies for dairy farming. Prior to her thesis, she did an internship in management consulting at BCG. Before coming to Switzerland, Dianne finished a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering at TU Delft. She focusses on projects related to identifying pathways to reduce emissions to net zero.
Oliver Akeret
Project Manager
Oliver joined sus.lab in 2022 and focuses on projects related to drive decarbonization in various industries through carbon capture and storage (CCS). Prior to joining sus.lab, he worked three years in management consulting in the areas of corporate governance, compensation, and risk & finance. Oliver holds a master’s degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of St. Gallen (HSG).
Sophie Führer
Project Manager
Sophie completed a master’s degree in Sustainable Technology from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. She joined SusTec in May 2021 for her master’s thesis to assess circular furniture. She gained practical experiences during internships at the BASF Applied Sustainability Department, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits and the Institute for Ecological Economy Research. At sus.lab, she is primarily working on circularity in the building industry in the CBI Innovation Booster.
Martynas Bagdonas
Project Manager
Martynas completed his master's degree in Environmental Policy at the Paris School of International Affairs (Sciences PO) after which he wanted to combine his academic knowledge with the practical skills he gained working in management consulting. Therefore, Martynas joined sus.lab in July of 2022, focusing on decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries through carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR).
Lisa Lambert
Senior Project Manager
After completing her Masters in International Cultural Policy and Management at the University of Warwick, Lisa has worked as a project manager at the Architecture Institute of Rotterdam and at the International Architecture Biennial of Rotterdam. Prior to joining Sus.lab, Lisa worked as a program manager at Kickstart Innovation in the Smart cities vertical, engaging with international startups and corporations in Switzerland with the goal to drive sustainable innovation.
Steering Committee & Affiliated Researcher
Prof. Dr. Volker Hoffmann
Steering Committee
Volker Hoffmann is Professor for Sustainability and Technology. Volker's research at ETH Zurich centers on corporate strategies with respect to climate change, with a focus on climate policy, energy policy, and innovation.
Dr. Christof Knoeri
Affiliated Researcher
Christof's research studies the complex interplay or co-evolution of technologies, business strategies, user practices, ecosystems, and institutional settings.
Dr. Catharina
Bening
Steering Committee
Catharina has been a postdoc in the Group for Sustainability and Technology since 2012. Catharina's current research focuses on the sustainable circular economy where she supports sus.lab projects with her expertise.
Dr. Benedict Probst
Affiliated Researcher
Ben's research focuses on approaches to accelerate the transition towards a net-zero emissions economy. He is particularly interested in the design of policies, markets, and green finance to develop and scale clean energy technologies necessary to reach climate neutrality.
Dr. Nicola
Blum
Steering Committee
Nicola is a senior researcher at the Group for Sustainability and Technology and coach at STRIDE, an unschool for entrepreneurial leadership. Nicola's research centers on the sustainable circular economy. She is and has been on the board and in the management of several ventures such as Impact Hub Zurich.
Alums
Dr. Petrissa Eckle
Petrissa's deep passion for building a more sustainable future led her from a PhD in Physics to a PostDoc in Sustainability to 5 years in management consulting at McKinsey&Company. After 4 years as director of sus.lab, Petrissa is now building an innovation hub to make regenerative farming scaleable.
Christina Nakhle
Christina joined the Chair of Sustainability and Technology in 2017 and left in 2022 to join EY Sustainability as a Senior Consultant. Christina is a civil and environmental engineer from the American University in Beirut and also has an MBA in Energy Management from TU Berlin.
Marija Spokaite
Marija joined sus.lab in 2018 and left in 2021 to work as an independent consultant and follow her passion in ceramics. Prior to sus.lab, Marija spent several years working for impact investment funds in microfinance, agriculture and climate and provided part-time support to sustainability-driven start-ups.