New Executive Board members and speaker elected

At the General Assembly Meeting on 5 June 2025, the Swiss Young Academy members elected their new Executive Board for the 2025/26 term of office. Nawal Kinany was appointed as the new speaker of the Swiss Young Academy. Sabrina H. Kessler will be taking on the role of vice-speaker.

The newly-elected Executive Board of the Swiss Young Academy will consist of the following five members for 2025/26:

• Nawal Kinany, Head of Research and Innovation Programs with Emerging Countries, Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale (HES-SO); Speaker of the Swiss Young Academy 2025/26

• Sabrina H. Kessler, Senior Researcher and Teaching Associate, Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich; Vice-speaker of the Swiss Young Academy 2025/26

• Emmanuel Senft, Research Scientist / Group leader, Human-centered Robotics and AI Group, Idiap Research Institute

• Eda E. Tibet, Advanced Post-doctoral Researcher, Wyss Academy for Nature, University of Bern

• Celestin Mutuyimana, Postdoctoral Researcher and Psychotherapist, University of Zurich

The new speaker, Nawal Kinany, expressed her commitment to strengthening the Swiss Young Academy as a dynamic platform that defends and amplifies the perspectives of young researchers across Switzerland. “The rich diversity of disciplines, backgrounds, and experiences among our members is a unique foundation for amplifying their collective voice. By fostering environments where diverse ideas and expertise converge, the Swiss Young Academy can not only enrich its projects but also serve as a bridge between scientific research and societal challenges, empowering the next generation of scholars in the process.”

Vice-speaker Sabrina H. Kessler added: “In the Swiss Young Academy we are already actively engaging with the challenges facing young academics in Switzerland through several ongoing projects. Our approach combines in-depth analysis, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the involvement of diverse stakeholder groups – all with the aim of developing sustainable solutions. Projects such as “Innovative Policies for Fostering Academic Careers” and “Unveiling the Leaky Pipeline in STEM” address structural inequalities within the academic system. “Compassionate Science” promotes a more human-centered and reflective research culture, while “Innovative Teaching Formats at the Science–Society Interface” addresses how innovative teaching formats can strengthen the connection between science and society. These initiatives reflect the direction I hope to strengthen during my term: a more inclusive, responsible, and forward-looking academic environment for the next generation.

The Executive Board’s term of office begins each year with a constitutive meeting following the General Assembly Meeting and lasts for one year. The Executive Board’s tasks include the preparation of the agenda items for the General Assembly Meetings, in particular the evaluation of the content of joint project proposals and the related submission of recommendations for the approval of these projects. In addition, the Executive Board elects the speaker of the Swiss Young Academy. The speaker represents the Young Academy internally and externally and chairs the Executive Board.

The members present at the General Assembly Meeting acknowledged the great commitment of the entire Executive Board, as well as of Sabrina H. Kessler as speaker and Nawal Kinany as vice-speaker for the 2024/25 term of office, also in connection with the organisation of the European National Young Academies (ENYA) meeting, that the Swiss Young Academy organised on 5 - 6 June 2025.