Scholarships for four Master's students
Four students from the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering have been awarded a scholarship from the Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP). The full scholarship enables them to concentrate fully on their studies. Congratulations!
ETH Zurich supports outstanding Master students with the Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP). It covers tuition fees and living expenses. It also includes a mentoring programme and access to the ETH Foundation network. In the current academic year, 58 students from 24 countries received an ESOP scholarship. At D-BAUG, the following four students were awarded: Jumana Akhter, Junzhe Cao, Sebastian Schweizer and Cedric Wenger.
Jumana Akhter
Where are you from?
I am from Dhaka, Bangladesh. It's the city where the traffic will probably (no, actually) teach you more about meditation and resilience than your yoga teacher, and the variety of street food may have its own Guinness World Record. It's a place that buzzes 24/7. So, moving to Zurich, I sometimes miss the chaos. But I also love the peaceful change. And the street cafes help me a lot!
What led you to study Environmental Engineering?
To be honest, the results of my university entrance exams sealed the deal for me. It's like I didn't choose environmental engineering, it chose me! But seriously, growing up in Bangladesh, you basically live in a climate change documentary. So I was hyper-aware of the climate and environmental issues we face from an early age. The environment was not just a chapter in our high school science textbook, it was a real, vivid crisis that required practical, elaborate solutions. Add that to my love of maths and physics and you have your answer!
Why did you choose to do your Masters at D-BAUG?
Why not! It is practically the gold standard. As a Harry Potter fan, I feel like it is the Hogwarts of engineering, but without the magic spells and lots of intense assignments and research projects. Sigh! It is one of the best institutes for cutting-edge research in environmental engineering. So, the chance to do my Masters in such a forward-thinking place would certainly make me grow a lot before I start my career in the real world.
What are your plans after graduation? For the future?
Basically, I want to be the person in a heated policy meeting or in a tough engineering conference who says “So, what about the climate?” I want to pursue a career where I can blend engineering, science and policy. I want to take all the nerdy environmental engineering research stuff and translate it into real life actions that can make a difference. My goal is to turn “here’s what the research says” into “here’s what we can do about it” in the arena of environment and climate. Whether that will be with a research institute or in the international development sector, time will tell!
Junzhe Cao
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Shanghai, and at 18, I moved to the U.S. to study Civil Engineering at UC Berkeley. I graduated a year early in May 2024, and now I’m pursuing my MSc in Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems at ETH Zurich.
What led you to study Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems?
I’ve always had this inner drive to make a difference in people’s lives, and I believe transportation is one of the key ways to do that. I want to help everyone commute better and more efficiently, which is why I chose to study this field. What excites me about it is how interdisciplinary it is – combining transportation planning, transportation engineering, and systems engineering. These areas come together in a way that broadens my understanding of how different elements work in harmony to create a more efficient transportation system. I’m also really looking forward to the course structure, especially the emphasis on group work and projects. Working with others and engaging in practical, hands-on experiences will help me develop a more holistic view of transportation systems, allowing me to better contribute to improving how people move around.
Why did you choose to do your Masters at D-BAUG?
When I was deciding where to further my studies, I applied to top-tier schools around the world, but ETH Zurich stood out to me for several reasons. The Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems program is truly unique – it combines various aspects of transportation, offering a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach that prepares you for both academia and industry. This holistic course structure was exactly what I was looking for to deepen my understanding of transportation systems. On top of the program’s academic excellence, the opportunity to study at ETH with a scholarship was a big factor in my decision. The chance to be in a city like Zurich, with its incredible public transportation system, is inspiring and aligns perfectly with my passion for transportation. It’s the ideal environment to grow both academically and personally.
What are your plans after graduation? For the future?
To be honest, I’m still figuring it out! Right now, I think pursuing a PhD is very likely, as I’m really interested in deepening my research in transportation systems. After that, I could see myself either staying in academia to continue research or transitioning into the industry to apply my knowledge in real-world projects. I’m keeping my options open and looking forward to seeing where this journey takes me.
Sebastian Schweizer
Where are you from?
I grew up in Steckborn, a Swiss town on Lake Constance. I moved to Winterthur when I started my Bachelor’s studies, and I’ve lived there now for a few years.
What led you to study Geomatics?
I’ve always been interested in maps, which was ultimately one of the reasons why I decided to do an apprenticeship as a geomatics technician. During that time, I gained insights into geoinformatics and engineering geodetics, among other things. I was very fascinated by these areas and quickly realised that I wanted to study in one of these fields afterwards.
Why did you choose to do your Masters at D-BAUG?
When it came time to choose a degree programme, the Bachelor’s degree in Geospatial Engineering with a consecutive Master’s degree in Geomatics soon emerged as an appealing option. Be it engineering geodesy, remote sensing, geoinformatics, cartography – I wanted to learn more in all these areas. As the Master’s in Geomatics at D-BAUG allows me to do exactly that, I decided to do this programme.
What are your plans after graduation? For the future?
I basically see myself very much in engineering. Ideally, I’d like to work on complex, unique and interdisciplinary projects that require a broad range of expertise and a bit of creativity. I could well imagine specialising either in geomonitoring or in geoinformatics in combination with cartography.
Cedric Wenger
Where are you from?
I’m from Kaiseraugst, a town in the lower Fricktal region near Basel, known for its Roman town of Augusta Raurica.
What led you to study Civil Engineering?
I’ve been interested in science since I was a kid, not only for the mathematical relationships but also for the process of using it to come up with a real, technical “product”. That’s why I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to be an engineer. Before I started university, I accompanied a colleague to their lectures for a day, and liked the informal atmosphere of the civil engineering programme. What I also really appreciate about civil engineering is that you can usually see the result – in other words, what’s been built – in a way you can’t with, say, electrical engineering, although that’s exciting too.
Why did you choose to do your Masters at D-BAUG?
As I’d already completed my Bachelor’s degree at D-BAUG, it made sense for me to tackle its Master’s programme as well. The real question is, why did I choose the Bachelor’s programme here in the first place: I’m interested in both the “equations” and the deeper connections behind them, so ETH is certainly the right place for me. D-BAUG is also a department that deals with topical social problems, such as the construction and maintenance of efficient infrastructure, environmental protection and transport research, to name but three. Plus, I’ve known about ETH Zurich since I was a child, and definitely no later than when I enthusiastically rode up and down the Polybahn a few times in a row when I was at primary school.
What are your plans after graduation? For the future?
Between my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, I completed a year of work experience in the field of (static) project planning. At the moment, I think that I’d like to get some professional experience as a project engineer after my Master’s so that I can apply what I’ve learnt in mathematics. Completing my Master’s has my full focus right now, and then I’ll see where I end up.