Talent and serendipity
Taking a position at ETH Zurich was the most important decision in his professional life. Marco Mazzotti is still convinced of this today. Now, at the end of January 2025, he will retire, and he already knows that he will greatly miss the exchange with young researchers and the work on challenging scientific questions.
Which moment from your 28 years at D-MAVT will you always remember?
Marco Mazzotti: During the first D-MAVT retreat that I attended a few months after starting as a professor, we were asked to indicate our best achievement so far, and I said without hesitation: “Becoming an ETH Professor!” To this day I am of the same opinion, because my employment at ETH Zurich made all the ensuing achievements possible. ETH Zurich is an ideal place to do ground-breaking research, which is relevant for society. It offers complete scientific freedom and access to the best young talents, while always providing the resources and the support of a great institution.
Can you describe the areas of research you are involved in and how you got started in these fields?
My research focuses on two different areas. The first is important for the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries and concentrates on separation processes, particularly adsorption, chromatography and crystallization. These technologies are essential for separating and purifying the many chemical products that we need. An important example is drugs consisting of chiral molecules, which are present in nature in two mirror-image forms, like left and right hand, called enantiomers. These need to be separated before formulation as pharmaceutical product, because they may have different effects in our body, with one exhibiting the desired effect and the other being useless or even toxic.
The second area addresses climate change and sustainable energy systems. We are researching solutions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and in general, to enhance sustainability in technical and energy systems through technological and system-level advances.
How did you get started in these fields?
My journey into these fields began somewhat serendipitously. My work in chromatography started during my doctoral studies at the Politecnico di Milano. I ventured into crystallization at ETH Zurich after discussions with industry professionals in Basel highlighted scientific knowledge gaps and unmet process needs.
My interest in carbon dioxide management solutions was sparked by a Master’s student who wished to pursue doctoral studies on an environmentally relevant topic and suggested working on mineralization of carbon dioxide in natural and industrial materials. Lastly, my involvement in energy systems began when I was invited to join the Managing Board of the Energy Science Center and to later become its Chair.
However one starts a new area of research, it is crucial to develop it consistently, systematically and creatively, by deploying the appropriate experimental, theoretical, and modeling tools. Throughout my entire scientific career, I have always proceeded in this way to first identify and then address the key scientific questions of interest.
“I feel I have always been an applied mathematician, more than a classical engineer, who enjoys transforming mathematical insight into scientific results and relevant applications in the physical and chemical world.”Marco Mazzotti
What are the major achievements of your laboratory at ETH?
I feel I have always been an applied mathematician, more than a classical engineer, who enjoys transforming mathematical insight into scientific results and relevant applications in the physical and chemical world. I love sharing this passion with my research associates and then reinventing technologies in the laboratory based on the understanding attained using mathematical models.
I am particularly proud of the contributions we have made to the fields of adsorption, chromatography and crystallization, as materialized in our numerous scientific publications and recognized by our scientific peers.
Another significant achievement is our tangible impact in the area of carbon dioxide management solutions, where I have worked for over 20 years. Two significant examples are the project DemoUpCARMA, where we have implemented and demonstrated two routes for the transport, utilization and permanent storage of carbon dioxide, and the research on mineralization of CO2. From this the rather successful spinoff external page Neustark originated when it was founded by a doctoral student of mine and an external partner in 2019.
What do you think is still needed for science to solve environmental problems like climate change in the future? Is it even possible?
I believe that science should follow three parallel directions in its contribution to addressing climate change. First, scientists should show and demonstrate that there are many technologies ready for deployment that could significantly counteract climate change already now. Second, scientists should keep improving the existing technologies and developing new ones, forming the workforce we need and increasing the effectiveness of climate action, thus multiplying their impact. Third, scientists – in dialogue with society and politics – should question the structural features of our society that have made climate change possible, from market failure in a capitalistic economy to neglecting the existence of planetary boundaries in the use of resources and the exploitation of the territory. In this context, I would like to mention that Walter Turnherr, the former Chancellor of the Swiss Federal Council, is now an ETH Professor and is advocating for strengthening the exchange between scientists and politicians, which is particularly needed in an age where the majority of laws and regulations issued by governing bodies worldwide have a tight connection to one or more new technological developments.
What are you most proud of?
My doctoral students and my research associates. I am proud of what they have achieved in the past, what they are achieving now, and what they will achieve in the future, exploiting their scientific talents and personal qualities. I am confident that they will continue making impactful contributions to the Swiss society and the world.
You have mentored many young researchers. What advice do you give them if they aspire to a career in science?
I believe that it is important to identify an area of research where one can be effective not only in the short term, but also in the long term by addressing the most relevant societal and global challenges.
“I am proud of what [my doctoral students and my research associates] have achieved in the past, what they are achieving now, and what they will achieve in the future ...”Marco Mazzotti
What do you do when you are not immersed in research work?
Three things, with great passion. First, I love hiking and ski-touring, always accompanied by my wife Mietta and sometimes with friends. Second, I enjoy reading a wide range of books, from novels to non-fiction. Third, I love music, and I listen to everything from classical composers like Claudio Monteverdi and Johann Sebastian Bach, to modern artists such as the Beatles and Bob Dylan. I also sing in an amateur choir, where we perform great classical choral works, such as Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and Poulenc’s Stabat Mater.
What will you miss most after your retirement?
Working with young, smart, motivated students and research associates, on novel challenging scientific questions.
What are your next plans?
I would like to continue working in the field of climate change and sustainability. How to do this is still to be seen.
What must not be missing from your desk in the future?
The laptop with music playing, a cup of tea, and a stimulating or entertaining book, either on my desk at home or on my lap during a train ride to a mountain resort.
Farewell Lecture
«Interpolations, extrapolations»
Professor Marco Mazzotti
22 November 2024, 5.15 p.m.
ETH Zentrum, Audi Max (HG F 30)
About the lecture
About
Prof. Dr. Marco Mazzotti (64)
Professor for Process Engineering
Separation Processes Laboratory at the Institute of Energy and Process Engineering
At D-MAVT from 1997-2025