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President Michael Schaepman

  • President Michael Schaepman in September 2025 (Image: Frank Brüderli)
    President Michael Schaepman in September 2025 (Image: Frank Brüderli)
  • Michael Schaepman with UZH members at
    Michael Schaepman with UZH members at "Breakfast with Michael", 6 September 2023 (Photo: Patrizia Widmer)
  • Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, and President Michael Schaepman at UZH’s Dies academicus 2026 (Photo: UZH Campus Culture)
    Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, and President Michael Schaepman at UZH’s Dies academicus 2026 (Photo: UZH Campus Culture)
  • President Michael Schaepman speaks at UZH’s Dies academicus 2026 (Photo: Andrin Owassapian)
    President Michael Schaepman speaks at UZH’s Dies academicus 2026 (Photo: Andrin Owassapian)
  • President Michael Schaepman and Vidar Helgesen, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation, in front of Albert Einstein's original UZH doctoral certificate. 1 September 2022 (Photo: Frank Brüderli)
    President Michael Schaepman and Vidar Helgesen, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation, in front of Albert Einstein's original UZH doctoral certificate. 1 September 2022 (Photo: Frank Brüderli)
  • Michael Schaepman with members of the student association of the University of Zurich (VSUZH) at the Dies Academicus, 30 April 2022 (Photo: Frank Brüderli)
    Michael Schaepman with members of the student association of the University of Zurich (VSUZH) at the Dies Academicus, 30 April 2022 (Photo: Frank Brüderli)
  • Government Councillor Silvia Steiner and President Michael Schaepman at UZH’s Dies academicus 2026 (Photo: UZH Campus Culture)
    Government Councillor Silvia Steiner and President Michael Schaepman at UZH’s Dies academicus 2026 (Photo: UZH Campus Culture)
  • Michael Schaepman talks to Esther Girsberger at the inauguration of the new laboratory building on Irchel Campus, 27 August 2021 (Photo: Frank Brüderli)
    Michael Schaepman talks to Esther Girsberger at the inauguration of the new laboratory building on Irchel Campus, 27 August 2021 (Photo: Frank Brüderli)
  • President ad interim Gabriele Siegert hands over the presidential chain of office to Michael Schaepman, 10 July 2020 (Photo: Frank Brüderli)
    President ad interim Gabriele Siegert hands over the presidential chain of office to Michael Schaepman, 10 July 2020 (Photo: Frank Brüderli)

 

Prof. Dr. sc. nat. Michael Schaepman (b. 1966) studied geography, experimental physics and informatics at the University of Zurich and earned his doctoral degree at the UZH Department of Geography UZH in 1998. Following postdoctoral work at the University of Arizona in Tucson, USA, he returned to the UZH Department of Geography in 2000 to head up a research group. In 2003, Michael Schaepman was appointed professor of geographic information science at the Department of Environmental Sciences at Wageningen University (Netherlands), where from 2005 he was academic head of the Center for Geoinformation. He has been professor of remote sensing at the Department of Geography (Remote Sensing Laboratories) at the University of Zurich since 2009.

His research priorities include Earth observation, remote sensing and spectroscopy to measure biodiversity from space. Michael Schaepman was appointed Vice Dean and then Dean of the Faculty of Science in 2014 and 2016, respectively. From 2017 to 2020 he was the member of the Executive Board of the University responsible for the areas of research, innovation and academic career development. He has been President of the University of Zurich since 1 August 2020.

Videos, Interviews and Talks

Additional Information

Interviews

Der Rektor der UZH will keine höheren Studierendengebühren Interview NZZ am Sonntag, 18.4.2026

“Strengthen What Connects Us”, Interview on UZH's digital strategy, UZH News, 10 July 2023

«Uns fehlt jedes Jahr ein zweistelliger Millionenbetrag»  Interview NZZ am Sonntag, 22.4.2023

“UZH is part of society at large”, a conversation with the President of the Board of the University and the President of UZH , UZH Annual Report 2022, April 2023

"Die UZH hat eine Vorbildrolle", die Präsidentin des Universitätsrats und der Rektor der UZH im Gespräch, UZH Annual Report 2021, April 2022 (in German)

Breakfast with Michael

Staff and students are cordially invited to join the UZH president for “Breakfast with Michael”. What are the University’s current challenges? What creative ideas could move UZH ahead? What’s holding us back? Where do we want to be in five years? The best way to discuss these questions is in an informal setting over coffee and croissants!

Registration (UZH staff and students only)