I grew up in Switzerland, in a small but very touristic village in the foothills of the alps named “Interlaken” – an accurate name as it is located between two beautiful lakes. I attended the local high school and finished my undergraduate studies in Bern. I continued my graduate education at the renowned ETH Zürich. Unlike the regular Swiss universities ETH is funded by the country and not by an individual “Kanton” (the Swiss equivalent of a province), which is why the course offer is amazingly broad. I could get insights into cosmology, particle physics, and even string theory (I admit that I was too scared to take the string theory exam, but it is still fascinating how people can devote their entire life to construct such abstract concepts).

Besides my passion for exploring the mysteries of the universe I also have some more “mundane” interests: I enjoy various sports such as (table) tennis, badminton, mountain biking, skiing, football and – in Corona times – jogging (I admit I hate running, but what else can you do…). Furthermore, I used to play French horn in an amateur orchestra in Switzerland and plan to continue this whenever it is possible again. In the meantime I’ll try to improve my piano skills at the cost of my neighbors. I also love playing all kinds of board and card games, especially the traditional Swiss “Jass” and “Tichu”.