Invited speakers

Detlef Günther

Professor Detlef Günther is full professor for Trace Element and Micro Analysis at the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences of ETH Zurich. Currently he is Vice President for Research at ETH and responsible for research activities within ETH, which includes the strategic development of platforms, equipment, competence centres, research funding instruments (internal and external) and good scientific practice. He also develops the medical research of ETH Zurich in collaboration with hospital partners. Furthermore, research projects within the European Research Programs are coordinated within his department. From 2010 until 2012, he has been Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences and member in the strategic commission and the tenure committee at ETH.

He obtained his Diploma degree in Chemistry (1987) and Dr. rer.nat. in Analytical Chemistry (1990) from the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg (Germany). After carrying out postdoctoral studies in the Plant Biochemistry Institute in Halle (Germany), in the Earth Science Departments Memorial University Newfoundland (Canada) and ETH Zurich, he became Assistant professor at the Department of Chemistry at ETH Zurich in 1998. He was promoted to Associate Professor for Trace Element and Micro Analysis in 2003 and became Full Professor in 2008 in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Sciences. He has been “Einstein Fellow” (2013-2015,Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany) and received the “Thousand Talent Fellowship” in 2013 (Wuhan University, China). In 2014, he was elected as member of the German National Academy of Science Leopoldina.

His research in the field of Analytical Chemistry is focused on instrument and method development for high spatially resolved trace and ultra-trace element analysis and isotope ratio determinations using laser ablation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.