“The Faculty of Science is a believer in the process”

Inspired by his love of designing research projects and working on interdisciplinary questions, chemist Roland Sigel took up the post of dean at the Faculty of Science three years ago. The new Governance 2020+ reforms are set to increase the autonomy of the faculties, a development that Sigel welcomes as positive and in step with the times. “It makes sense to transfer more responsibility to the deans,” he says. “In many cases the deans were already de facto in charge of these areas anyway.” He sees the Faculty of Science as “very well positioned” in terms of the change process set to sweep through UZH. Sigel and his team were intimately involved in shaping the reforms, and he describes the Faculty of Science as a believer in the process and as highly motivated when it comes to putting the resolutions and structures into practice. “The faculty's new Organization Regulations have been accepted without any pushback,” he adds.

The Faculty of Science will enjoy numerous improvements thanks to Governance 2020+. For Sigel, having more autonomy when it comes to strategic and spatial planning is incredibly important. With the number of science students constantly climbing, there is a need for more facilities on Irchel Campus – a need that he describes as “urgent.” Now it will be quicker and easier for the Faculty of Science, working together with the Directorate for Real Estate and Facility Management, to advocate for its needs. Having budget authority is important for the faculty also in terms of planning how to fill its professorships. The new powers granted by Governance 2020+ will allow them to make more strategic decisions and decide on which fields and topics receive priority. Since the beginning of the year, for instance, funds from vacated professorial chairs have been pooled in their entirety for the purpose of appointing new professors, a system that allows for setting new priorities and creating space for junior researchers. “It’s no longer the case that chairs are automatically replaced,” he says. “We work together with department heads to jointly set strategies and criteria.”

Being dean of the Faculty of Science has long been a full-time job and comes with a term of four years. Sigel still has two years left in his term to implement his vision of a holistic faculty where top-notch research is conducted, teamwork is number one and junior researchers get the support that they need. In parallel, Sigel still serves as the head of a successful research group, although he delegates these responsibilities where he can. Stefan Stöcklin