Hall of Fame

Anne Catherine’s passion for interdisciplinary exchange acts as an incubator for ideas and promotes collaboration across departmental boundaries. At community events, in personal conversations and on the DFL’s internal communication platform, she brings people together and highlights innovative topics. Her research in Extended Realities combines future technologies with an interdisciplinary perspective. Since August, she has headed the Professorship in Interpreting Studies at the School of Applied Linguistics. The fact that she has already been nominated six times for the Digital Shaper Award shows how strongly her ongoing commitment is recognised by the community.

• Learn more about Anne Catherine
• Learn more about her professorship

By scanning the QR code with a smartphone (Chrome recommended), the award presented to Anne Catherine is displayed in augmented reality. It appears when the camera is pointed at the QR code. Enjoy exploring! If you are visiting this website on a smartphone, you can alternatively open the following link:

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Nicole is a driving force in promoting Open Educational Resources (OER) at ZHAW. With her expertise and passion, she works tirelessly to make teaching and learning materials freely accessible and customisable. Her dedication is evident in the workshops she organises, her active participation in community events, and her contributions to Beekeeper, the DFL's internal communication platform. Nicole has enriched the ZHAW community and made a lasting impact on advancing open access in education.

• Learn more about Nicole
• Discover more about OER at ZHAW

Scan the QR code with your smartphone (recommended: Chrome) to view the trophy presented to Nicole in Augmented Reality. Enjoy exploring it! If you’re browsing this page on your smartphone, you can alternatively use this link:

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Through Nicole’s dedication to initiatives and projects at ZHAW, as well as her involvement with the Digital Health Lab and the Health Research Hub, she has built an impressive network that benefits both her research projects and the entire community. Nicole has initiated impactful discussions and workshops to foster interdisciplinary collaboration at ZHAW and connect various networks. Her efforts significantly contribute to knowledge sharing and strengthen connections between initiatives and labs.

• Learn more about Nicole
• Explore the Digital Health Lab

Scan the QR code with your smartphone (recommended: Chrome) to view the trophy presented to Nicole in Augmented Reality. Enjoy exploring it! If you’re browsing this page on your smartphone, you can alternatively use this link:

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Claudia Ambauen has been driving digital transformation at ZHAW since 2018. As Head of the Development and Services Unit, she and her team develop digital tools such as contract management, activity tracking, and electronic signatures that streamline workflows across the university. Claudia actively contributes her commitment to the community, particularly in the area of "Transforming ZHAW." She is especially passionate about involving all employees in this transformation, saying: "Together, we can achieve things that would otherwise be difficult or even impossible."

• Learn more about Claudia

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The team, comprising Marcela Ruiz and Michael Wahler from the Institute of Computer Science, and Anne Catherine Gieshoff and Martin Schuler from the Institute of Multilingual Communication, combines technical and linguistic expertise in a joint module. In this module, students of Applied Linguistics develop ideas and user interfaces for language apps, while students from the School of Engineering derive technical requirements and software architectures based on these concepts. This exchange brings to life how digital transformation succeeds through interdisciplinary collaboration. The community sees this project as a strong example of interdisciplinary impact and lived cooperation at ZHAW.

• Learn more about the module

By scanning the QR code with a smartphone (Chrome recommended), the award presented to the team is displayed in augmented reality. It appears when the camera is pointed at the QR code. Enjoy exploring! If you are visiting this website on a smartphone, you can alternatively open the following link:

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Marcela Ruiz is a pioneer in democratising software development. As one of the first DIZH Fellows, she is dedicated to lowering the barriers for non-programmers. Her mission is to empower people from all backgrounds to harness the potential of software production and prepare the next generation for a digital future. In 2024, her impactful research earned her a professorship at the School of Engineering, where she continues to drive digital transformation by breaking down digital barriers. With her inspiring vision and unwavering commitment, Marcela Ruiz stands as a role model for innovation and societal impact.

• Learn more about Marcela

Scan the QR code with your smartphone (recommended: Chrome) to view the trophy presented to Marcela in Augmented Reality. Enjoy exploring it! If you’re browsing this page on your smartphone, you can alternatively use this link:

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Daniel Baumann's impact extends far beyond his former role as Head and founding member of ZHAW digital. During his tenure, he established teams and initiated key projects with vision and openness, shaping the digital transformation in education. Highlights include launching the Digital Campus to complement ZHAW’s physical campuses and face-to-face learning, introducing globally accessible ZHAW MOOCs, and advancing openness in education through the promotion and use of freely available teaching materials. Although no longer a regular ZHAW employee, Daniel has continued contributing as an external advisor since 2023.

Scan the QR code with your smartphone (recommended: Chrome) to view the trophy presented to Daniel in Augmented Reality. Enjoy exploring it! If you’re browsing this page on your smartphone, you can alternatively use this link:

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Describing Thilo Stadelmann's impact in the field of digital transformation in just under 100 words is almost impossible. He is especially renowned in the field of AI and since 2021 the director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence (CAI) at the ZHAW. There, he is driving forward promising projects concerning pattern recognition and image processing, while at the same time working to build up the digital ecosystem at ZHAW and in Switzerland. Back in 2013, for example, he co-founded one of the first Data Science Labs in Europe, the ZHAW Datalab. In addition to his activities as a professor, researcher and director, he is a member of numerous networks and the co-founder for example of the data innovation alliance.

• Learn more about Thilo
• Visit the Centre for Artificial Intelligence
• Explore the ZHAW Datalab

Scan the QR code with your smartphone (recommended: Chrome) to view the trophy presented to Thilo in Augmented Reality. Enjoy exploring it! If you’re browsing this page on your smartphone, you can alternatively use this link:

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