Franco Vigliotti
Mission
A part of the Vice Presidency for Operations, the Domain for Development and Construction comprises the Construction Service, Catering Services, and operations for associated campuses (EPFL Neuchâtel, EPFL Valais-Wallis, EPFL Geneva, and EPFL Fribourg). At the central level, the division plans all new EPFL construction projects and major renovations (the campus of tomorrow), as well as outdoor spaces. It is also responsible for coordinating campus catering, particularly in terms of strategy, operations and sustainability. Its remit also includes coordinating operations at associated campuses, under the responsibility of the operational departments that manage the local campuses on a day-to-day basis.
Prior to my current assignment, I was the dean and director of EPFL Middle East for 12 years, where I had the overall responsibility of academics and operations.
Prior to my current assignment, I was the dean and director of EPFL Middle East for 12 years, where I had the overall responsibility of academics and operations.
I obtained my MSc and PhD in condensed matter and laser physics in Lausanne in 2000. Simultaneously, I was an independent consultant for the Swiss cement industry, in the field of quality control, data analysis and management. I am also an alumnus of the postgraduate IMD program Managing Technology Enterprise.
From 2001 to 2004, I was a chemical physics research associate and postdoctoral fellow of the Swiss National Research Foundation for three years at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, under the direction of Nobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail.
In 2004, I joined the presidency of EPFL (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne), where my activities have included strategic developments of EPFL, several large-scale academic reorganizations and partnerships, and new initiatives at the regional, national and international level.
In 2009, I was appointed founding Dean and Director of EPFL Middle East, in Ras Al Khaimah (UAE), a center of graduate research and innovation of EPFL in the UAE. The areas of focus of my activities included energy management, sustainability and supporting technologies. The program I have been leading has resulted in over 12 PhD and 100 MSc theses, 50 graduate-level internships in the UAE. Some of these projects have supported or resulted in strategic industrial and government investments in the UAE, as well as start-up creation. The overall impact of these graduate-level projects confirmed the potential of innovation as a socio-economic driver, in good alignment with the UAE National Agenda; be it in economic value across the UAE -over 100 USM$ to date, or be it environmental, with projects amounting to about 400'000 tCO2/year.
Since 2021, I have been the Director of Development and Construction of EPFL, with oversight on the infrasturcture development of all campuses of EPFL.
Education
Cybersecurity
| Cybersecurity : Managing Risk in the Information Age (2019)
2019 – 2019
Harvard X
Directed by
Eric Rosenbach
Management of technology
| Managing Technology Entreprises
2008 – 2008
IMD
Directed by
IMD - EPFL
Time-resolved structural dynamics in solid state systems
| CW and Ultrafast spectroscopy of laser induced deformations in solid hydrogens and rare gas solids
1995 – 2000
UNIL
Directed by
Majed Chergui
Physics
| Master thesis : Rydberg states of NO in rare gas solids
1990 – 1995
UNIL
Directed by
Majed Chergui
Past Awards - Publications and invited talks
AWARDS
Skinner prize (1997), Royal Chemical Society London, Faraday Division.
Brunner Prize (2000), Université de Lausanne.
Prix Haenny (2000), Association Vaudoise des Chercheurs en Physique.
SNF Posdoctoral Grant, 2001-2002.
Swiss Business Council, UAE: Swiss Personality of the year (2017) – innovation.
PUBLICATIONS
F. Vigliotti, S. Chen, C.-Y. Ruan, V. Lobastov, A. Zewail Ultrafast Electron Crystallography of Surface Structural Dynamics with Atomic-Scale Resolution Angewandte Chemie International Edition 43 (2004):2705-9; Cover picture of the issue.
C.-Y. Ruan, V. Lobastov, F. Vigliotti, S. Chen, A. Zewail Ultrafast Electron Crystallography of Interfacial Water Science 304 (2004), 80-84.
C.-Y. Ruan, F. Vigliotti, V. Lobastov, S. Chen, A. Zewail Ultrafast Electron Crystallography : Transient structures of molecules, surfaces and phase transitions Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101 (2004):1123-8.
V. Lobastov, R. Srnivasan, F. Vigliotti, C.-Y. Ruan, J. Feenstra, S. Chen, S. T. Park, S. Xu, A. Zewail Ultrafast Electron diffraction In: Krausz F., Korn G., Corkum P., Walmsley I.A. (eds) Ultrafast Optics IV. Springer Series in Optical Sciences, vol 95. Springer, New York, NY. Ultrafast Optics IV 101(5).
F. Vigliotti, L. Bonacina, M. Chergui Ultrafast structural dynamics in electronically excited solid neon. I. Real-time probing of the electronic bubble formation Physical review B, Condensed Matter 67 (2003),115118.
G.Rojas-Lorenzo, J. Rubayo-Soneira, F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui Ultrafast structural dynamics in electronically excited solid neon. II. Molecular-dynamics simulations of the electronic bubble formation Physical review B, Condensed Matter 67 (2003):115119.
F. Vigliotti, L. Bonacina, M. Chergui, G.Rojas-Lorenzo. Ultrafast expansion and vibrational coherences of electronic `Bubbles' in solid neon Chemical Physics Letters 362 (2002):31-38.
F. Vigliotti, A. Cavina, C. Bressler, B. Lang, M. Chergui. Structural dynamics in quantum solids. I. Steady-state spectroscopy of the electronic bubble in solid hydrogens The Journal of Chemical Physics 116, 4542 (2002).
F. Vigliotti, L. Bonacina, M. Chergui. Structural dynamics in quantum solids. II. Real-time probing of the electronic bubble formation in solid hydrogens The Journal of Chemical Physics 116, 4553 (2002) .
F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui. Impurity Rydberg States as Probes of Local Dynamics in the Condensed Phase In: Femtochemistry: With the Nobel Lecture of A. Zewail pp.239-252 (2001).
F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui. Rydberg states in the condensed phase studied by fluorescence depletion spectroscopy The European Physical Journal D, 10 (2000) 379-390.
C. Jeannin, M. T. Portella-Oberli, F. Vigliotti, S. Jimenez, B. Lang, M. Chergui. Femtosecond dynamics of electronic 'bubbles' in solid argon: Viewing the inertial response and the bath coherences Chemical Physics Letters 316 (2000), 51-59.
F. Vigliotti, C. Jeannin, M. T. Portella-Oberli, M. Chergui. Dynamics of electronic "bubble" formation in solid hydrogen Journal of Luminescence, 83-84(1999),135-138.
F. Vigliotti, E. Sarraf, M. Chergui, R. Scholz Dynamics of Electronic "Bubble" Formation in Solid Hydrogen: A Classical Model Calculation based on Fluid Dynamics Physical Review Letters 83 (1999).
F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui Lineshape analysis of impurity Rydberg transitions in van der Waals solids: Derivation of intermolecular potentials Chemical Physics Letters 305 (1999), 187-188 and Chemical Physics Letters 296 (1998), 316-322.
F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui Lifetime lengthening of molecular Rydberg states in the condensed phase The Journal of Chemical Physics Letters 109 (1998), 3508-3517.
C. Jeannin. M. T. Portella-Oberli, F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui Femtosecond transition state spectroscopy of solids: Electronic 'bubble' formation in solid hydrogen Chemical Physics Letters 279 (1997), 65-72.
F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui, M. Dickgiesser, N. Schwentner Rydberg states in quantum crystals NO in solid H2 Faraday Discussions 108 (1997), 139-159.
G. Zerza, F. Vigliotti, A. Sassara, M. Chergui, V. Stepanenko Rydberg series in condensed matter: A fluorescence depletion experiment, Chemical Physics Letters 256 (1996), 63-70.
INVITED TALKS
Government of Ras Al Khaimah : Foresight on Sustainability and green strategies, 25 Oct. 2020
Panel discussion Swiss Consulate, American University of Dubai, 16 Nov. 2017
Second UAE Expo 2020 Workshop in cooperation with Presence Switzerland, Dubai, 23 Oct. 2017.
“UAE Innovation Ambassadors” event in Lausanne, 11 Aug. 2017
“Seminar on Innovation” in Jakarta, Indonesia, 13 Jul. 2017
“OBHE 2016 Global Forum 'Brain Gain: Charting the impact and future of TNE'”, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 9 – 11 November, 2016
Swiss Business Council and Consulate in Dubai, survey of sustainability best practices within the Swiss corporate community in the UAE, 31 May 2016.
Nazarbaiev University, Astana, 3 May. 2016 GMIC 2016, Beijing 2016, 28 Apr. 2016
Government of Dubai - Cheung Kong, Seminar for Senior Executives, 18 Nov. 2015
International Conference on engineering education, Shiraz, 12 Nov. 2015 USLU- AUS seminar on innovation in the Middle East, Sharjah, 29 Oct. 2015
CLUSTER meeting, Eindhoven, 22 Oct 2015
Meeting of the Swiss Ambassadors, 19 Aug 2015 KUSTAR, Abu Dhabi, 11 Nov 2014 Arab Euro Conference on Higher Education, Jordan, 11 Jun 2014
QEERI delegation in Lausanne, Switzerland, 20 Mar. 2014
Swedish Foundation (Research and Higher Education -STINT), RAK, UAE, 2014, 5 Mar. 2014
NextGen Conference, Tharawat, Dubai, UAE, 26 Feb. 2014
WETEX, Green Economy Summit, Dubai, UAE, 16 Apr. 2014 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 19 Jan. 2014
Gulf Education Conference, London, 1 Apr. 2014 40 years of bilateral relations – UAE and Swiss Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Bern, Switzerland, 18 Nov. 2013
Minister of Energy and FEWA General Manager, Dubai, UAE, 20 Nov. 2013
Swiss Government, President of the Council of states, RAK, UAE, 31 Oct. 2013
GCC-Swiss Forum, Research and Higher Education, Geneva, Switzerland, 3 Sept. 2013
Nestlé Middle East - specialized workshop, Dubai, UAE, 4 Jun 2013
Global Warming/ Sustainable Cities (EPDA), RAK, UAE, 5 May 2013
HBKU, Doha, Qatar, 14 Nov. 2012
Academic and governance report to His Highness, RAK, UAE, 11 Nov. 2012
International Higher Education Conference (DAAD), Leipzig, Switzerland, 26 Oct. 2012
Ministry of Higher Education, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 22 Sept. 2012
CIIT, Invitation by the Minister of Science and Technology, Pakistan, 5 Jun 2012
Qatar University, Doha, Qatar, 13 May 2012 American University of Sharjah (plenary lecture), Sharjah, UAE, 9 Apr. 2012
Borderless Education Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 24 Apr. 2012
American University of Sharjah (graduate seminar), Sharjah, UAE, 13 Mar. 2012
BIG 5, Dubai, UAE, 22 Nov. 2011 RAK Municipality, RAK, UAE, 15 Nov. 2011
Government and Business Delegation of Jura, RAK, UAE, 20 Oct. 2011
Swiss Ambassador Award 2011, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 2 Oct. 2011
Nestle Middle East, Dubai, UAE, 8 Sept. 2011
Emirati-Swiss Friendship forum on innovation (H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa), Lausanne, Switzerland, 27 Jun. 2011
Micro-Nano Technologies Summit, RAK, UAE, 26 Apr. 2011
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Directorate for climate change), Abu Dhabi, UAE, 9 March 2011
World Future Energy Summit, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 26 Jan. 2011
CILT, Dubai, UAE, 20 Nov. 2010
UAE-Swiss Workshop Clean Tech and Environment, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 7 Nov. 2010
Skinner prize (1997), Royal Chemical Society London, Faraday Division.
Brunner Prize (2000), Université de Lausanne.
Prix Haenny (2000), Association Vaudoise des Chercheurs en Physique.
SNF Posdoctoral Grant, 2001-2002.
Swiss Business Council, UAE: Swiss Personality of the year (2017) – innovation.
PUBLICATIONS
F. Vigliotti, S. Chen, C.-Y. Ruan, V. Lobastov, A. Zewail Ultrafast Electron Crystallography of Surface Structural Dynamics with Atomic-Scale Resolution Angewandte Chemie International Edition 43 (2004):2705-9; Cover picture of the issue.
C.-Y. Ruan, V. Lobastov, F. Vigliotti, S. Chen, A. Zewail Ultrafast Electron Crystallography of Interfacial Water Science 304 (2004), 80-84.
C.-Y. Ruan, F. Vigliotti, V. Lobastov, S. Chen, A. Zewail Ultrafast Electron Crystallography : Transient structures of molecules, surfaces and phase transitions Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101 (2004):1123-8.
V. Lobastov, R. Srnivasan, F. Vigliotti, C.-Y. Ruan, J. Feenstra, S. Chen, S. T. Park, S. Xu, A. Zewail Ultrafast Electron diffraction In: Krausz F., Korn G., Corkum P., Walmsley I.A. (eds) Ultrafast Optics IV. Springer Series in Optical Sciences, vol 95. Springer, New York, NY. Ultrafast Optics IV 101(5).
F. Vigliotti, L. Bonacina, M. Chergui Ultrafast structural dynamics in electronically excited solid neon. I. Real-time probing of the electronic bubble formation Physical review B, Condensed Matter 67 (2003),115118.
G.Rojas-Lorenzo, J. Rubayo-Soneira, F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui Ultrafast structural dynamics in electronically excited solid neon. II. Molecular-dynamics simulations of the electronic bubble formation Physical review B, Condensed Matter 67 (2003):115119.
F. Vigliotti, L. Bonacina, M. Chergui, G.Rojas-Lorenzo. Ultrafast expansion and vibrational coherences of electronic `Bubbles' in solid neon Chemical Physics Letters 362 (2002):31-38.
F. Vigliotti, A. Cavina, C. Bressler, B. Lang, M. Chergui. Structural dynamics in quantum solids. I. Steady-state spectroscopy of the electronic bubble in solid hydrogens The Journal of Chemical Physics 116, 4542 (2002).
F. Vigliotti, L. Bonacina, M. Chergui. Structural dynamics in quantum solids. II. Real-time probing of the electronic bubble formation in solid hydrogens The Journal of Chemical Physics 116, 4553 (2002) .
F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui. Impurity Rydberg States as Probes of Local Dynamics in the Condensed Phase In: Femtochemistry: With the Nobel Lecture of A. Zewail pp.239-252 (2001).
F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui. Rydberg states in the condensed phase studied by fluorescence depletion spectroscopy The European Physical Journal D, 10 (2000) 379-390.
C. Jeannin, M. T. Portella-Oberli, F. Vigliotti, S. Jimenez, B. Lang, M. Chergui. Femtosecond dynamics of electronic 'bubbles' in solid argon: Viewing the inertial response and the bath coherences Chemical Physics Letters 316 (2000), 51-59.
F. Vigliotti, C. Jeannin, M. T. Portella-Oberli, M. Chergui. Dynamics of electronic "bubble" formation in solid hydrogen Journal of Luminescence, 83-84(1999),135-138.
F. Vigliotti, E. Sarraf, M. Chergui, R. Scholz Dynamics of Electronic "Bubble" Formation in Solid Hydrogen: A Classical Model Calculation based on Fluid Dynamics Physical Review Letters 83 (1999).
F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui Lineshape analysis of impurity Rydberg transitions in van der Waals solids: Derivation of intermolecular potentials Chemical Physics Letters 305 (1999), 187-188 and Chemical Physics Letters 296 (1998), 316-322.
F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui Lifetime lengthening of molecular Rydberg states in the condensed phase The Journal of Chemical Physics Letters 109 (1998), 3508-3517.
C. Jeannin. M. T. Portella-Oberli, F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui Femtosecond transition state spectroscopy of solids: Electronic 'bubble' formation in solid hydrogen Chemical Physics Letters 279 (1997), 65-72.
F. Vigliotti, M. Chergui, M. Dickgiesser, N. Schwentner Rydberg states in quantum crystals NO in solid H2 Faraday Discussions 108 (1997), 139-159.
G. Zerza, F. Vigliotti, A. Sassara, M. Chergui, V. Stepanenko Rydberg series in condensed matter: A fluorescence depletion experiment, Chemical Physics Letters 256 (1996), 63-70.
INVITED TALKS
Government of Ras Al Khaimah : Foresight on Sustainability and green strategies, 25 Oct. 2020
Panel discussion Swiss Consulate, American University of Dubai, 16 Nov. 2017
Second UAE Expo 2020 Workshop in cooperation with Presence Switzerland, Dubai, 23 Oct. 2017.
“UAE Innovation Ambassadors” event in Lausanne, 11 Aug. 2017
“Seminar on Innovation” in Jakarta, Indonesia, 13 Jul. 2017
“OBHE 2016 Global Forum 'Brain Gain: Charting the impact and future of TNE'”, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 9 – 11 November, 2016
Swiss Business Council and Consulate in Dubai, survey of sustainability best practices within the Swiss corporate community in the UAE, 31 May 2016.
Nazarbaiev University, Astana, 3 May. 2016 GMIC 2016, Beijing 2016, 28 Apr. 2016
Government of Dubai - Cheung Kong, Seminar for Senior Executives, 18 Nov. 2015
International Conference on engineering education, Shiraz, 12 Nov. 2015 USLU- AUS seminar on innovation in the Middle East, Sharjah, 29 Oct. 2015
CLUSTER meeting, Eindhoven, 22 Oct 2015
Meeting of the Swiss Ambassadors, 19 Aug 2015 KUSTAR, Abu Dhabi, 11 Nov 2014 Arab Euro Conference on Higher Education, Jordan, 11 Jun 2014
QEERI delegation in Lausanne, Switzerland, 20 Mar. 2014
Swedish Foundation (Research and Higher Education -STINT), RAK, UAE, 2014, 5 Mar. 2014
NextGen Conference, Tharawat, Dubai, UAE, 26 Feb. 2014
WETEX, Green Economy Summit, Dubai, UAE, 16 Apr. 2014 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 19 Jan. 2014
Gulf Education Conference, London, 1 Apr. 2014 40 years of bilateral relations – UAE and Swiss Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Bern, Switzerland, 18 Nov. 2013
Minister of Energy and FEWA General Manager, Dubai, UAE, 20 Nov. 2013
Swiss Government, President of the Council of states, RAK, UAE, 31 Oct. 2013
GCC-Swiss Forum, Research and Higher Education, Geneva, Switzerland, 3 Sept. 2013
Nestlé Middle East - specialized workshop, Dubai, UAE, 4 Jun 2013
Global Warming/ Sustainable Cities (EPDA), RAK, UAE, 5 May 2013
HBKU, Doha, Qatar, 14 Nov. 2012
Academic and governance report to His Highness, RAK, UAE, 11 Nov. 2012
International Higher Education Conference (DAAD), Leipzig, Switzerland, 26 Oct. 2012
Ministry of Higher Education, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 22 Sept. 2012
CIIT, Invitation by the Minister of Science and Technology, Pakistan, 5 Jun 2012
Qatar University, Doha, Qatar, 13 May 2012 American University of Sharjah (plenary lecture), Sharjah, UAE, 9 Apr. 2012
Borderless Education Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 24 Apr. 2012
American University of Sharjah (graduate seminar), Sharjah, UAE, 13 Mar. 2012
BIG 5, Dubai, UAE, 22 Nov. 2011 RAK Municipality, RAK, UAE, 15 Nov. 2011
Government and Business Delegation of Jura, RAK, UAE, 20 Oct. 2011
Swiss Ambassador Award 2011, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 2 Oct. 2011
Nestle Middle East, Dubai, UAE, 8 Sept. 2011
Emirati-Swiss Friendship forum on innovation (H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa), Lausanne, Switzerland, 27 Jun. 2011
Micro-Nano Technologies Summit, RAK, UAE, 26 Apr. 2011
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Directorate for climate change), Abu Dhabi, UAE, 9 March 2011
World Future Energy Summit, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 26 Jan. 2011
CILT, Dubai, UAE, 20 Nov. 2010
UAE-Swiss Workshop Clean Tech and Environment, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 7 Nov. 2010