Research Projects and Presentations

• “Analysis of Disaster Risk Mitigation Measures in Rural Communities in Chile" in collaboration with Universidad de Concepción (Chile) and the Universidad de los Andes (Colombia). Project duration: 2017-2019. Funded by research program Bilateral research collaboration with Brazil and the Latin American Region. (PI) 
• “Increasing community resilience through community-based disaster risk management" in collaboration with the Swiss Red Cross in Switzerland and Honduras. Project duration: 2017-2019. Funded by the Swiss agency for development and cooperation. (PI) 
• “Reducing the seismic risk of Nepal through improved design of reinforced concrete structures and women training on low-weight retrofitting techniques" co-led with Dr. João Almeida of the EPFL Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics Laboratory (EESD). Project duration: 2018-2022. Decision pending by SNSF r4d program. (not granted) 

• Member of the expert evaluation panel. UNDP Social Good Summit. Geneva, 9 October 2019.
• Member of international panel. UK Research and Innovation (GBP 1.5 billion Global Challenges Research Fund – Global Research Translation Awards). London, 14-15 August 2019
• Reviewer for the Journal Geoenvironmental Disasters | SpringerOpen, March 2019.
• Reviewer. Bilateral Research Program with Latin America (SERI), January 2019.
• Jury member. T4I Research Seed Grant. EPFL, Lausanne, November 2018
• Member of international panel for UK Research and Innovation (GBP 1.5 billion Global Challenges Research Fund). London, 5-6 September and 3-4 October 2018.
• Reviewer for Journal of International Humanitarian Action | SpringerOpen, April 2018.
• Reviewer for a textbook proposal | SpringerNature, August 2017.
• Reviewer for Development Engineering| Elsevier, December 2016.
• Head of Jury. The Good Festival. Olympic Museum, 26-29 October 2016, Lausanne.
• Reviewer for the 2016 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC). 13-16 October 2016, Seattle.
• Member of the International Programme Committee for the 2015 IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS 2015). Culture, Ethics and the Knowledge Society. 11–12 November 2015, Dublin.
• Reviewer for Energies | MDPI, December 2015 and January 2019.
• Jury Member of the thesis by Viviana Carolina Munoz Tellez de Kieffer: Institutions, Innovation and Public Health (No. 6566). Thesis Director: Prof. Dominique Foray. 19 January 2015, Lausanne
• Member of Selection Committee for Academia–Industry Training Camps in India and Brazil funded by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. 8 October 2014, Lausanne.
• Invited Expert for three Master projects in the Framework of the Minor in Area and Cultural Studies. 15 October 2014, Lausanne.
• Jury Member of the thesis by Chantal Basurto Dávila: On Daylight Optimization Strategies Based on Computer Simulations for Buildings Located at Low Altitudes (No. 6425) Thesis Director: Prof. Scartezzini and Dr. Kempf. 12 September 2014, Lausanne.
• Reviewer for Jàmbá:Journal of Disaster Risk Studies | AOSiS OpenJournals, August 2014.
• Reviewer for AJAR:African Journal of Agricultural Research | academicJournals, June 2014.
• Member of the Selection Committee for projects submitted to the Brazilian-Swiss Joint Research Programme funded by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. 26 February 2014, Lausanne.
• Member of the KFPE Evaluation Committee for projects submitted to the call Learning Events funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). 24 June 2013, 3 April 2014, 1 July 2015 and 17 May 2016, Bern.
• Member of the Selection Committee of the EPFL Seed Money Program, an annual call for researchers from all scientific disciplines of EPFL, to submit research projects in partnership with academic institutions in the global South. January 2013, January 2014, January 2015, January 2016, January 2017 and November 2018, Lausanne.
• Jury Member for final year Master projects, Universität der Künste Berlin. 11 July 2011, Berlin.

• Presentation “Sustainable Development Goals: new skills for engineering students tackling global sustainability challenges”. Accelerating the implementation of sustainable development in the Curriculum. KTH Stockholm. 10-11 September 2019, Stockholm.
• Moderator “Setting the stage - the new roles and tasks for science and research partnerships.“ Leveraging Research Partnerships for Global Challenges. KFPE. 22 November 2018, Bern.
• Presentation “Increasing community resilience through community-based disaster risk management in Honduras”. 8th International Conference on building resilience. 14 November 2018, Lisbon.
• Session Leader “Development Engineering: Training Global Engineers“. UNESCO International Technologies for Development Conference. 29 June 2018, Lausanne
• Presentation “Impact Evaluation: Increasing Community Resilience through Community-Based Disaster Risk Management in Honduras“. UNESCO International Technologies for Development Conference. 28 June 2018, Lausanne.
• Panelist “Funding and organizing transnational research: Pitfalls in European-African research collaboration and how to best cope with them". WZB Berlin Social Science Center". 17 November 2017, Berlin.
• Moderator “UNDP 2017 Social Good Summit: Connecting Today. Creating Tomorrow". 13 October 2017, Geneva.
• Moderator “She started it". Lausanne Innovation Forum. 28 September 2017, Lausanne.
• Presentation “More technology – less disasters?”. Event series Everyone a Humanitarian. swissnex San Francisco. 28 January 2017, San Francisco.
• Presentation“Innovative technologies for poverty reduction and sustainable development in the global South”. Gadgil Lab for Energy and Water Research. UC Berkeley. 26 January 2017, Berkeley.
• Presentation “Development Engineering: The emergence of a new scientific field”. Universidad del Valle. 30 November 2016 Cali, Colombia.
• Presentation “Empowering Students to Shape the Future” at Shaping the Future – The Role of Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation, Geneva Impact Hub. 30 June 2016, Geneva.
• Talk on aidpreneur (TOR 112) on the UNESCO Chair in Technologies for Development http://aidpreneur.com/tor112-unesco-chair-in-technologies-for-development-with-dr-silvia-hostettler/ 9 June 2016.
• Presentation “Technologies for Development” at the Conference Technology for Sustainable Development organized by the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) and Amrita University. United Nations. 8 July 2015, New York.
• Moderator of the Conference Why Does Intellectual Property Matter? Technologies for Development in Emerging Economies by WIPO Global Challenges Division. 29 April 2015, Lausanne.
• Participation in the Symposium From Growth to Sustainable and Inclusive Development: A Shift in Paradigm. CDE, University of Bern and SNIS. 13 November 2014, Bern.
• Co-Moderator of the Conference Seed Money: Experiences, Achievements and Impact. 30 October 2014, Lausanne.
• Moderator of the Thematic General Assembly of the Swiss Commission for UNESCO. 29 November 2013, Lausanne. 
• Presentation of the paper “UNESCO Chair in Technologies for Development – Achievements and Challenges” at the South East Europe Regional Forum of UNESCO Chairs. 12–13 June 2013, Istanbul.
• Panel Moderator at the Conference on Engaging the Private Sector for Development – Risks and Opportunities. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). 5 June 2013, Bern.
• Presentation “Introduction to CODEV/EPFL and Collaboration with Colombian Universities” at the Symposium on Swiss-Colombian Bilateral Relations about Scientific Exchange. ACIS. 2 November 2012, Lausanne.
• Welcome Address at the Conference on Highly Skilled Mobility and the Development of the Research and Innovation Sector of the Republic of Moldova. 12 October 2012, Chisinau, Moldova.
• Invited Lecturer presenting “Mexican Migration: Reflections in the Landscape” at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ASHOKA). 25 April 2012, Bangalore, India.
• Co-organizer of the Symposium Energy and Development: Energy in India in collaboration with The Graduate Institute and the Indian Institute of Management. 28 November 2011, Bangalore, India.
• Co-organizer and Moderator of the Scientific Symposium for Cooperation@EPFL Research in a Development Context: Putting Knowledge into Practice in collaboration with the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP). 14 December 2010, Bangalore, India.
• Co-organizer and Presenter at the oikos swissnex Practitioner Day From Models to Markets for Inclusive Development at the UNDP Young Scholars Development Academy 2011. Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. 26 August 2011, Bangalore, India.
• Invited Lecturer on Science and Technology in India for the EPFL Minor in Asian and Cultural Studies. 25 August 2011, Bangalore, India.
• Opening Speech of the IN:CH Exhibition presenting Master Class projects by the University of Applied Science Bern. 2 June 2011, Bangalore, India.
• Organizer and Opening Speech of the SCIENCEsuisse Exhibition. 24 November 2010, Ahmedabad, India.
• Welcome Address at the Conference Challenges of Urban Planning in collaboration with ETHZ. 7 September 2010, Bangalore, India.
• Moderator for swissnex at the EPFL MoT Event Becoming a Global Entrepreneur. 6 May 2010, Bangalore, India. 
• Welcome Address at the Conference Ticinese Architecture by Mario Botta. 8 February 2010, Ahmedabad, India.
• Welcome Address at the Nestlé Innovation Partnership Event with former Federal Counselor Moritz Leuenberger. 2 February 2009, Embassy of Switzerland, New Delhi, India.
• Presentation “The swissnex Network and Swiss Education and Research Landscape” to the Rotary Club. 28 January 2009, Bangalore, India.
• Interview on Swiss TV channel TSR on the Launch of the first Swiss satellite - SwissCube, launched from Satish Dhawan Space Center. 23 September 2009, India.
• Moderator of the Panel Student Exchange and Research Collaboration with former Federal Counselor Ruth Dreifuss. The Jaipur Forum. 20 November 2008, Jaipur, India.
• Presentation of the paper “Migration and Other Driving Forces of Land Use/Cover Change in a Rural Context in Western Mexico” at the 6th Open Meeting of the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Research Community. 9–13 October 2005, Bonn, Germany.
• Best Poster Award of EPFL (ENAC) PhD Poster Exhibition 2004. EPFL, Lausanne. 
• Poster presentation Land Use Change and Urban-Rural Interactions in the Ayuquila Watershed to the expert panel of the NCCR North-South. 10 September 2003, Yssik Kul, Kyrgyzstan.
• Poster Presentation Sustainable Watershed Development: Land Use Changes and Urbanization in the Ayuquila Watershed in Western Mexico at the Conference: Rio+11: Towards a New Paradigm in Agricultural Research – The Challenge of Sustainable Development. ETHZ. 6 June 2003, Zürich.