Career Prospects
Why choose the MEST programme ?
In a video created at the MEST 10-year event, current and past MEST students say how the MEST programme has benefited them.
Find more about the MEST Programme on the About MEST page.
What do alumnis have to say about MEST ?
Ekaterina Telegina, a MEST graduate, talked in March 2018 about her successful career to date with BKW, an electric utility company based in Berne. After a BSc in electric power systems and grids in St. Petersburg, her long-term goals were to broaden her knowledge and gain experience in industry, and the MEST programme suited her perfectly, choosing courses that enabled her to focus on power systems, whilst also expanding into energy economics and business. Her MEST internship at BKW led to a job as High Voltage Technology Engineer with responsibilities for high-voltage cabling and substations, along with power system modelling and analysis. DownloadSlides (PDF, 1.7 MB)
Evdokia Kaffe, talked to an audience at ETH in spring 2016 about her reasons for choosing the MEST programme and the benefits she gained. Now working for one of Zurich's electricity providers (ewz), she found the unique mix of engineering and economics / business courses studied meant that she was well prepared for the real world within a busy energy supplier. DownloadSlides (PDF, 5.9 MB)
Michael Koller was profiled in the German newspaper external page"Die Zeit" (german only) in July 2016 following his appointment, at the young age of 28, as Chief Technical Officer for EKZ, the electricity provider for the Canton of Zurich. In this role, he is a key player in the energy transition, directing research and development projects and shaping the integration of renewable electrical energy in Switzerland’s power grid.
Michael was the guest speaker at the spring 2015 MEST information event for prospective students whilst still in his earlier position with EKZ as an Energy Storage Specialist. DownloadSlides (PDF, 1.4 MB)
Ifigeneia Stefanidou, in a talk in spring 2017, said that the MEST programme's high level of expertise, flexibilty and broadness were some of the many aspects that attracted her to it. An industrial internship at ABB Power Electronics led to her also doing her Master Thesis in 'Active Distribution Grids' there, followed by her first job at Axpo, in grid and power systems planning. She has since moved from being a user of smart grid technology to a company that manufactures it, Landis+Gyr, as a Smart Grid Consultant. Slides (PDF, 799 KB)
"I finished my Master’s degree in Energy Science and Technology in 2010. The programme was an excellent preparation for my professional life, allowing me to choose the topics that were most relevant to me and to broaden my knowledge. During my career I was able to directly apply insights I gained during my studies. The “thinking out of the box” we trained at ETH Zurich helped me to move ahead and grasp complex engineering problems. As head of product management I am responsible for a highly skilled team in the area of electric grids. I continue to profit from my time during the Master’s studies by having all necessary fundamentals available."
Johanna Vorwerk :
"Power systems worldwide are undergoing massive changes due to the urge to tackle climate change, the increasing integration of renewable energy resources, and the electrification of mobility and heating technologies. This development not only adds complexity but also increases operational flexibility. These challenges have always motivated me to study and advance my knowledge in this field. As a researcher, I focus on the redefinition of control and operation procedures to ensure stable grid operations. At the same time, I have the exciting possibility of supervising current students during their research projects, and of collaborating with inspiring minds from diverse and international backgrounds."
Gianni Hotz :
"Because of my interests in energy systems and energy transmission, I chose to continue my studies with the Energy Science and Technology programme at ETH. I am convinced that mastering the energy transition and reducing global GHG emissions require a holistic view on the technologies running the energy systems. During the study programme, I was able to deepen my understanding of the technological, economic and social aspects of these technologies. This is of great advantage for my current position as consultant for companies in the energy sector."
Daniel Biek :
"During my Bachelor’s studies in Electrical Engineering I realized that I wanted to deepen my interest and knowledge in energy science. MEST has been an amazing opportunity to explore all different aspects of energy-related topics. Gaining fundamental knowledge in electrical, mechanical and economical subjects helped me setting up a solid foundation to tackle energy-related problems/challenges. In the future, I would like to further expand my expertise and to do research to find new solutions for the serious climate resource challenges we are currently facing."
MEST Alumni Career Insights - (May 2020)
The career choices taken by MEST graduates are broad and varied. During lockdown, two MEST graduates organize a webinar to share some insights into their career success stories, along with an invited audience of all current and graduated MEST students. What influenced these two to select their indivdual career routes? How do the current energy challenges affect them?
The short film below encapsulates the highlights of this enlightening talk with Farid Comaty, who enrolled on the MEST programme back in 2010 and is now a senior consultant at Navigant in Berlin, and Qianchen Yu, a 2018 graduate working at Validity Labs, an ETH spin-off as a blockchain software developer and project manager.
