The SETI Institute and ETH Zurich join forces to search for the origin of life

The question of how life originated and whether it exists elsewhere in the universe has fascinated humanity for centuries. Now, ETH Zurich and the SETI Institute in California are joining forces to seek answers. The two institutions have agreed on a strategic partnership and signed a corresponding agreement.

At the heart of the collaboration is a new assistant professorship, to be called ‘Earth and Planetary Evolution’, which will be based in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at ETH Zurich. The professorship will play a key role at ETH’s Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life (COPL).

A shared interest in one of science’s great questions

Both the SETI Institute and COPL are investigating how life arises and how widespread it might be in the universe. The new ETH professorship, is intended to strengthen this research and establish closer links between complementary scientific disciplines. Topics may include biosignatures – measurable indications of life – habitability and habitable environments, as well as the co-evolution of life and the environment on Earth and on planets outside our solar system.

Through the professorship and the associated research activities, ETH Zurich aims to bring together complementary approaches from Earth and planetary sciences and related fields, opening up new perspectives on the origin and evolution of life.

New interdisciplinary and international connections

The SETI Institute will provide start-up funding for the professorship over a ten-year period, with a total contribution of 8.5 million US dollars. The contribution will support the establishment phase of the ETH professorship and associated research activities, including a research scientist and postdoctoral research positions.

“Many of today’s major scientific questions can only be answered through collaboration,” said ETH President Joël Mesot. “By teaming up with the SETI Institute, we are gaining a renowned partner that enhances our academic expertise and fosters new interdisciplinary and international connections.”

For COPL, which was founded in 2022, the partnership opens up new opportunities, says the center’s director, Nobel Laureate in Physics Didier Queloz. “The partnership with the SETI Institute is an exciting opportunity to build a strong and enduring connection between our institutions. It leverages our complementary expertise and a shared ambition to address one of science’s most fundamental questions: the origin and prevalence of life in the Universe.”

First international research partnership of its kind

For the SETI Institute, this marks the first international research partnership of its kind. “Our collaboration with ETH Zurich represents a new chapter for us – one in which the search for life beyond Earth is recognized as a truly global endeavor,” said SETI Institute President and CEO Bill Diamond. “By supporting research capacity at one of Europe’s premier technical universities, we are not simply expanding our research internationally but also helping to create a new model for international scientific collaboration.

Together we are building enduring scientific capacity and opening new avenues for research into one of humanity’s most profound questions,” adds Diamond.

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Mesot also emphasises the importance of international collaboration. The partnership will enable ETH Zurich to expand its network beyond Europe and work more closely with a long-established, renowned institution. “We are always looking for outstanding partners, and the SETI Institute is such a partner,” said Mesot. “We are very much looking forward to this collaboration.”

Diamond added: “International collaboration in the sciences creates powerful synergies through the integration of diverse perspectives, which can accelerate discovery and enhance understanding.”