Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich

What Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich does

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (Departement Erd- und Planetenwissenschaften, D-EAPS) is one of 16 academic departments at ETH Zurich, a public Swiss Federal Institute of Technology founded in 1855 and primarily funded by the Swiss Confederation. D-EAPS is organized into three institutes — the Geological Institute, the Institute for Geochemistry and Petrology, and the Institute for Geophysics — collectively housing 24 research groups that span surface processes, climate geology, geobiology, mineral physics, geodynamics, seismology, and space science. The department delivers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs in Earth and planetary sciences and also hosts the Swiss Seismological Service (SED), an extra-departmental federal unit that serves as Switzerland's official office for seismology under Prof. Stefan Wiemer.

Technically, D-EAPS operates some of the most advanced experimental and computational infrastructure in the discipline: high-pressure and high-temperature laboratories reaching 1,000–100,000 bar and 500–2,000°C, laser-heated diamond anvil cells that replicate deep-Earth conditions, clean-room isotope geochemistry and noble gas mass spectrometry labs, dense seismic monitoring networks (including >30 stations in Bhutan and stations in Greenland), and GPU-accelerated 3D seismic wave simulations run on CSCS supercomputers (Monte Rosa and Piz Daint). A newly launched Master's program in Space Science and Technology, anchored by former NASA Science Director Prof. Thomas Zurbuchen, formalizes a growing space-research vertical.

The department does not operate a commercial revenue model. It is funded through Swiss federal appropriations under the Federal Universities Act, supplemented by cantonal contributions and third-party grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), European Research Council (ERC), and international collaborators. SED is primarily funded through grant sources. Its primary "customers" are BSc/MSc/PhD students receiving education; Swiss federal and civil-protection authorities consuming seismic hazard products; and the global research community consuming peer-reviewed publications and collaborative science output. Marketing is conducted via ETH News, the department's social channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Facebook), and outreach events (Scientifica, Studieninformationstage, Schnuppertage), rather than a commercial sales motion.

Name

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich

Legal name

ETH Zürich – Departement Erd- und Planetenwissenschaften

Website

https://eaps.ethz.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1855

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

D-EAPS is one of 16 academic departments at ETH Zurich, organizing three institutes and 24 research groups spanning geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and space science, while also hosting the Swiss Seismological Service as the federal office for seismology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Earth Sciences Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Universities with Specialized Engineering Domains (EDAHAEAI), Technical Universities with Energy, Materials & Sustainability Focus (EDAHAEAL)

Keywords

• Earth sciences research
• Planetary sciences education
• Seismic monitoring services
• Geochemistry and petrology
• Space science research

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Public Higher Education Funding: As a department of ETH Zurich, primary funding is derived from Swiss federal government appropriations (federal universities act), supplemented by cantonal contributions. The department does not operate a commercial revenue model.
2. Third-Party Research Grants: A substantial portion of research activities is funded through third-party funds (Drittmittel), including grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), European Research Council (ERC), and international collaborative projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (Departement Erd- und Planetenwissenschaften, D-EAPS) at ETH Zurich is an academic research and teaching department that delivers undergraduate (BSc), graduate (MSc), and doctoral (PhD) education in Earth and planetary sciences. It operates three institutes (Geological Institute, Institute for Geochemistry and Petrology, Institute of Geophysics) covering 24 research groups, and hosts the Swiss Seismological Service (SED), which delivers national earthquake monitoring and hazard assessment as a federal mandate.

Product overview

The Departement Erd- und Planetenwissenschaften (Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences) at ETH Zurich is an academic research and teaching institution organized as a platform of three institutes: the Geologisches Institut, the Institut für Geochemie und Petrologie, and the Institut für Geophysik. Together these three institutes encompass 24 research groups covering the full spectrum of Earth and planetary sciences, from surface processes and climate geology to geochemistry, petrology, mineral physics, seismology, geodynamics, and space science. The department offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs and operates advanced laboratory facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BSc in Earth and Planetary Sciences Undergraduate bachelor's degree program in Earth and planetary sciences at ETH Zurich, combining field-based learning, laboratory work, and numerical modeling for prospective students.
• MSc in Earth and Planetary Sciences Graduate master's degree program in Earth and planetary sciences with specialization tracks across geology, geochemistry, petrology, and geophysics.
• PhD Program in Earth and Planetary Sciences Doctoral research program administered by the Studiendirektorin covering admission, supervision, and doctoral defense coordination across the department's research groups.
• MSc in Space Science and Technology Switzerland's first master's program in space science and technology, to be launched under Prof. Thomas Zurbuchen.
• Swiss Seismological Service (SED) Federal office for seismology monitoring Switzerland and border regions, delivering real-time earthquake monitoring, early warning systems, and seismic hazard assessment for federal authorities and the public.
• Geological Institute Research Programs Research programs at the Geologisches Institut covering eight research groups focused on Earth surface dynamics, geobiology, climate geology, tectonics, engineering geology, and greenhouse gas geomitigation.
• Institute for Geochemistry and Petrology Research Programs Research programs at the Institut für Geochemie und Petrologie covering seven research groups in magmas, fluids, cosmochemistry, volcanology, mineral physics, mineral resources, and surface water.
• Institute of Geophysics Research Programs Research programs at the Institut für Geophysik covering nine research groups in planetary magnetism, geophysical fluid dynamics, geothermal energy, mathematical geophysics, seismology, environmental geophysics, and space science.

Quantifiable outcome

• SED monitors seismic activity across Switzerland and parts of neighboring countries with ~60 staff and extensive networks
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Schweizerischer Erdbebendienst (SED)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009SED is an extramural unit (ausserdepartementale Einheit) at ETH Zurich, led by Prof. Stefan Wiemer. Established in its current form in 2009, SED monitors seismic activity for Switzerland and evaluates earthquake hazard. It employs approximately 60 people and operates national monitoring networks. Funding largely comes from third-party (grant) sources.
• Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe appointment of Prof. Cara Magnabosco (Geobiology) strengthens relationships with Eawag and other ETH Domain institutions. Geobiology research connects aquatic and environmental microbiology with geological processes.
• Cornell UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Nicole Fernandez-Franzan was previously an assistant professor at Cornell University, USA before joining ETH Zurich as tenure-track assistant professor for Geomitigation of Greenhouse Gases. The connection reflects academic talent mobility and potential research collaboration.
• Active Mining Companies (unnamed)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mineral Resources group conducts geological fieldwork often in collaboration with active mining companies, whose exploration boreholes and mining access provide three-dimensional archives of extinct hydrothermal processes. Collaborations are primarily for field access and data sharing.
• Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS)coreTechnology or IntegrationSeismic wave simulations utilize CSCS high-performance supercomputers Monte Rosa and Piz Daint. GPU-accelerated computing enables earthquake and seismic wave simulations that would take 100 million years on conventional desktop computers. This is a critical infrastructure partnership for computational geophysics.
• Swiss Federal Government / Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN)coreOthersSED serves as the federal office for seismology, monitoring Switzerland's seismic hazard. The mandate originates from the Swiss federal government. SED operates a network of over 30 stations in Bhutan and several in Greenland as international collaborations. The SED traces its origins to the Earthquake Commission founded in 1878.
• NASA, ESA, and National Space AgenciesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe department has been involved in major space missions for over 20 years, in part in leading positions. With the appointment of former NASA Science Director Thomas Zurbuchen, the department is positioned to play a major role in future space missions and space-related research activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability — Earth & Planetary Science: Stanford's Earth & Planetary Science department is a top U.S. peer with strong research in geophysics, geochemistry, and Earth-surface processes. Competes for top faculty and students and overlaps substantially with D-EAPS in research themes.
• Harvard Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences: Harvard EPS is a U.S. Ivy League peer combining Earth and planetary sciences with strong geochemistry, seismology, and atmospheric/climate groups. Directly comparable in research depth and competes with D-EAPS for international talent and grant funding.
• Caltech Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences (GPS): Caltech GPS is a direct peer in the same Earth & planetary sciences niche, with renowned experimental mineral physics, geochemistry, seismology, and planetary science groups. It competes directly with D-EAPS for top-tier talent, NASA/ESA mission involvement, and high-impact publications.
• University of Oxford Department of Earth Sciences: Oxford's Earth Sciences department is another top-tier European university peer with broad coverage of geology, geophysics, geochemistry, and climate science. It competes for ERC grants, top doctoral candidates, and industrial partnerships in adjacent European markets.
• MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS): MIT EAPS is the closest direct peer — an elite U.S. technical university department covering Earth, planetary and geophysical sciences with strong lab infrastructure and space-science ties (e.g., MIT-affiliated space missions). It competes with D-EAPS for top faculty, doctoral students, and large international grants in nearly identical subfields.
• Columbia University Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (Lamont-Doherty): Columbia's EES department, coupled with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, is a major U.S. peer with strong seismology, climate, and geochemistry programs. Comparable scale and competes with D-EAPS for international research partnerships and funding.
• University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences: Cambridge's Department of Earth Sciences is one of Europe's leading university departments in geology, geophysics, geochemistry, and mineral sciences. Comparable in scope to D-EAPS across research, teaching, and lab infrastructure, and a competitor for ERC and SNSF/UKRI funding.
• Princeton Department of Geosciences: Princeton Geosciences is a top-tier U.S. university peer with strength in geochemistry, geophysics, climate science, and planetary science. Comparable in scope and competes for ERC/NSF funding and top-tier doctoral candidates.

Others

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program: USGS's Earthquake Hazards Program is a federal-mandated seismological service analogous in role to the SED hosted by D-EAPS. Although geographically separate and government-run rather than academic, it is the closest functional peer for D-EAPS's regulatory-mandated seismology mandate and a benchmark for SED's national-service function.

Broad incumbents

• GFZ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam — German Research Centre for Geosciences: GFZ is a large publicly funded geosciences research centre that broadly overlaps D-EAPS activities in seismology, geodynamics, and Earth-surface research. Unlike D-EAPS, GFZ is a dedicated national lab rather than a university department, but it competes for the same talent and grants in continental Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ETH_EAPS
• Facebookfacebook.com/ETH.EAPS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eth-eaps
• Instagraminstagram.com/eth_eaps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich