In the latest episode of We Are ETH, host Susan Kish speaks with ETH alumni Sue Tobler (Physics) and Remo Gisi (Computer Science), the creative forces behind Tastelab. The Tastelab is a Zurich-based culinary studio where data, algorithms, and physics come together to reinvent plant-based gastronomy. What began as a curiosity-driven experiment has grown into a pioneering business that blends scientific precision with sensory storytelling.

“At ETH, we learned to think in systems,” says Sue. “Now, instead of equations and particles, we work with flavours, textures, and emotions but the mindset is the same. It’s still about understanding how things interact and how small changes can create something completely new.”

At Tastelab, Sue and Remo treat cooking as both an art and an experiment. They use data analysis, sensory testing, and physical modelling to perfect each dish. For them, food is a medium where algorithms can guide intuition and physics shapes taste. “A recipe,” Remo explains, “is really just an algorithm, a process that solves the problem of flavour.” Their approach to algorithmic cooking and heat-transfer-informed design turns each plate into a data-driven yet deeply human creation, proving that precision and play can beautifully coexist.

Sustainability lies at the heart of their work, but not in the way it’s often portrayed. Since 2020, Tastelab has gone fully plant-based, a decision born not from restriction but from curiosity. “We don’t want to preach sustainability,” Sue notes. “We want people to fall in love with it — to taste how good the future can be.” Their philosophy is simple: lead by inspiration, not obligation. Whether they’re crafting a plant-based foie gras or developing new techniques to mimic the texture of fish, their dishes highlight what’s possible when creativity and conscience meet science.

Their years at ETH Zurich gave them not only the technical foundation but also the courage to experiment and build something new. Sue recalls her student days as formative:

“Organizing student events taught us to improvise, to lead, and to learn fast. It’s the same now — running Tastelab is one long, fascinating experiment.” Remo adds, “ETH taught us to never stop iterating. Whether it’s code or cuisine, it’s about testing, failing, and improving repeatedly.”

For both, moving from corporate jobs to entrepreneurship wasn’t a leap of risk but a natural continuation of curiosity. “At some point,” Remo shares, “you realize that waiting for the perfect idea is pointless. You start with what you have, experiment, and learn your way forward.”

Their advice to young innovators is clear: follow your curiosity, even when it takes you off the beaten path. “If something excites you,” Sue says, “there will be a way to make it work and if there isn’t, create one.”

From pop-up gastronomy to bespoke dining experiences, Tastelab is redefining the future of food, one data-driven dish at a time. With every experiment, Sue and Remo invite people to taste science, experience sustainability, and rediscover joy through flavour.

Listen to the full episode of We Are ETH to hear how Sue Tobler and Remo Gisi are turning algorithms into aromas and curiosity into cuisine.

From Cambridge math to Olympic medals, PhD research to cookbook writing, Emma Pooley’s journey is anything but linear. 

What does it mean to balance excellence in sport, academia, and beyond? Few people embody that question more fully than Emma Pooley, ETH alumna, Olympic silver medalist, world-class endurance athlete, and now engineer and author.

In this piece based on a recent We Are ETH podcast, Emma Pooley shares her extraordinary path from Cambridge mathematics student to elite endurance athlete, a PhD in engineering at ETH Zurich, and authoring and publishing a cookbook – Oat and Joy. 

From Mathematics to Engineering

Emma’s academic path began in mathematics at Cambridge, but when the subject became “too abstract,” like group theory, she decided to change to engineering. That change eventually brought her to ETH for a PhD in geotechnical engineering, under the supervision of ETH Zurich Professor Sarah Springman. What was meant to be a four-year stay turned into two decades and counting.

Accidental Cycling

Emma didn’t take up cycling until her early 20s, initially as a substitute for running after an injury. It wasn’t love at first ride: 

“The human backside did not evolve to sit on a bike saddle,” she jokes. 

But supportive friends, cake stops during club rides, and the Swiss Alps soon changed everything. What began reluctantly in Cambridge transformed into an elite career in professional cycling after she moved to Switzerland.

Balance Between Science and Sport

Juggling a PhD with international competitions was never easy. Emma recalls long nights at the centrifuge lab followed by gruelling training camps and 60+ races a year. Yet her dual focus brought balance: 

“When racing didn’t go well, research was there and vice versa. It gave me perspective.”

Her supervisor’s support was crucial. Professor Springman advocated for part-time arrangements, enabling Emma to pursue both science and sport at the highest levels.

Reinvention After Retirement

After years of professional cycling, including an Olympic silver medal, Emma shifted gears again, first to triathlon and later to new challenges: co-authoring a cookbook (Oat to Joy), working in sport media, and eventually returning to engineering. Today, she applies her ETH training to real-world projects in geotechnical engineering, collaborating with colleagues, many of them fellow ETH alumni, on natural hazard and building projects.

What Do We Learn?

Emma’s story is as much about perspective as performance. She reflects:

“Most things worth doing in life are not easy. Balancing two demanding paths feels hard at times, but in the long run, it makes you stronger. You may not always be the Usain Bolt of your field, but it’s possible to be excellent in more than one thing.”

From Cambridge to Zurich, cycling tracks to centrifuges, Emma Pooley reminds us that success is not linear, it’s about the courage to adapt, the joy of learning, and the value of staying true to one’s passions.

Listen to the full podcast episode here or watch below: WE ARE ETH Podcast

My name is Remo Gisi. I graduated in theoretical computer science and distributed systems at ETH Zürich in 2012. In 2016, I co-founded the ETH spinoff company Tastelab.

Tastelab works in the intersection of food and science where we do a wide variety of projects from high-end caterings and restaurant projects to art collaborations and consulting work.

Our recent project “Cook the Science” is a collaboration initiated by Prof. Dr. Thomas Michaels, an ETH professor specialising in soft and living matter. (www.ethz.ch/cookthescience)

Designed as a free public lecture series, Cook the Science invites chefs and culinary experts to ETH to talk about their area of expertise. Each one-hour lecture features an ETH professor and a chef and focuses on one specific topic that is relevant in cooking every day. Be it caramelisation or gelation, fermentation or crystallisation: Complex chemical and biological processes build the basics for the most mundane cooking processes.

To the Cook the Science audience, one thing is immediately apparent: cooking is always applied science. Every time we are in our kitchen, we “do” physics, chemistry, biology. In our kitchen, we all have a “lab” at home, even if we don’t necessarily know it!

The context of cooking is one that we all know and can relate to. It makes scientific insights understandable and easy to apply, and once it makes our food tastier and our recipes succeed more easily, there can be no doubt that science is very relevant indeed.

In my opinion, cooking is the ideal context for science outreach and communication – and the success of the Cook the Science series seems to confirm this! Since its beginnings in fall 2024, each Cook the Science lecture was fully booked. Many of the Cook the Science guests are at ETH for the first time, which is great – and also a frequent source for either amusement or compassion when first-timers are lost in the maze of ETH main building…

In addition to the full auditorium, many thousand YouTube visitors view the Cook the Science lectures online. In a way, this makes Cook the Science one of our most influential projects to date, one where we’re not creating exclusive experiences for the select few but get to share our enthusiasm for science (and cooking!) with thousands of people from many different backgrounds.

Naturally, this is also a great motivation to go on with the Cook the Science journey! The lectures as we know them are scheduled to continue for the next couple of years. Also, we might expand Cook the Science into other formats to reach yet more people!

If you’d like to know about future Cook the Science events, follow Cook the Science on Instagram to hear the latest news and announcements.

And, of course, if you want to stay informed about Tastelab’s other adventures in the domains of cooking and science, follow us on our channels as well! (We are on Instagram and on Facebook, and we do send out Newsletters occasionally.)

I’m looking forward to meeting you at our future projects!

Driving 700 km from New York to Cleveland for a conference may not be the first choice for many, but for my husband and me, it was an opportunity we couldn’t resist. We love taking long drives across the vast American countryside. The invitation to attend the first-ever Swiss American Partnership Summit as an ETH Ambassador provided the perfect excuse for a road trip.

In early May, the ETH Alumni Association joined forces with the Honorary Consul of Switzerland, Marianne Bernadotte, to bring together ETH alumni and leaders in science, technology, and business. Cleveland, renowned for its medical excellence and innovation, provided the perfect setting for the day-long conference, hosted by The Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University, a leading national research university with established collaborations with ETH Zurich.

One of the highlights of the trip was meeting Lesley Ko, whose smile lit up the room as she spoke about her time at ETH Zurich. Originally from Taipei, Lesley completed her Ph.D. in Earth Sciences, while her husband, Albert Tien, pursued a Ph.D. in Environmental Microbiology. They settled in Lenzburg while working for Holcim, the world’s largest cement and concrete manufacturer, to raise their two children. Ten years ago, they embarked on new adventures in the United States. A job opportunity with BASF Construction Chemicals has brought Lesley and her family to Cleveland, Ohio. Lesley’s gratitude for ETH was palpable as she credits the institution not only for her outstanding education but also for introducing her to a world-class business environment.

Another remarkable individual I met was Artur Czerniejewski, the head of the Swiss Business Hub USA. Born and raised in Poland, Artur moved to Switzerland to study Electrical Engineering at ETH Zurich. Following a distinguished career in business, he joined Switzerland Global Enterprise and has been based in New York since last year. Artur’s story is a testament to the global reach and influence of ETH Zurich alumni.

The Summit concluded with an elegant reception hosted by Ambassador Niculin Jäger of the Consulate General of Switzerland. I had the pleasure of speaking with Larry and Jean Rhodes, who both completed postdocs in Chemistry at ETH Zurich. Their stories of academic and personal growth mirrored the experiences shared by the other alumni at the event.

The next day, I met Professor Alexis Block for lunch in Cleveland’s Little Italy. Alexis, who completed her Ph.D. in Computer Science at ETH in 2021, recently moved to Cleveland to teach at Case Western Reserve University. Over pasta and espresso, she shared her experiences, including the creation of the HuggieBot, an interactive robot that gives hugs using visual and haptic perception. (She chronicled the project in her own ETH Ambassador’s Blog during her Ph.D. studies.)

As we drove back to New York, I reflected on the wealth of new insights gained in such a short period. The Summit facilitated connections between people and ideas from diverse backgrounds, fostering lasting personal and institutional relationships through shared experiences. I met remarkable ETH alumni and learned about groundbreaking innovations in research and medicine. It was well worth the 1’400 km drive.