Teaching is one of the main duties of university professors, and it is tradition to mark two important milestones of a professor’s academic career : the inaugural lecture at the beginning and an honorary lecture at the end.
An inaugural lecture offers newly appointed professors the opportunity to introduce themselves and showcase their research and teaching activities to the international scientific community, teaching staff, students and all staff members. Such events are also open to the public, welcoming anyone interested in the subject.
Organised by the faculty of the professor, an inaugural lecture lasts about an hour. After a short introductory speech by the faculty dean, the professor delivers their presentation in their teaching language. The subject of the lecture is chosen and announced in advance.
From December 2024, UniDistance Suisse will be launching its series of inaugural lectures, beginning with a presentation by mathematics professor David Loeffler.
Par Prof. Dr. Sabine Pitteloud
Inaugural lectures are mandatory for all UniDistance Suisse professors appointed from the autumn semester 2024 onwards. Professors who were appointed before this time may choose to give a retroactive inaugural lecture.
Such events will be held twice a semester at most. Each session may feature one or two professors, provided they are part of the same faculty or cover similar or related subjects.
All inaugural lectures will systematically be conducted in a hybrid format, held both on campus at UniDistance Suisse in Brig and streamed online. Recordings of the events will be made available as podcasts on the event page.
Inaugural lectures are intended for the scientific community, teaching and university staff, as well as the general public. Whether attending online or in person, participants are asked to register through an online form and provide theirname, profession, e-mail address, and institutional affiliation.
Inaugural Lecture : The Legacy of Fermat's last Theorem
By Prof. Dr David Loeffler
