Doctoral students
external page Dr. Parvaneh Babari
Dr. Parvaneh Babari studied mathematics in Iran and obtained her master degree in 2012. She then did her PhD studies at the University of Leipzig in the field of theoretical computer science. She is currently working on her second dissertation (a collaboration between ETH and the Institute for Research and Development at University of Teacher Education Schwyz, PHSZ) with a focus on rational numbers in Swiss primary school education.
Independent from her PhD project, she works as a research assistant in a second project at the PHSZ on the subject of knowledge and misconceptions about computer science concepts among Swiss primary school students.
Urs Hauser obtained a Master’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Zurich in 1997 and holds a teaching diploma for secondary school and higher education. After several years of teaching mathematics and computer science, he now works as a research assistant and lecturer at the Education and Advice Center for Informatics Teaching (ABZ) of ETH and in continuing education courses for computer science at the University of Teacher Education in Lucerne.
His dissertation project is focusing on the development and transfer of problem-solving skills through robotics and programming instruction of 9th and 10th grade secondary students with a particular focus on computational thinking and complex problem solving.
external page Barbara Hohl-Krähenbühl
Barbara Hohl-Krähenbühl obtained her teaching diploma as a primary school teacher in 1998 at the Higher Pedagogical Institute (HPL) in Zofingen / Switzerland (today FHNW Brugg-Windisch). For several years she was a teacher for primary school students. In 2012, she obtained a licentiate (lic.phil/MA) in education, business administration and journalism at the University of Zurich. Since 2013 she has been a lecturer at the University of Education in Zug and is training future primary school teachers in didactics of mathematics.
In her dissertation project, she combines interdisciplinary questions and approaches of teaching-learning psychology, pedagogy and mathematics didactics. In an intervention study Barbara is investigating the acquisition of basic competencies in single-digit multiplication with primary school students.
Kristina Jazuk studied Psychology in Heidelberg and Vienna. She received her Master of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Heidelberg (2013), focusing on Organisational Behaviour and Adaptive Cognition.
Kristina’s PhD research is part of the interdisciplinary work of the project ‘Cognition, Perception and Behaviour in Urban Environments’ at the Future Cities Laboratory (FCL) within the Singapore-ETH-Centre. Her research focuses on decision-making during wayfinding in large, multi-level public buildings, social density, and the emotional and environmental appraisal of those settings. Her expertise bridges research questions on usability, human centered design, stress and wellbeing.
Before starting her PhD at D-GESS, she worked as a researcher in the Future Resilient Systems Program (FRS), also at the Singapore-ETH-Centre, focusing on risk, resilience, socio-technical interdependencies and agent-based modelling.
Her research interests focus on wayfinding and navigation, decision making, emotional perception, cognitive psychology, social psychology and UX design research.
external page Rachel Schwager
Rachel Schwager studied Biology at ETH Zurich and obtained her Master of Science ETH in 2015. She is currently working on her dissertation project (a collaboration between ETH and the Institute for Research and Development at the University of Teacher Eduaciton Schwyz, PHSZ) focusing on the theory of evolution, in particular the concept of adaptation by natural selection, in kindergarten and primary school education. In addition to her dissertation, she is studying for her teaching diploma in Biology for advanced placement schools.
Giovanni Serafini studied Computer Science at ETH Zurich. After his diploma (MSc in 1999), he spent four years working in the information technology sector. In 2003, he joined an university of Applied Sciences and helped to develop and to manage a new degree program in Computer Science. In 2006, he obtained a teacher diploma in Computer Science at ETH Zurich.
For 15 years, he has been a lecturer in Didactics of Computer Science and a member of the Center for Computer Science Education (ABZ) at ETH Zurich. Giovanni is in the program committee of the «International Conference on Informatics in Schools: Situation, Evolution and Perspectives» (ISSEP) and on the Advisory Board of the Journal «Informatics in Education».
His research interests focus on the contribution of teaching Computer Science in the context of school education with a special focus on transfer effects between problem-solving skills in Computer Science and in Mathematics.
external page Daniel Weissmüller
Daniel Weissmüller studied mathematics at the University of Konstanz and obtained his teaching diploma for mathematics at Matura schools at the University of Teacher Education Thurgau. After several years as a teacher, he moved to the University of Konstanz in 2016 and worked there in mathematics didactics teaching. Since August 2021, he has been working as a lecturer in mathematics didactics at the University of Teacher Education Zurich.
Since 2019, he has been doing a doctorate at ETH, focusing on the knowledge-based classification of mathematics teachers' tasks.