The Digital Society Initiative (DSI) at the University of Zurich has connected research, teaching and public dialogue on digital transformation since 2016. The insights, encounters and impact that have emerged over the past decade can't be reduced to a single number.
These pages provide a fuller picture. Ten stories in the Decade of Impact series illustrate what the DSI has set in motion. The History & Impact section revisits a decade of events, year by year, while DSI Minds introduces the people behind the initiative and in short quotes, current and former directors share their personal perspectives on the DSI.
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What defines the DSI?
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«Understanding and shaping our digital future from multiple disciplinary perspectives.» Abraham Bernstein | DSI Director since 2016 -
«DSI: A wild mix of disciplines sheds light on a complex phenomenon.» Noah Bubenhofer | DSI Director since 2024 -
«The society that has been shaping and developing the DSI from its very beginning.» Sara Irina Fabrikant | DSI Director 2016-2021 -
«The DSI connects researchers, politics, economy and society.» Thomas Friemel | DSI Director 2021-2024 -
«The DSI enhances the impact and visibility of digital transformation.» Jean-Michel Hatt | DSI Director since 2022 -
«The DSI critically reflects what kind of digital future a democratic society needs.» Mike Martin | DSI Director 2016-2021 -
«The DSI is an incubator for interdisciplinarity at UZH.» Titus Neupert | DSI Director 2021-2026 -
«Community, collaboration and comprehension.» Beth Singler | DSI Director since 2025 -
« Interdisciplinary approach to digitalization, firmly anchored in the academy.» Sarah Summers | DSI Director since 2023 -
«The DSI creates and consolidates knowledge for digital change.» Florent Thouvenin | DSI Director 2016-2023 -
«Digitalisation as an interface to connect all fields of science at UZH.» Jan Dirk Wegner | DSI Director since 2026 -
«The DSI serves as a catalyst for society's digital transformation.» Claudia Witt | DSI Director since 2019