How did life on Earth begin? How did it develop and proliferate? And is there life on other planets? These are fundamental questions about life that are still unknown. Over recent decades, answering some of humanity’s most profound questions has evolved from a speculative pursuit to an urgent endeavor that has galvanized disciplines across the physical and life sciences. Despite spectacular progress made in various disciplines, our knowledge of the origins of life on Earth, and more generally in the Universe, is in its infancy. Answering questions about how and why life began and placing new observations in context is an immense scientific challenge that requires an unprecedented and innovative collaboration between disciplines.
Supporting this interdisciplinary and collaborative effort, the NOMIS Foundation–ETH Fellowship Program is enabling exceptional early-career researchers to explore these big questions, make connections, take risks and build bridges across the boundaries of disciplines. The fellowships will be hosted at the Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life at ETH Zurich.
About the Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life
Established in 2022 at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, the Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life aims to establish an ambitious and innovative collaboration between different disciplines to comprehensively address the fundamental questions about life and advance our understanding of the processes that led to the emergence of life. More than 40 research groups from five departments will work together with their counterparts from around the world to investigate the origin of life on and beyond Earth.