The Team

University of Fribourg

Prof. Denis Lalanne

Denis Lalanne Denis Lalanne is a full professor in the department of Informatics of the University of Fribourg and director of the Human-IST institute. He is also heading the "human-building interaction" group in the smart living lab and is the Swiss representative at the IFIP TC13. After completing a PhD at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), a postDoc in the USER group in IBM Almaden research center, one year of teaching and research in the university of Avignon, and a great experience as a usability engineer in a swiss start-up, he joined the University of Fribourg.

Dr. Simon Ruffieux

Simon Ruffieux Simon Ruffieux is Senior Researcher and Lecturer in the department of Informatics of the University of Fribourg. He is a member of the Human-IST Institute. He is currently leading the HIP Initiative (Human-IST x SwissPost Initiative), coordinating all academic projects in relation with Swiss Post. He holds a diploma of Doctor of Science in Informatics, a Diploma in Higher Education from the University of Fribourg and a Master in Computer Sciences with a specialization in Bio-computing from the Swiss Federal Institute Of Technology (EPFL). His research is focused in the area of machine learning, augmented intelligence, data science, human-computer interactions and augmented \& virtual reality. He is particularly interested in leveraging recent advances in technologies to empower individuals, with a specific focus on individuals with special needs.

Florence Monnet

Florence Monnet Florence is Head of Development & Director of the University of Fribourg Foundation.

Swiss Post

Thierry Golliard

Thierry Golliard Thierry is Director of Open Innovation and Venturing of Swiss Post. In this role, he has been developing open innovation initiatives with external partners as start-ups, universities and accelerators in Switzerland, Germany, France, China and US. These innovation ecosystems enabled disruptive projects as, amongst others, the use of exoskeletons, the dynamic deliveries and the autonomous shuttles. Furthermore, he is managing the strategic venture capital funds of Swiss Post. Thierry holds several Masters in Economics and Technology from the University of Fribourg, EPFL and UC Berkeley.

Dr. Alexandre Staub

Alexandre Staub Alexandre is the Open Innovation Manager of Swiss Post. He is project coordinator for various sectors from transportation and logistics systems to luxury watch making, He supports his team by scouting innovations and growing the portfolio of research projects. His main goal is to engage in resource saving technologies while providing the best-in-class support and research effort to his ecosystem. He is also the founder of the startup Evolium Technologies. He is directly involved in coordinating the projects in collaboration with Simon Ruffieux.