The Team

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.

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).

Florence is the Director of the University of Fribourg Foundation and Head of Fundraising. Florence holds a Master in Management from the University of Fribourg.

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.

Giuliana is the Open Innovation Manager of Swiss Post. In this role, she supports her team by scouting innovations and growing the portfolio of research projects and startup collaborations. She is directly involved in coordinating the projects in collaboration with Simon Ruffieux. Giuliana holds a Masters in Marketing and Communication Management from the University of St. Gallen.