epfl.ch

EPFL is a university based in Lausanne, Switzerland, whose three missions are education, research and innovation. The epfl.ch website is its main institutional portal: it is where you go to understand what the school is working on, who its researchers are, and what is happening on campus right now. It is an information and news site rather than a course catalogue or application system — for admissions, fees or programme requirements you would need to follow the site's own links rather than expect them on the homepage.

What EPFL is

The site describes EPFL plainly: a university in Lausanne with three missions — education, research and innovation. That framing matters because it explains what dominates the homepage. Rather than a static brochure, the front page reads like a live institutional feed, mixing research announcements, student-facing practical information and campus logistics.

What the site actually covers

The homepage is organised around a handful of recurring sections, each doing a different job.

Latest news

This is the most active part of the page. Recent items visible on the site include:

• A piece on cybersecurity quoting Prof. Mathias Payer, head of EPFL's HexHive research group, on how AI is changing the way vulnerabilities are found — and how "simple steps can effectively prevent cyber attacks."
• News that the Apertus team — researchers at EPFL, ETH Zurich and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) — partnered with Swiss technology company Proton to make Apertus 1.5 available in Lumo, Proton's AI assistant, giving researchers real-world feedback for the first time.
• A report that more than 12,000 students returned to classes at EPFL, framed around how artificial intelligence has transformed higher education.

Dates on these items run into September 2026, so the news section is genuinely current rather than an archive.

Profiles

A separate section for people. Examples on the page include an EPFL professor, Paloma Navarro, studying how the immune system changes the aging brain; two master's students, Anabelle Ayma and Quitterie Legrand, whose semester project became a published scientific article; and a fourth-year PhD candidate, Shardul Chiplunkar, discussing stress management and representing peers. These are feature-style interviews, useful if you want a sense of the research culture rather than official announcements.

Highlights

This is where the site points to longer-form or thematic content. One example is Dimensions, the magazine, with an edition exploring water "from the nanoscopic scale" outward.

About and EPFL Memento

The About section carries the institutional description quoted above. EPFL Memento appears as a distinct heading, alongside practical campus notices.

Practical information for students and visitors

The homepage also carries a "Top Resources for the New Semester" block aimed at incoming students, linking to:

• Getting Started
• Academic Calendar
• Cybersecurity
• Student Life & Associations
• Sports & Physical Activity
• Mental Health & Well-Being
• EPFL Campus app download

There are also operational notices — for example, a "Double Deck construction site" item under practical information — and a line about support for the community and current initiatives. If you are arriving at EPFL, this block is the fastest route to the calendar and campus app.

When epfl.ch is the right place to look

Use epfl.ch when you want to:

• Confirm what EPFL is and what it says its missions are.
• Follow current research and institutional news.
• Read profiles of researchers and students.
• Find semester-start practical links such as the academic calendar or the campus app.

Look elsewhere on the site (via its own navigation) when you need admissions procedures, programme details, tuition or login-gated services — the homepage itself does not present pricing or access terms, so nothing about cost or account requirements should be assumed from it.

EPFL's public research coverage points to a two-sided picture: AI is changing how security weaknesses are found, while basic protective steps remain the practical first line of defense. The most specific example on epfl.ch comes from Prof. Mathias Payer, head of EPFL's HexHive research group, who explains how AI is changing the way vulnerabilities are found — and how a few simple steps can still be our best line of defense.

The HexHive angle: everyday devices and AI-driven discovery

The HexHive research group at EPFL focuses on cybersecurity weaknesses in the devices people use every day. According to the news item on epfl.ch, Prof. Payer's explanation covers two connected ideas:

• AI is changing vulnerability discovery. The way security flaws are identified is shifting, which affects both attackers and defenders.
• Simple steps still matter. Despite that shift, basic precautions are described as potentially our best line of defense.

The framing "Simple steps can effectively prevent cyber attacks" is the headline EPFL uses for this research communication, which signals that the practical takeaway is not purely technical.

Apertus and Proton's Lumo: research meeting real-world use

A separate EPFL news item describes a partnership that shows how AI research moves into products:

This is a useful example of the feedback loop EPFL describes: a model developed in an academic and supercomputing context is deployed in a consumer-facing assistant, and that deployment generates usage signals the research team could not get from lab testing alone.

How AI is reshaping university teaching, as a related signal

EPFL also reports that more than 12,000 students returned to classes and asks how the advance of artificial intelligence has transformed higher education. That item is not a cybersecurity finding, but it supports the same overall direction: AI is being treated as a force that changes how EPFL works across research, teaching, and technology transfer, not as a single isolated project.

What this means if you are trying to act on it

• If you want the security takeaway: the EPFL message is that AI changes the threat and discovery landscape, but simple preventive steps are still presented as effective. Treat that as a general principle, not a personalized security plan.
• If you want to follow the research: the HexHive group is the named EPFL unit for cybersecurity weaknesses in everyday devices, and Prof. Mathias Payer is the named head.
• If you want to see AI research applied: the Apertus–Proton–Lumo arrangement is the concrete example on epfl.ch of an EPFL-linked model reaching real users.

For current details, check the EPFL news pages directly, since research partnerships and group activities change over time.

EPFL's website features two main kinds of human-centred research content: profile articles about professors, PhD candidates, and master's students, and news stories that report research findings and partnerships. The profiles tend to focus on the person behind the work — their motivations, career stage, and perspective — while the news items explain what was discovered or built. A separate magazine, Dimensions, covers broader thematic issues such as water.

Profile stories: people at different career stages

The "Profiles" section is where EPFL publishes interview-style and narrative pieces about individuals in its community. From the page evidence, three examples show the range:

The pattern is deliberate: EPFL uses profiles to show research life at three distinct stages — faculty, doctoral, and master's — rather than only promoting senior scientists. The PhD profile is framed around student representation and well-being, not just output, which suggests the section also serves prospective and current students.

Research news: findings, tools, and partnerships

The "Latest news" area carries shorter reports on research and institutional developments. Two examples from the page evidence illustrate the typical shape of these items:

• AI and cybersecurity. Prof. Mathias Payer, head of EPFL's HexHive research group, explains how AI is changing the way vulnerabilities are found in everyday devices, and argues that "a few simple steps can effectively prevent cyber attacks." This is a researcher explaining a mechanism and its practical implications, not a paper announcement.
• Apertus and Proton. The Apertus team — researchers at EPFL, ETH Zurich, and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) — partnered with Swiss technology company Proton to make Apertus 1.5 available in Lumo, Proton's AI assistant. The stated purpose is to let researchers "gain direct feedback from real-world use for the first time," which is a deployment-and-feedback story rather than a discovery story.

A third item, "AI takes root in university curriculum," reports on more than 12,000 students returning to class and asks how AI has transformed higher education — a teaching-focused piece rather than a research one.

The Dimensions magazine: thematic, cross-scale coverage

Dimensions is EPFL's magazine and takes a different approach from the news feed. The edition described on the page is built around water, exploring "key issues related to water, from the nanoscopic scale to the" — that is, it spans from very small-scale science up to planetary questions, tied to the framing of Earth as the Blue Planet. If you want long-form, theme-driven science writing rather than individual researcher stories, this is the section to look at.

How to use these sections

• If you want to understand a research area through a person: start with Profiles, which gives you the researcher's own framing of the problem.
• If you want current findings or institutional partnerships: the Latest news feed is the place; items are dated (for example, 17.09.26 and 14.09.26 in the evidence shown).
• If you want a single topic treated in depth across disciplines: check the current Dimensions theme.

One practical note: the page evidence shows dated news items and profile pieces, so the specific stories above may be replaced over time. The structural categories — Profiles, Latest news, and Dimensions — are the stable entry points to look for.

EPFL is integrating AI into university teaching at the same time as more than 12,000 students return to classes, according to the university's news coverage. The epfl.ch news item "AI takes root in university curriculum" (14.09.26) frames the change as a broad question: how the advance of artificial intelligence has transformed higher education. That makes the site's news and resources sections the practical place to follow curriculum-level changes, rather than a single fixed AI course list.

What the evidence actually says

The available EPFL material supports a few concrete points:

• Scale of the student body: More than 12,000 students returned to classes at EPFL, as reported in the 14.09.26 news item.
• The framing: The same item asks how AI's advance has transformed higher education, indicating curriculum change is treated as an institution-wide topic, not a single department's project.
• Where to look: The "Latest news" section carries the curriculum story, while "Top Resources for the New Semester" points to Getting Started, the Academic Calendar, Cybersecurity, Student Life & Associations, Sports & Physical Activity, and Mental Health & Well-Being.

What the page evidence does not provide: a named AI degree, a list of AI courses, credit requirements, or a timeline for specific curriculum reforms. Those details would need to come from EPFL's academic programme pages or official announcements.

Why this matters for prospective and current students

If you are choosing courses or planning a semester, the curriculum question is really two questions:

1. Is AI being added as subject matter? The news coverage suggests yes, at the level of university-wide teaching discussion.
2. Is AI changing how teaching is delivered? The page evidence does not specify tools, assessment changes, or classroom formats.

For a student, the practical move is to check the Academic Calendar for deadlines and the relevant school or programme page for course listings, then treat the news item as context rather than a syllabus.

A related thread: AI and cybersecurity research

The same news feed shows how AI topics connect across EPFL. Prof. Mathias Payer, head of EPFL's HexHive research group, explains how AI is changing the way vulnerabilities are found and how a few simple steps can be the best line of defense. The headline quote — "Simple steps can effectively prevent cyber attacks" — is a research and security angle, not a curriculum statement, but it illustrates the kind of AI-related work that can feed into teaching.

Separately, the Apertus team (researchers at EPFL, ETH Zurich, and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre) partnered with Proton to make Apertus 1.5 available in Lumo, Proton's AI assistant, giving researchers direct real-world feedback for the first time.

How to track curriculum changes yourself

• Start with the news section on epfl.ch for announcements such as "AI takes root in university curriculum."
• Use the Academic Calendar for term dates and deadlines that affect course planning.
• Check the new-semester resources (Getting Started, Cybersecurity, Student Life & Associations, Sports & Physical Activity, Mental Health & Well-Being) for practical setup.
• Download the EPFL Campus app if you want campus information in one place.

Bottom line

The evidence supports one clear claim: EPFL is publicly discussing how AI is transforming higher education, alongside a return of more than 12,000 students to class. It does not yet show the specific curriculum structure. If your decision depends on which AI courses exist or what they require, verify against EPFL's official programme and calendar pages rather than the news summary alone.

EPFL's website gathers a set of start-of-semester resources for new students on its "Top Resources for the New Semester" page. The listed entry points are: Getting Started, Academic Calendar, Cybersecurity, Student Life & Associations, Sports & Physical Activity, and Mental Health & Well-Being, plus a link to download the EPFL Campus app. These are the official starting points the site itself highlights for incoming students; use them if you are enrolling or visiting and need to orient yourself quickly.

The resource list at a glance

The page presents the following items, each linking to a different area of student life:

The site frames these as "valuable information to help you start the semester successfully," so treat the list as the recommended first pass rather than a complete catalogue of everything EPFL offers.

How to use these resources

1. Start with Getting Started. This is the orientation entry point for new students and the logical first click before anything else.
2. Check the Academic Calendar next. Semester dates determine when teaching, exams, and breaks fall, so confirm them before planning around them.
3. Download the EPFL Campus app. The site provides a direct download link, which suggests it is intended as a day-to-day companion on campus.
4. Branch into the topic areas as needed. Cybersecurity, Student Life & Associations, Sports & Physical Activity, and Mental Health & Well-Being are separate destinations, so pick the ones relevant to your situation rather than reading them all at once.

Expected result: after working through these, you should know where to find term dates, how to get oriented, what student groups and sports exist, and where well-being support lives.

What the site also shows about campus context

Beyond the resource list, the homepage surfaces material that gives a sense of what is happening at EPFL during the semester:

• News and research highlights, including a piece on cybersecurity weaknesses in everyday devices by Prof. Mathias Payer, head of EPFL's HexHive research group, who discusses how AI is changing how vulnerabilities are found.
• AI in the curriculum, with the site noting that more than 12,000 students returned to classes and asking how AI has transformed higher education.
• Profiles, such as a professor studying how the immune system changes the aging brain, and a PhD candidate describing how representing peers helps him "contribute in the here and now."
• Practical notices, including a "Double Deck construction site" item under practical information, and a "Support for our community" section listing current initiatives.

These are not onboarding steps, but they are useful for understanding the environment you are joining.

Common sticking points

• The resource list is a starting point, not a full guide. Each item leads to its own area; expect to navigate further once you click through.
• Dates and procedures change. The Academic Calendar is the authoritative source for term timing, so verify against it rather than relying on second-hand summaries.
• The app is a download, not a web page. If you are on a desktop, you may need to switch to a mobile device or follow the link to the relevant app store.
• Language and access details are not specified on the page. The site is presented in English (en-GB); if you need information in another language or details about login requirements, check the individual destination pages.

If your goal is simply to get oriented before or at the start of term, the six listed resources plus the campus app cover the essentials the university itself puts forward.