At ECEO we develop technology to monitor Earth with digital data. We use data from multiple sources (from the smartphone to the satellite) and develop algorithms enabling spatio temporal monitoring of our changing Earth. We study land processes, underwater ecosystems and ecosystems dynamics, for instance related to animal conservation and forest monitoring.
Research topics
1
Develop AI algorithms to make sense of digital data about Earth
2
Monitor endangered ecosystems like coral reefs or tropical forests
3
Map distirbution of species (animals and vegetal) and how they distribute in space and time, especially under climate change
Our key projects
DeepSDM
In collaboration with ETH, MILa and MIT (among others) we develop AI technology to map in space and time the distribution of (endangered) species
ETH MIT MILA Ohio State University
Coral reef monitoring in the Red Sea
We develop machine learning technology to map coral reefs with close sensing, support local monitoring programs and build capacity in the Red Sea Nations with dedicated workshops
Transnational Red Sea Center (EPFL) Univeristé de Djibouti Red Sea University
Treeline monitoring
Monitor alpine forests in Switzerland with 80 years of aerial photography. We develop AI tools to map and monitor the extend of the upper limit of Swiss forests and study changes in forest dynamics due to climate change
IDIAP institute Swisstopo UNIL /Jardin des plantes
Our results and highlights
1
Competion of coral monitoring mission in Djibouti (2023) and Erirea (2024), including training workshops for local scientists.
Release of our global map of Antarctica for blue ice
2
D. Tuia, elevation to IEEE Fellow
3
European Space Agency, Toward a Foundation Model for Multi-Sensor Earth Observation Data with Language Semantics, Open Space Innovation Program
Marie Curie European Doctoral Network WildDrone
Team & talents
Lab team size
18 people
Skills developed by the scientific team
Machine learning algorithms for understanding environmental processes
Low cost monitoring systems based on camera traps (Mammalps project with Swiss National Park), GoPro cameras (coral reefs monitoring) and fixed wings drones (WildDrone project, tested in Kenya and Namibia in 2025)
Regional and social impacts
1
We provide reproducible algorithms and scientific evidence at large scale of the evolution of several critical ecosystems of Earth
2
We collaborate with seveal services of the Canton (Géoinformation, Forets, Agriculture) to support them in their monitoring efforts, in particular to scale them up and automatize
3
Through collaborations with industry (Swisstopo, AXA), we develop technology critical to make their data analysis routiens more efficient and accurate
4
We train the next generation of environmental engineers in data proficiency, and prepare them to the future challenges of process monitoring, which are strongly influenced by big data problems and complex, multi-modal sterams
Perspectives and challenges
Main opportunities
Democratization of AI is a great opportunity to spread wider our technology
Great interest in Valais for AI technology helps us connecting with several key regional players
Future Partnerships
Expanding our coral technology in other reefs of the world, towards a citizen-led monitoring system
Extending our blue ice mapping technology to other problematics related to polar dynamics
Microbiome Adaptation to the Changing Environment (MACE)
Prof. Ianina Altshuler
Microbiome Adaptation to the Changing Environment (MACE)
At the MACE lab, we study how microbes survive and adapt in snow, ice, and frozen soils. Through fieldwork, lab experiments, and molecular analyses, we uncover how these resilient life forms respond to a warming climate and help shape fragile alpine and polar ecosystems.
Research topics
1
Permafrost thaw and greenhouse gas release: When frozen ground thaws, trapped carbon becomes available to microbes, leading to the release of greenhouse gases like CO₂ and methane. We study how microbial communities shift with warming and how these changes influence ecosystem stability and climate feedbacks.
2
Microbial adaptation in the cold: We study how microorganisms survive and stay active in snow, ice, and frozen soils. They use special biochemical strategies, to function at subzero temperatures. These adaptations reveal how life responds to environmental change.
3
Microbial interactions and symbioses: Microbes interact constantly, sometimes cooperating, sometimes competing. We explore how these relationships shape microbial communities in cold environments and how partnerships between microbes and plants or animals help both adapt to harsh and changing conditions.
Our key projects
Alpine Microbiome Under Pressure
Across multiple Swiss-Alpine summits, we use passive warming plots to study how rising temperatures affect soil microbes and greenhouse gas emissions. These experiments reveal how mountain ecosystems respond to warming.
Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
Snow Decline in the Alps
We study how reduced snow cover affects alpine soils and their microbes using field plots with snow removal and addition. Tracking changes across seasons helps us understand how shrinking snowpacks alter soil health, nutrient cycles, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Greenland Microbes on Newly Exposed Land
As Greenland’s glaciers retreat under climate warming, new soil ecosystems emerge where microbes quickly take hold. We study how these early communities transform lifeless sediments into richer soils and influence greenhouse gas fluxes.
ECEO -EERL
Our results and highlights
1
Our alpine field studies reveal rich and unique microbial diversity across different mountain sites, showing that even nearby ecosystems can host distinct microbial communities. We also find that while alpine soils release CO₂, many simultaneously take up methane (CH₄), helping to potentially offset greenhouse gas emissions.
Team & talents
Lab team size
8 people in the lab (not counting Master students)
Regional and social impacts
1
Our research helps predict how climate change affects alpine mountain and polar ecosystems. This will guide conservation and public awareness of cold regions.
2
Studying alpine soils and snow systems in Valais allowes us to support sustainable land use, biodiversity conservation, and climate adaptation strategies in this sensitive alpine region.
3
Preserving and studying cold-adapted microbial organisms opens new possibilities for sustainable biotechnology, from green chemistry and environmental solutions to novel enzymes for industrial applications.
Perspectives and challenges
Main opportunities
A main priority is to understand how warming will reshape Alpine ecosystems, microbial activity, and greenhouse gas balance. * Cold-adapted microbes offer untapped potential for sustainable biotechnological and industrial innovation.
Main challenges
Linking microbial data with climate models is challenging but can potentiall greatly improve predictions of greenhouse gas feedbacks.
To understand the coupled physical, chemical and biological processes in high-mountain streams and rivers in the context of climate change.
Research topics
1
Understand the secrets of microbial life in high-mountain streams.
2
Unravel teh contributions of world’s streams and rivers to the global carbon cycle
3
Predict the future of glacier-fed streams as glaciers shrink owing to climate change
Our key projects
Kyrgyz Glacier Expedition
Expedition to sample Kyrgyze glaciers and streams with the aim to understand the microbial ecology of these vanishing ecosystems.
HydroMet Kyrgyzstan, CAIAG
High-Mountain Geohazards
Workshop on high-mountain geohazards related to glacier melt
Bhutanese Center of Meteorology and Hydrology, Glacier Stewardship Program
Tajikistan Glacier Expedition
Expedition to Tajikistan to study the biogeochemistry of glacier-fed streams in the Pamir region.
Our results and highlights
1
Vanishing Glaciers Project, The NOMIS Foundation
2
Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal of the European Geosciences Union to Tom Battin
3
SNSF Paradoxon: Unveiling the success of a dominant primary producer in high-mountain streams; SNSF Water4All BREATHE: From sensors to new indicators for water qualitiy;
4
Publications in Nature, Nature Geoscience, Nature Microbiology etc
Team & talents
Lab team size
15-22
Skills developed by the scientific team
Think critically, scientific rigour, fundamentals in aquatic ecosystem science, biogeochemistry and microbial ecology
Other
The RIVER team is multidisciplinary, including expertise in sensor technology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, glaciology, ecology and evolution
Regional and social impacts
1
Glaciers are more than just frozen water; a new research frontier
2
The value of streams and rivers goes behond the value of hydropower. RIVER highlights the value of high-mountain stream ecosystem processes, including their unique biodiversity, water quality etc.
3
RIVER sampled and studied in an unprecedented effort glacier-fed streams worldwide
Perspectives and challenges
Priority 1
The establishment of a research-driven biobank to safeguard, harness and explore the micorbial biodiversity of icy ecosystems worldwide.
Priority 2
Establish a network of water quality sensors in Valais inclduing key stakeholders.
Main challenges
Securing funds for long-term research, that often has monitoring environmental variables. Monitoring systems should become part of infrastructure, thereby facilitating the acquistion of third-party funding.
Future Partnerships
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institut Pasteur Paris
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