FAQ

Here you will find frequently asked questions and answers regarding the centrally organized inaugural lectures for professorships subject to the appointment procedure and externally funded assistant professorships. For questions regarding the planning of inaugural lectures for privatedozents and adjunct professors, please contact the relevant dean's office.

Inaugural lectures are public lectures at UZH. An inaugural lecture traditionally marks and celebrates the appointment of a professor or privatdozent at UZH. 

Inaugural lectures for professorships subject to the appointment procedure and externally funded assistant professorships are centrally organized by the Inaugural Lecture Team. Inaugural Lectures for adjunct professorships and privatedozents are managed directly by their respective faculties. 

Inaugural lectures are open to the public and free of charge. 

The centrally organized inaugural lectures are held in the Aula of the UZH main building (KOL-G-201). The apéro takes place either in the Lichthof Nord, Lichthof Süd or in front of the Aula (one separate area per lecture). They are scheduled during the lecture period of the semester and happen either on Monday evenings or Saturday mornings. 

In addition, inaugural lectures will be broadcasted live via Vimeo during the actual date of the inaugural lecture.

The recordings of the inaugural lectures will also be published in a Vimeo collection afterwards. (Publication within three working days.)

Please inform us if you prefer not to have a recording of your inaugural lecture.

Current dates and times of inaugural lectures can be found in the UZH Agenda.

Professors subject to the apppointment procedure and externally funded assistant professors are contacted by us in order of the semester of their appointment. They are given a selection of dates, from which they can choose a suitable one. 

Candidates are usually contacted at the beginning of the previous semester. 

Inaugural lectures are part of the habilitation process and therefore usually mandatory.

The habilitation regulations of the relevant faculty state whether new members of the teaching staff are required to hold an inaugural lecture. For more information, please get in touch with your dean’s office.

Please contact your faculty with any questions you may have about the habilitation process. 

As candidate for an inaugural lecture, after choosing a date, you should do the following things:

• Choose an interesting title for your lecture
• Prepare your guest list
• Organize your apéro
• Arrangement with the dean's office regarding which faculty member will deliver your introductory speech
• A technical trial run (optional, requested)

You can find more information on planning and preparing your lecture at Planning and Course of Events.

Yes, there is a live stream for centrally organized inaugural lectures. In this case, the livestreaming and podcast publication are linked. The live stream can be found in the Agenda.

Please note: The Vimeo livestream will be only available during the actual date of the inaugural lecture. The recording will be made available in a Vimeo collection afterwards. (Publication within three working days.)

If you do not want your inaugural lecture to be streamed or recorded, please contact the  Team Inaugural Lectures.