The ESC welcomes five new team members to the executive office
The Energy Science Center (ESC) is very pleased to welcome Jan Abrell, Dr. Ali Darudi, Fabian Stieger, Maike Heller and Sven Rüegg to the executive team. Jan joined the ESC already in February 2025 , Ali, Fabian and Maike in May 2025 and Sven in July 2025.
Jan joins the ESC for the SWEET-CoSi project and contributes to the technical implementation of the CROSS data platform.
After studying economics at the University of Frankfurt and Dresden, Jan Abrell joined the DIW Berlin, the EU Joint Research Centre in Seville, and ETH Zurich to conduct research in the field of environmental and energy economics. Following a stay at the Centre for European Research in Mannheim and the MSCI Climate Risk Centre, he joined the University of Basel where he continues his research on environmental economics and numerical programming.
Ali joins the ESC as Technical Lead for the Nexus-e group.
As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Basel and later as a scientific researcher at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), he contributed to several national research programs, including SCCER CREST, SWEET EDGE, SWEET PATHFNDER, and various EWG programmes.
His main interests include energy market modeling, storage needs, robust energy system planning, market mechanisms, and tariff design. At the ESC, he will lead the technical development of the Nexus-e energy system modeling platform, focusing on integrating economic perspectives and supporting research on future energy policy.
Ali holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Basel, building on earlier degrees in Power Engineering.
Fabian joins the ESC as Communications & Events manager.
He graduated from Zurich University of the Arts with a degree in Audiovisual Media, then took his first professional steps at ETH’s corporate communications team, diving into social media and content production. He later moved to Berlin, where he worked at two startups specializing in paid social marketing and content creation. In 2022, he returned to Zurich and joined Digitec Galaxus as a Senior Social Media Manager.
Fabian is passionate about sustainability, queer politics, and, on a completely unrelated note, knows far too much about Pokémon.
Maike Heller joins the ESC as Operations & Office Manager.
She has a broad background in organizational development and internal communication. She has worked in public administration and the private sector, always with a focus on building clear structures, improving processes, and supporting good collaboration. Maike enjoys connecting people and ideas, making everyday work easier, and creating environments where teams can thrive.
With a background in cultural studies, a passion for purposeful work environments, and a practical mindset, she brings both analytical thinking and a human-centered approach to her new role at the ESC.
Sven Rüegg joins the ESC to develop the open-data SWEET-CROSS web platform which provides and visualizes energy research data.
He studied architecture at ZHAW. He then worked for several years in real estate marketing as a content creator and web designer. Later, he transitioned into software development and, before joining the ESC, developed a cost calculator for the building industry.