Professor Martina Rau

Martina Rau holds the Professorship of Research on Learning and Instruction at ETH Zurich. Her research team conducts empirical research aimed at improving instructional practices. The overarching goal is to equip students with knowledge that is both flexible and resilient. Of particular interest are methods that help students gain knowledge and skills that allow them to solve novel tasks and also to critically evaluate new information they may encounter online or elsewhere. In this realm, the team specifically focuses on the use of educational technologies and multimodal methods. Martina focuses on empirical research with an emphasis on multi-methods approaches. This allows her team to understand mechanisms of learning that lead to specific learning outcomes. Martina's team is interdisciplinary by nature, reflecting Martina’s own background. Furthermore, the team embodies Martina's philosophy of a respectful, collaborative work environment.

Prior to joining ETH Zurich, Martina was an associate professor at the external page University of Wisconsin - Madison (USA) with her primary appointment in the Department of Educational Psychology and an affiliate appointment in the Department of Computer Sciences. During this time, she was directing the Learning, Representations, and Technology lab and served as chair of the Learning Sciences Ph.D. program. Martina holds a Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interactions from Carnegie Mellon University (USA), a Masters of Science in Human-Computer Interactions from Carnegie Mellon University (USA), and a Dipl.-Psych. (equivalent to a B.S. and M.S. in Psychology) from the University of Freiburg i. Br. (Germany).

Besides research, Martina enjoys biking, swimming, taking her son to the Zurich zoo, and dancing Argentine tango with her husband.

To learn more about our research, watch Martina's inaugural lecture.