13 Years of Vision and Dedication: Farewell to Dr. Oliver Renn

As Head of the Chemistry | Biology | Pharmacy Information Center, Science Communication and, most recently, Public Relations of the D-CHAB, Dr. Oliver Renn will retire as of June 1, 2025. With outstanding commitment and expertise, he played a key role in shaping information literacy at ETH Zurich and transformed the Information Center from a traditional library into a modern, multifaceted competence center for scientific information.

As a young student, Dr. Oliver Renn, attracted by the integration of aesthetics and nature, initially aspired to become a landscape planner. Fortunately for the Information Center and ETH Zurich, he discovered chemistry and subsequently scientific information as equally engaging and rewarding fields to which he would dedicate his career.

In 2012, Dr. Oliver Renn took over as Head of the Chemistry | Biology | Pharmacy Information Center with a clear vision: the Information Center should become a space for exchange, learning, and orientation in the increasingly complex world of scientific information. Under his leadership, the Infozentrum evolved into a modern competence center that now offers not only books and journals, but also training sessions, consulting services, digital tools, inspiring spaces, and innovative formats recognized both at ETH Zurich and beyond.

Together with his team, he set new standards in the teaching of information literacy with formats such as the Coffee Lectures, the Research Group Menu Card Seminars, and the PhD course Scientific Information Management and Retrieval in Life Sciences and Chemistry, which now reaches more than 100 doctoral students per year. At the same time, Dr. Oliver Renn advanced the Information Center’s communication strategy, launching new communication channels such as Infozine, Infocus, and Infoflow, all of which he shaped, along with the website, with great care and a keen eye for aesthetic detail.

As Head of Science Communication and later also of Public Relations, Dr. Oliver Renn significantly advanced communication at D-CHAB. Together with his coworker, he established Science Communication as a service for researchers. Through innovative tools such as the visualization of research areas, and the introduction of a publication list with integrated Altmetric data, complemented by engaging communication in cooperation with ETH Zurich Corporate Communications, D-CHAB research rapidly achieved increased visibility.

Following a personnel reorganization in 2020, Public Relations was newly positioned as the department’s communication unit, a process that Dr. Oliver Renn strategically restructured and shaped together with his colleague. He was always open to new ideas and actively supported both the refinement of existing formats and the development of new ones, including events, initiatives, services, and social media channels.

None of this would have been possible without Oliver’s deep passion and empathic nature. He led his team with friendship, respect, and a keen awareness of individual strengths. Always approachable and generous with his trust, he was greatly appreciated by his team. His calm presence, sense of humor, and thoughtful care left a lasting mark on the working atmosphere of the Information Center. He was not only a supervisor but often a mentor and supporter — patient, thorough, and appreciative.

Dear Oliver, you have built a well-established and modern Information Center and passed on your passion for scientific information, academic libraries, and education to us. We thank you for your outstanding dedication over the past 13 years and wish you, as you embark on this new chapter of life, time for the things that matter most to you: creativity, friendship, peace, and new inspiration.

With best wishes,
Your team from the Chemistry | Biology | Pharmacy Information Center and Public Relations D-CHAB