Global Lecture Series: The Search for Life in the Universe
5 March 2026 -?Are we alone in the Universe? In this ETH Global Lecture, Pete Worden, former Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center, joins ETH exoplanetary scientist Sascha Quanz to discuss the latest advances in the search for life beyond Earth and the potential implications of finding it. This conversation explores both the science driving the quest and what discovering new life could mean for humanity.
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Are We Alone? The Search for Life in the Universe
How do you look for life beyond Earth? What are the implications of finding life elsewhere? What actually happens if you do encounter aliens?
Join us for an exciting Global Lecture in collaboration with ETH Space as we delve into the complexities of exploring the cosmos, and journey beyond our Solar System to find life beyond our planet. Our special guest is Pete Worden, former Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center, who now leads the Breakthrough Initiatives, a privately funded suite of space science programs to find life beyond Earth and explore interstellar space. He will be joined in conversation by Sascha Quanz, Professor for Exoplanets at ETH Zurich and Principal Investigator of the LIFE Space Mission. We will explore the latest developments in the search for signatures of life in the Universe, and consider what it means for humanity to seek new life; from the science that drives this, to the profound consequences of discovering life elsewhere.
Are We Alone? The Search for Life in the Universe, with special guest Pete Worden and ETH Professor Sascha Quanz
Date: Thursday 5 March 2026
Time: 17:30-18:30 Lecture + Q&A; 18:30-19:30 Networking Reception
Location: HG F30 Audimax, R?mistrasse 101
Registration is required: Please click external page here to register.
Speakers
- external page Pete Worden, Chairman, Breakthrough Prize Foundation; Executive Director, ‘Breakthrough Initiatives’
- Sascha Quanz, Professor for Exoplanets at ETH Zurich and Principal Investigator of the LIFE Space Mission
Moderated by
- Chris Luebkeman, Head of the Strategic Foresight Hub, ETH Zurich
- external page Viktoria ?sterdahl, Stakeholder Engagement & Special Projects, Office of the President, ETH Zurich
Speaker Profiles
Simon Peter “Pete” Worden
Simon Peter “Pete” Worden, (Brig Gen, USAF, Ret, PhD) is the Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and Executive Director of the foundation’s ‘Breakthrough Initiatives’. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Michigan and a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Arizona. Prior to joining the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, Dr. Worden was Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center until retiring on March 31, 2015. He held several positions in the United States Air Force and was research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona. Dr. Worden has authored or co-authored over 150 scientific papers. On July 20, 2015 at the Royal Society in London, UK, Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking launched the Breakthrough Initiatives. At the press conference, Dr. Worden was introduced as the Chairman for the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. In this capacity he also leads the Breakthrough Initiatives as its Executive Director. From 2017 to the present, Brigadier General Worden has been an Advisor to the Luxembourg Space Agency and was appointed as a Knight-Commander of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 2018 for his space services.
Sascha Quanz
Sascha is an exoplanetary scientist, principal investigator (PI) and leading the Exoplanets & Habitability Research Group in the Department of Physics at ETH Zurich. He is driven by the long-term goal to search for life outside our Solar System, i.e., on planets orbiting stars other than our Sun. The work of his team is focused on the development and implementation of the LIFE space mission for which Sascha is the PI. LIFE is one of the most ambitious space missions ever conceived and will allow humankind to detect and characterize the atmospheres of hundreds of extrasolar planets in the immediate vicinity of our Sun including dozens that are similar to Earth. Sascha holds a Diploma in Physics from Heidelberg University, a PhD from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, and is an ex-consultant with McKinsey & Company. Sascha co-founded the ETH Center for Origin and Prevalence of Life and the ETH Zurich | Space Center. He is an Associated professor at the AI Center of ETH Zurich, at the ETH Department for Earth and Planetary Science, an Associated Member at the Max Planck - ETH Center for Learning Systems, and a member of the Albert Einstein School of Public Policy at ETH Zurich.
Chris Luebkeman
Chris is Head of the Strategic Foresight Hub in the Office of the President at ETH Zurich. In all of his collaborations, he intertwines practical optimism, insatiable curiosity, and a profound commitment to the planet. Chris' career to date has spanned various professions and locations. His path led him to Vanderbilt, Cornell and ETH Zurich, among others. Prior to his role at ETH Zurich, he worked at the global engineering consultancy Arup in London, where he led the research and development group and later founded the foresight, innovation and incubation teams.
Viktoria ?sterdahl
Change Agent. Go-to Person. Viktoria ?sterdahl (maiden name: Ivarsson) leads Stakeholder Engagement & Special Projects in the Office of the President of ETH Zurich, to increase the visibility and renown of the university worldwide. She also manages the ETH Circle, an international network of alumni and friends of ETH Zurich who act as ambassadors. Formerly with EHL School of Hospitality, Hirslanden, and the World Economic Forum, Viktoria holds an MAS in Sports Administration and Technology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), and an MA in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (HEI). A Swiss and Swedish national, she is fluent in 4 languages, and is currently learning German. A member of Nordiska, the Nordic Rowing Association, she can be found most mornings rowing on Lake Zurich.