Dr. Britta Allgöwer
President
“Research means entering new territory and wanting to challenge yourself constantly. Nature, culture, and the research landscape of Graubünden provide an ideal environment for this.”
Britta Allgöwer was elected President of the Academia Raetica in June 2020. Prior to this role, until the end of May 2020, she directed the Natural History Museum of the Canton of Lucerne. She studied Agronomy at ETH Zurich and obtained her Ph.D. in Agriculture/Food Science in 1989, focusing on the chemistry and technology of goat milk, an area with limited research at the time.
After two years at the Office for Spatial Development in the Grisons, Britta Allgöwer joined the Institute of Geography at the University of Zurich. There she developed the Geographical Information System (GIS) of the Swiss National Park and brought it to operational maturity. It was in this environment that her main research direction crystallized: research into natural processes, in particular forest fires in Switzerland and other countries. Through various EU and Swiss National Science Foundation projects, she and her team conducted numerous studies on fire spread and fire ecology. Concurrently, she engaged in wildlife biology and landscape modeling, notably contributing to the National Research Program NFP48 "Landscapes and Habitats of the Alps", where she led two projects as Principal Investigator.
In 2006, Britta Allgöwer undertook the groundwork for the Science City Davos before assuming the role of Director of the Natural History Museum Lucerne in 2011. During her tenure in Lucerne, over fifty temporary exhibitions on current scientific topics were presented.
Britta Allgöwer is actively involved in various volunteer roles, including serving as President of the Naturforschende Gesellschaft Graubünden, a member of the Cultural Commission of the Canton of Graubünden, a board member of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT), and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Kirchner Museum Davos.
Dipl. Ing.-Agr. ETH, Dr. sc. techn. Britta Allgöwer
Dählenwaldstrasse 12
7265 Davos Wolfgang Switzerland
Britta Allgöwer