Otto Jaag

Coming from a very modest family background, Otto Jaag was only able to realize his aspiration of studying natural sciences at Geneva University thanks to a private loan. In 1929, he completed his studies with a dissertation on "Experimental studies of lichens". He then worked as a researcher and, from 1933, as a lecturer (Privatdozent) in Hydrobiology and Cryptogamic Botany at the ETH Institute for Special Botany.

At the age of 41, Jaag became Associate Professor at the ETH Zurich, and in 1952 he was appointed as Director of Eawag. Under Jaag's enterprising leadership, Eawag's activities rapidly expanded to cover a wider range of environmental protection concerns.

From 1952 to 1954, in his capacity as Chair of the Extraparliamentary Commission responsible for elaborating the Federal Water Protection Act of 1955, Jaag played a key role in the development of Swiss water protection legislation and its constitutional underpinnings. In 1953, the Act was approved by voters, with a majority of over 80%.

In the international arena, Jaag served for many years on expert bodies at the WHO, the OECD, the Economic Commission for Europe and the Council of Europe.