The United Nations University is deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of UNU’s fifth Rector, Prof. Dr. Konrad Osterwalder. Born in Frauenfeld, Thurgau, Switzerland in June 1942, Prof. Osterwalder was 83.
Konrad Osterwalder served the United Nations University with distinction and dedication. A renowned physicist and academic leader, he bridged the worlds of scientific rigour and international cooperation. His leadership left an enduring institutional legacy, grounded in scholarly excellence, global engagement and a deep commitment to the mission of the United Nations.
A pioneering mathematical physicist, he was known for the Osterwalder–Schrader theorem, a foundational result that established a rigorous connection between Euclidean field theory and relativistic quantum field theory.
Before joining the UN system, Prof. Osterwalder had a formidable career in academia. He earned his doctorate in theoretical physics in 1970 at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule; ETH) in Zurich. He then spent several years in the United States, working first at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University and then as a research fellow at Harvard University. At Harvard, he was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1973 and to Associate Professor for Mathematical Physics in 1976.
He returned to Switzerland in 1977 upon being appointed a full Professor for Mathematical Physics at ETH Zurich. He served as Rector of ETH from 1995 to 2007, and briefly as ETH President pro tempore.
Prof. Osterwalder joined UNU as Rector in 2007, holding the rank of United Nations Under-Secretary-General. During his term (September 2007 – February 2013), he led the University through a period of institutional transition. His most significant achievement was successfully advocating for the UN General Assembly to amend the University’s Charter in December 2009, enabling UNU to grant and confer master's and doctorate degrees. Under his leadership, UNU launched its first MSc and PhD programmes.
Beyond securing degree-granting status, Rector Osterwalder worked to transform UNU from a loose confederation of institutes into a more cohesive federal structure to facilitate better system-wide collaboration, and implemented vital quality assurance policies that modernized the University’s communications and fundraising efforts.
Throughout his life, Prof. Osterwalder remained deeply engaged with the global academic community. He was a Fellow of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and a member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences. His distinctions included an honorary doctorate from Helsinki University of Technology and the Leonardo da Vinci Medal from the European Society for Engineering Education.
His contributions were also recognized by UNU’s host country of Japan. At the 2025 Autumn Conferment of Decorations on Foreign Nationals, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in recognition of his outstanding contributions to strengthening the relationship between Japan and UNU and his lifelong dedication to advancing academic research.
In recognition of Prof. Osterwalder’s service and legacy, the flags at the United Nations University will fly at half-mast for 7 days and a condolence book will be placed at UNU Headquarters for colleagues and friends to pay their respects.
We mourn the loss of this visionary leader who fundamentally reshaped the educational capacity of the United Nations University.
