Born in 1972, Daniela Willi-Piezzi studied Economics at the University of St. Gallen (HSG), specialising in pedagogy and didactics for higher education. After graduating in 1997, she worked at the HSG's Institut für Wirtschaftspädagogik until 2002, participating in numerous research and consulting projects in the field of pedagogy and didactics, as well as in the training of teachers, corporate trainers and school principals.
In 2002, she obtained her PhD in pedagogy and didactics from the University of St. Gallen. In the same year, she began teaching, first at the University and SUP of St. Gallen, and later at other higher education institutions in German-speaking Switzerland. She has been a member of the Teaching Commission of the Universities of Applied Sciences of swissuniversities for several years.
Daniela Willi-Piezzi joined SUPSI in 2005 as a professional lecturer in the Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care. In 2009, she was awarded the title of Associate Professor. In 2020, the SUPSI Council appointed her Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies. Her tenure has been marked by a commitment to the development and innovation of education. She has overseen the monitoring and continuous improvement of the quality of Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes and the promotion of SUPSI's professional university education.
She has been involved in supporting studies, both through tools and policies to help students balance their studies with other professional and private commitments, and through measures to combat the phenomenon of dropouts, which is common to all Swiss universities. Particular attention has also been given to student participation, with students actively involved in monitoring the quality of education and benefiting from an increasing number of extra-curricular activities and study experiences.
Daniela Willi-Piezzi's profile impressed the Council with her undoubted professional, interpersonal and leadership skills, as well as her long and significant experience in Swiss university education and the clarity of her presentation on the objectives and priorities to be addressed in her first 18 months as director.
The SUPSI Council particularly appreciated her willingness to maintain a relationship based on constant dialogue with the world of education in Ticino, deepening her direct knowledge of it, listening to its needs and encouraging participation. The SUPSI Council's appointment came at the end of a rigorous selection process. The interest generated by the public competition for the position of Head of the Department of Education and Learning / University of Teacher Education af SUPSI and the participation of highly qualified candidates confirm the importance and prestige of a position that entails the great responsibility and challenges associated with leading the department responsible for teacher training in Ticino.
The SUPSI Council wishes Daniela Willi-Piezzi all the best for this new professional challenge and thanks her for her excellent work over the last five years as Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies.
Daniela Willi-Piezzi will take up her post on 1 May 2026.