Anna Fontcuberta i Morral: The Courage to Leap
As we carry forward the momentum from the Laidlaw Scholars Annual Conference at Durham University and look ahead to our North America gathering at Brown University, where scholars will continue exploring what it means to be brave, we turn to the words of Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, whose recent Leadership Lab conversation challenged us to reconsider how we approach uncertainty. In our latest Leadership Lab episode, now available on the Laidlaw Scholars Network, Professor Fontcuberta i Morral spoke with Susanna Kempe about global citizenship, authentic leadership, and the courage it takes to make decisions for the common good.
Anna Fontcuberta i Morral: "If we don't make mistakes, we will never learn, so I would say: think about all the things that can happen, but just jump into the cold water, because you will learn so much from whatever happens."
Leadership Forged Through Deliberate Risk
Anna Fontcuberta i Morral became president of École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne on January 1, 2025, marking a historic moment as the first woman to lead a Swiss Federal Institute of Technology since its founding in 1855. A Spanish and Swiss physicist and materials scientist, her research focuses on nanotechnology applied to solar cells and quantum technologies. She established the Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials as a world leader in sustainable nanotechnologies and co-founded the successful start-up Aonex Technologies. Her work with the Wish Foundation promoting gender parity, combined with service on national research bodies and policy commissions, reveals a leader who has repeatedly chosen the uncertainty of new challenges over the comfort of established expertise. Her trajectory demonstrates that significant contribution requires venturing beyond the boundaries of what we already know how to do well.
Bravery as Preparation Paired with Decisive Action
Fontcuberta i Morral's words carry a weight earned through lived experience. Her insight reveals that true courage is neither reckless abandon nor overcautious delay, but something more nuanced: the willingness to prepare thoroughly whilst accepting that certainty will never arrive. Learning requires vulnerability. Expertise emerges from error. Leadership demands we model this acceptance publicly rather than project invulnerability.
In the Leadership Lab conversation, Fontcuberta i Morral speaks candidly about this form of courage: "The best decisions come when I remove myself from the equation and act for the common good." This perspective illuminates her quote further. Jumping into cold water becomes brave not when done for personal glory but when undertaken for collective benefit, when we risk failure because the potential learning serves purposes larger than our own comfort or reputation. She names the personal cost of speaking against injustice, of maintaining high standards whilst offering genuine encouragement, of making choices that advance equity even when they invite scrutiny.
This understanding animated the Durham conference, where scholars presented research still evolving, engaged in difficult conversations without predetermined conclusions, and participated in masterclasses on ventures not yet proven. As we prepare for Brown, we carry this lesson forward: that addressing climate extremes and material scarcity requires the courage to propose solutions before we possess complete certainty, to build interdisciplinary collaborations that challenge disciplinary comfort zones, to communicate science in ways that invite public engagement rather than hide behind technical precision.
Fontcuberta i Morral's message aligns with the Laidlaw value of #Brave and the Oxford Character Project virtue of #Courage. Being brave means confronting uncertainty with preparation and resolve, acknowledging that mistakes offer learning unavailable through caution alone. Courage means acting with moral clarity for collective benefit even when personal cost looms, recognising that perfectionism often masks fear and that waiting for flawless conditions guarantees inaction precisely when action matters most.
A Call to Reflect
As we move from Durham toward Brown and beyond, we invite you to reflect on Fontcuberta i Morral's wisdom. Share in the comments: What is one "cold water" moment you have been avoiding in your leadership or research journey? What preparation would transform that leap from reckless to brave? How might giving yourself permission to make mistakes in service of the common good, rather than demanding private perfection, accelerate your capacity to learn and lead with integrity?
Listen to the full Leadership Lab conversation with Anna Fontcuberta i Morral here, where she explores global citizenship, authentic leadership, and building inclusive teams grounded in shared values.