Join the ETH AI Center
The ETH AI Center is one of the largest AI centers in Europe, boasting over 120 professors from all 16 departments of ETH Zurich and over 1500 associated PhD students and post-docs. Our mission is to foster interdisciplinary AI research and pave the way from science to society.
Position Overview: Academic Programs Lead
The Academic Programs Lead will head a small but impactful unit dedicated to community-building, research acceleration, educational programs, and effective dissemination of research at the ETH AI Center. Reporting to the Executive Director, this hands-on leadership role involves setting the strategic direction for the unit while actively driving key programs to fruition.
Key Responsibilities
- Take ownership of the Center’s research accelerator portfolio, which includes GPU grants, university partnerships (e.g., Stanford exchange program), and providing grant writing support for flagship proposals.
- Shape educational offerings in collaboration with faculty, manage relationships with ELLIS and partner institutions, and ensure measurable impact across all areas of activity (e.g., scaling grant programs or supporting high-value research proposals).
- Oversee the Swiss National AI Institute’s GPU starting grants program from end-to-end: promoting calls, screening eligibility, coordinating reviewer panels with faculty, managing decisions, and handling applicant communications.
- Establish and manage strategic partnerships with peer institutions (e.g., Stanford exchange program), including the negotiation of agreements, logistics management, and relationship maintenance.
- Provide hands-on grant-writing support for flagship proposals, coordinating contributions from faculty and research groups.
- Drive the development of educational programs in collaboration with faculty leads, including large-scale AI engineering and entrepreneurship courses.
- Manage the ELLIS relationship and coordinate the Center’s engagement with the ELLIS network.
- Set priorities, work plans, and budgets for the Academic Programs unit; maintain a lightweight coordination rhythm with the team.
- Represent the unit to ETH AI Center leadership, the faculty steering committee, and external stakeholders.
- Step in as a backup across the unit’s activities when necessary to ensure continuity and quality.
Qualifications
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills to build trust with faculty, negotiate with external partners, and align diverse stakeholders.
- Proven ability to manage complex programs and portfolios with multiple parallel workstreams and deadlines.
- Experience in grant writing or research funding processes, ideally within a European academic context.
- A strategic thinker who is comfortable with both high-level planning and hands-on execution.
- Proactive, structured, and solutions-oriented; able to drive initiatives to completion without waiting for direction.
- Strong written communication skills, including the ability to draft compelling proposals, agreements, and presentations.
Requirements
- A master’s degree or PhD in a relevant field such as computer science, engineering, science policy, technology management, or a related discipline.
- At least 3–5 years of experience in academic research, research management, science program management, academic administration, or a comparable role in a tech or research environment.
- Demonstrated experience managing grants, partnerships, or institutional collaborations.
- A strong understanding of the AI research landscape and academic ecosystem.
- Fluency in English; proficiency in German is a plus.
Why Join Us?
If you are a highly motivated individual with a passion for AI and a commitment to making a significant impact in a rapidly evolving field, we would love to hear from you. Join the ETH AI Center and work at the forefront of AI research in Europe, collaborating with leading faculty, global partners, and a dynamic ecosystem in Zurich.
Apply online using the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
Additional Information
The position is initially limited to 1 year, with the intention to extend. Further information about the ETH AI Center can be found on our website. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Alexandra Janosi at alexandra.janosi@ai.ethz.ch (no applications).
We would like to emphasize that pre-selection is carried out by responsible recruiters rather than by artificial intelligence.