Join ETH Swiss GeoLab: Agriculture Mission Lead
ETH Zurich is establishing the ETH Swiss GeoLab, a new interdisciplinary unit within ETH Zürich I Space. As part of a strategic centre comprising five units, the GeoLab is dedicated to advancing Earth observation and its various applications. Utilizing satellite, airborne, ground-based, and in-situ observations, the GeoLab employs AI-driven analysis methods and high-performance computing to create impactful solutions for societal and economic challenges.
Located at the D4 Business Village in Root, near Lucerne, ETH Swiss GeoLab operates at the intersection of research, technology development, and practical application. During its initial phase, the GeoLab will concentrate on high-impact application areas where Earth observation, geodata, and AI-based analytics can deliver real value for Switzerland's agricultural sector. Key challenges include enhancing productivity, resilience, resource efficiency, environmental performance, and decision-making support for practitioners and policymakers.
The ETH Swiss GeoLab is led by Prof. Dr. Verena Griess and Prof. Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, with Dr. Felix Seidel serving as Managing Director overseeing daily operations. Over the coming years, the GeoLab aims to develop into a project-based hub of around 100 experts, collaborating closely with other ETH units, the Swiss national centre for supercomputing (CSCS), Swiss research institutions, public-sector stakeholders, agricultural organizations, industry partners, startups, and international stakeholders.
Position Overview
We are seeking an Agriculture Mission Lead who will spearhead the GeoLab Agriculture Mission within GeoLab. This role will involve identifying high-impact challenges in Swiss agriculture through direct interaction with key stakeholders and leveraging domain-relevant data and expertise. You will define ambitious mission outcomes, articulate practitioner needs into research and product goals, and drive solutions through field validation and adoption.
Your Responsibilities
- Define an ambitious and coherent Agriculture Mission addressing major opportunities in productivity, resilience, resource efficiency, and environmental performance.
- Identify operational gaps where ETH Swiss GeoLab can create distinctive value for Swiss agriculture.
- Engage with farmers, agricultural advisory services, producer organizations, cooperatives, authorities, technology providers, and industry partners.
- Translate agricultural challenges into clear research, data, product, and technical requirements.
- Assess user value, economic viability, scalability, and adoption potential.
- Establish measurable mission outcomes, roadmaps, assumptions, and success criteria aligned with Swiss agricultural needs and the overall GeoLab strategy; actively track progress against these outcomes.
- Manage the delegated mission budget, define priorities, milestones, and decision points, and track finances and successes through regular reporting to GeoLab leadership and other stakeholders.
- Collaborate with GeoLab’s Geo-Intelligence team and external partners to drive field pilots, validation, operational testing, and integration into agricultural workflows.
- Identify and mobilize strong research groups, agricultural organizations, technology companies, startups, service providers, and public agencies.
- Represent ETH Swiss GeoLab within Swiss agricultural, scientific, policy, and innovation communities.
- Communicate mission goals, progress, evidence, and lessons learned at events, workshops, and conferences.
- Guide and train students, researchers, and external contributors as needed, supporting knowledge transfer into agricultural practice.
Your Profile
We are looking for candidates who possess:
- A Master’s or PhD degree in agricultural sciences, agronomy, crop science, agricultural engineering, environmental sciences, or related fields.
- Several years of experience in applied research, program delivery, or operational implementation in agricultural practice, advisory services, agri-technology, public administration, or industry.
- Strong expertise in agricultural practice, production systems, agronomy, and crop management.
- A proven ability to identify operational problems and translate them into actionable initiatives.
- A successful track record of collaboration in diverse teams, with a desire to apply research for the benefit of others.
- Experience in mission, program, or applied R&D portfolio design.
- Strong project, portfolio, and budget management skills, with demonstrated examples of tracking tools for project insights.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills across diverse practitioners, public authorities, academia, and industry.
- The ability to work across disciplinary and organizational boundaries while leading through influence.
- Strong judgment skills and the willingness to creatively challenge established approaches.
- Exceptional communication and listening skills, with great presentation abilities in various formats.
- Fluency in written and spoken English; proficiency in German and French is an asset.
What We Offer
Joining ETH Swiss GeoLab presents a unique and rare opportunity to be part of an early-stage initiative focused on Earth observation:
- A mission-driven role with high visibility and significant relevance for Swiss agriculture, alongside broad international impact.
- A dynamic, interdisciplinary, and entrepreneurial environment at one of the world's leading technical universities.
- A workplace in Root/Lucerne, integrated into an active innovation ecosystem closely connected to ETH Zurich.
Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
For further queries regarding the position, please reach out to Dr. Felix Seidel, Managing Director of ETH Swiss GeoLab, at felix.seidel@eaps.ethz.ch.
We look forward to receiving your application!
Please note that the pre-selection process will be conducted by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence. For recruitment services, the GTC of ETH Zurich apply.