Applied Research Software Engineer / Applied Research Software Engineeress

Applied Research Software Engineer - GenAI R&D for Future-Proof Teaching

80%-100%, Zurich, permanent

The GenAI-R&D for Future-Proof Teaching group at the ETH AI Center (Zürich-Oerlikon) builds fully open-source systems that reimagine how students learn and how instructors teach.

Project Background

After supporting 2,000 students per semester with the first-generation Ethel ecosystem, we are now scaling EthelFlow (agent-based core) and EthelApp (front-end for desktop & mobile) to 20,000 students across a broad spectrum of STEM courses. The platform blends large language and vision models with symbolic math and statistical tools and agent-based human-in-the-loop workflow management to drive:

• Course-specific chatbots,
• Automatic practice-problem generation,
• Feedback on handwritten or code exercises, and
• Assistance in grading handwritten exams.

You will work side by side with faculty, staff, and master's students across ETH, turning applied research ideas into production-quality code. Our processes are lightweight and agile: short goals, rapid iterations, direct contact with instructors and other stakeholders, and plenty of pair-coding with students. There are no heavyweight Scrum rituals—just a relentless focus on user impact and code quality, combined with a pragmatic and can-do attitude.

Job Description

Your responsibilities will include hands-on product development, where you'll ship new features in a React and TypeScript front-end designed for both desktop and mobile users. You will also extend Python-based agent pipelines (e.g., LangGraph) and integrate diverse large language models (LLMs) and multimodal vision models. Additionally, you'll build and maintain data flows specifically tailored for recognizing handwritten mathematics, diagrams, and code, and manage systems that provide timely feedback or rubric-based scoring.

In your role focusing on open-source engineering, you'll design clean, modular APIs and publish all contributions under permissive licenses. You will actively review pull requests, enhance documentation, and help grow a vibrant, engaged contributor community.

Regarding infrastructure and operations, you'll take ownership of Linux servers operating within Docker Swarm, automating builds and deployments through GitHub Actions. You'll also reinforce the robustness of monitoring and logging systems to ensure reproducibility, with Kubernetes experience being a beneficial skill.

For R&D prototyping, you will evaluate emerging models and tools, quickly develop proofs of concept, and strategically transition promising ideas into production-ready solutions.

Finally, you'll engage in collaboration and mentoring by pair-programming with master's students, sharing best practices, and working closely with course instructors to iteratively refine projects.

Profile

Required Skills & Experience

• Modern React (Hooks, responsive design) and strong TypeScript.
• Solid Python skills and familiarity with Node.js for implementing services and agent logic.
• Confident on Linux and fluent with Docker Swarm (compose-to-swarm workflows, secrets, volumes, overlay networking).
• Comfortable with LaTeX for maths-heavy content.
• Experience connecting LLMs and multimodal models (prompting, RAG, structured output).
• Git and GitHub Actions (or similar) and a test-as-you-go mindset.
• Able to work on-site at ETH Zurich (primarily in Oerlikon) at least three days per week on average, with flexibility to work remotely the remaining days.
• Master's degree in computer science, applied information, data science, or another STEM degree with corresponding experience.
• Excellent spoken and written English.
• Curiosity.

Nice to Have

• Conversational German for campus interactions.
• Kubernetes or other container-orchestration experience.
• Experience with R and Maxima.
• Familiarity with interactive homework or learning-content management systems.
• Background in handwriting recognition, exam workflows, or computer vision.
• Notable open-source contributions, especially in ed-tech.
• Understanding of Swiss or European university teaching contexts.

Workplace

We offer a modern office located in the ETH AI Center, just a few minutes from the Zürich-Oerlikon station.

We Value Diversity

In line with our values, ETH Zurich promotes an inclusive culture, encouraging equality of opportunity, valuing diversity, and nurturing a working and learning environment where the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Please visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website for more information on how we create a fair and open environment that enables everyone to grow and flourish.

Curious? So Are We.

Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.