Rectorate and ETH AI Center
The GenAI-R&D for Future-Proof Teaching group at the ETH AI Center in Zürich-Oerlikon is committed to building fully open-source systems that reimagine the learning and teaching experience for students and instructors alike.
Having supported 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 reach an impressive 20,000 students across a broad spectrum of STEM courses. Our platform seamlessly integrates large language models, vision models, symbolic mathematics, and statistical tools to enhance the educational journey through:
- Course-specific chatbots
- Automatic practice problem generation
- Feedback on handwritten or code exercises
- Assistance in grading handwritten exams
In this exciting role, you will collaborate closely with faculty, staff, and master’s students across ETH, transforming applied research ideas into production-quality code. Our processes are lightweight and agile, focusing on short goals, rapid iterations, direct communication with instructors and stakeholders, and ample opportunities for pair-coding with students. We prioritize user impact and code quality while maintaining a pragmatic and can-do mindset.
Your Responsibilities
You will be deeply involved in hands-on product development, implementing new features in a React and TypeScript front-end optimized for both desktop and mobile users. Key aspects of your role will include:
- Extending Python-based agent pipelines (e.g., LangGraph) and integrating diverse large language models (LLMs) and multimodal vision models.
- Building and maintaining data flows tailored for recognizing handwritten mathematics, diagrams, and code, while managing systems that provide timely feedback or rubric-based scoring.
- Designing clean, modular APIs and publishing all contributions under permissive licenses in open-source engineering.
- Reviewing pull requests, enhancing documentation, and helping to cultivate an engaged contributor community.
- Overseeing Linux servers within Docker Swarm, automating builds and deployments through GitHub Actions, and enhancing monitoring and logging systems for reproducibility (Kubernetes experience is a plus).
- Evaluating emerging models and tools for R&D prototyping, quickly developing proofs of concept, and transitioning promising ideas into production-ready solutions.
- Collaborating and mentoring through pair-programming with master’s students, sharing best practices, and working closely with course instructors to iteratively refine projects.
Required Skills & Experience
- Proficiency in modern React (Hooks, responsive design) and strong TypeScript skills.
- Solid Python expertise and familiarity with Node.js for implementing services and agent logic.
- Confident on Linux, with fluency in Docker Swarm (compose-to-swarm workflows, secrets, volumes, overlay networking).
- Comfortable with LaTeX for math-heavy content.
- Experience connecting LLMs and multimodal models (prompting, RAG, structured output).
- Familiarity with Git and GitHub Actions (or similar) with a test-as-you-go mindset.
- Able to work on-site at ETH Zurich (primarily in Oerlikon) at least three days per week, with flexibility for remote work on other days.
- Master’s degree in computer science, applied information, data science, or another relevant STEM field.
- Excellent spoken and written English skills.
- A curious mindset.
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, particularly in ed-tech.
- Understanding of Swiss or European university teaching contexts.
What We Offer
- Impact: Shape how thousands of ETH students learn and how faculty teach.
- Publication opportunities: Contribute to open-access papers in leading journals.
- Cutting-edge stack: Access to the latest open-source and commercial models (Azure AI), GPUs, and academic collaborations.
- Learning budget: Conference travel and paid time for exploration.
- Flexible schedule: Core collaboration days on-site and remote-friendly otherwise.
- Workspace: A modern office in the ETH AI Center, located just minutes from Zürich-Oerlikon station.
We look forward to your online application using the form below:
- Resume/CV
- Degree certificates
- A brief document (maximum one page) sharing your initial ideas, impressions, and constructive feedback about the early-stage codebase at EthelFlow and EthelApp.
Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
For further information about the ETH AI Center, please visit our website. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Dr. Gerd Kortemeyer at kgerd@ethz.ch (no applications).
We would like to emphasize that the pre-selection process is conducted by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.
For recruitment services, the GTC of ETH Zurich apply.