Applied Research Software Engineer / Applied Research Software Engineeress

Rectorate and ETH AI Center

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.

After successfully 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 accommodate 20,000 students across a broad spectrum of STEM courses. The platform integrates large language and vision models with symbolic math, 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
• Assistance in grading handwritten exams

In this role, you will work closely with faculty, staff, and master’s students across ETH, turning applied research ideas into production-quality code. Our processes are lightweight and agile, featuring short goals, rapid iterations, direct contact with instructors and stakeholders, and abundant pair-coding opportunities with students. We maintain a relentless focus on user impact and code quality without unnecessary Scrum rituals.

Your Responsibilities

Your role will encompass hands-on product development, where you will deliver 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 will be responsible for:

• Building and maintaining data flows for recognizing handwritten mathematics, diagrams, and code
• Managing systems that provide timely feedback or rubric-based scoring

Open-Source Engineering

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

Infrastructure and Operations

You will take ownership of Linux servers operating within Docker Swarm, automating builds and deployments through GitHub Actions. You will also reinforce the robustness of monitoring and logging systems to ensure reproducibility. Kubernetes experience is a beneficial skill.

R&D Prototyping

You will evaluate emerging models and tools, quickly develop proofs of concept, and strategically transition promising ideas into production-ready solutions.

Collaboration and Mentoring

Your role will include mentoring through pair programming with master’s students, sharing best practices, and working closely with course instructors to iteratively refine projects.

Required Skills & Experience

• Modern React (Hooks, responsive design) and strong TypeScript expertise
• Solid Python skills and familiarity with Node.js
• Confidence with Linux and fluency in Docker Swarm
• Comfort with LaTeX for math-heavy content
• Experience connecting LLMs and multimodal models
• Familiarity with Git and GitHub Actions
• Ability to work on-site at ETH Zurich (primarily in Oerlikon) at least three days per week, with some flexibility for remote work
• A Master's degree in computer science, applied information, data science, or another STEM field with relevant experience
• Excellent spoken and written English
• A strong sense of 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

What We Offer

• Opportunity to shape how thousands of ETH students learn and how faculty teach
• Publication opportunities through contributions to open-access papers in leading journals
• Access to cutting-edge technologies, including the latest open-source and commercial models
• A learning budget for conference travel and exploration
• A flexible schedule with core collaboration days on-site; remote-friendly otherwise
• A modern workspace at the ETH AI Center, conveniently located near Zürich-Oerlikon station

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

For further information about the ETH AI Center, please visit our website. Inquiries regarding the position can be directed to Dr. Gerd Kortemeyer at kgerd@ethz.ch (no applications).

Please note that the pre-selection is conducted by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence. For recruitment services, the GTC of ETH Zurich apply.