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 in Zürich-Oerlikon is dedicated to building 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 (an agent-based core) and EthelApp (a front-end for desktop and mobile) to accommodate 20,000 students across a diverse range of STEM courses. This innovative platform integrates large language models, vision models, symbolic math, and statistical tools with 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 position, you will collaborate closely with faculty, staff, and master’s students across ETH to transform applied research ideas into production-quality code. Our processes are lightweight and agile, focusing on short-term goals, rapid iterations, direct communication with instructors and stakeholders, and ample pair-coding opportunities with students. We prioritize user impact and code quality without the burden of extensive Scrum rituals.

Your Responsibilities

Your role will involve hands-on product development, where you will ship new features using 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 various large language models (LLMs) and multimodal vision models. Furthermore, you will build and maintain data flows tailored for recognizing handwritten mathematics, diagrams, and code, while managing systems that deliver timely feedback or rubric-based scoring.

In your open-source engineering role, you will design clean, modular APIs and publish all contributions under permissive licenses. Active participation in reviewing pull requests, enhancing documentation, and nurturing a vibrant contributor community will be key aspects of your responsibilities.

Regarding infrastructure and operations, you will take ownership of Linux servers running within Docker Swarm, automating builds and deployments through GitHub Actions. You will also reinforce monitoring and logging systems to ensure reproducibility, with Kubernetes experience being a valuable asset.

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.

Lastly, you will engage in collaboration and mentoring, pair-programming with master’s students, sharing best practices, and iteratively refining projects with instructors.

Required Skills & Experience

• Modern React (Hooks, responsive design) and strong TypeScript skills
• Solid Python skills and familiarity with Node.js for implementing services and agent logic
• Proficiency in Linux and fluent 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) 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 on other days
• Master’s degree in computer science, applied information, data science, or another relevant STEM field
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Curiosity and a growth 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

Impact and Opportunities

• Shape how thousands of ETH students learn and how faculty teach
• Contribute to open-access publications in leading journals
• Access to the latest open-source and commercial models (Azure AI), GPUs, and academic collaborations
• Learning budget for conference travel and dedicated time for exploration
• Flexible schedule with core collaboration days on-site; remote-friendly otherwise
• 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. Questions regarding the position can be directed to Dr. Gerd Kortemeyer at kgerd@ethz.ch (no applications).

Please note that the pre-selection process will be conducted by our responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.

For recruitment services, the General Terms and Conditions of ETH Zurich apply.