Join ETH Swiss GeoLab
ETH Zurich is proud to announce the establishment of the ETH Swiss GeoLab, a new interdisciplinary unit under ETH Zürich I Space. As a strategic center, ETH Space encompasses five key units and will soon become a hub of innovation and research. The GeoLab is dedicated to Earth observation and its applications, utilizing satellite, airborne, ground-based, and in-situ observations. By applying AI-driven analysis methods and high-performance computing, we aim to address pressing societal and economic challenges.
About ETH Swiss GeoLab
Situated at the D4 Business Village in Root, near Lucerne, the ETH Swiss GeoLab operates at the confluence of research, technology development, and practical applications. In its initial phase, the GeoLab will focus on several high-impact application areas where Earth's observation, geodata, and AI-based analytics can provide significant value to Switzerland. Key focus areas include:
- Natural Hazards
- Agriculture
- Forestry
The GeoLab is led by Prof. Dr. Verena Griess and Prof. Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, with Dr. Felix Seidel serving as the Managing Director, overseeing daily operations. The initiative aims to expand into a project-based hub comprising around 100 experts over the coming years, fostering collaborations with various ETH units, the Swiss national centre for supercomputing (CSCS), research institutions, public sector stakeholders, agricultural organizations, industry partners, startups, and international entities.
Position Overview: Head of Geospatial AI
We are seeking a Head of Geospatial AI to lead the Geo-Intelligence Team and oversee the development and implementation of ETH Swiss GeoLab’s geospatial AI, data, and shared platform capabilities. You will collaborate with domain experts from academia and the tech industry to define the technical strategy and architecture for multimodal foundation models, agentic AI systems, geospatial tools, data pipelines, and compute infrastructure.
Your Responsibilities
In this role, you will:
- Define and implement ETH Swiss GeoLab’s geospatial AI and technical strategy on behalf of the leadership team.
- Establish the target architecture for multimodal foundation models, agentic systems, geospatial data pipelines, compute environments, and the shared Geo-Intelligence Platform.
- Adopt or set technical standards, priorities, interfaces, and development principles aligned with GeoLab strategy and mission requirements.
- Drive the design, development, evaluation, and operationalization of multimodal geospatial foundation models and related agentic capabilities.
- Encourage and direct prototyping, benchmarking, validation, and integration activities.
- Ensure that technical work produces reliable, reusable, and operationally relevant capabilities.
- Adapt the technical roadmap and delivery of the shared Geo-Intelligence Platform, including data access, processing pipelines, model-training environments, and integration with HPC and cloud infrastructure.
- Coordinate with CSCS, ETH units, innovation leaders, and technology providers to ensure scalability, security, efficiency, and maintainability.
- Work with Natural Hazards, Agriculture, Forestry, and future Mission Leads to translate mission requirements into technical capabilities and delivery plans.
- Assess feasibility, define technical milestones, allocate technical resources, and resolve trade-offs between mission-specific development and reusable platform components.
- Lead or support technical collaborations with ETH groups, research institutions, and industry partners.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have:
- A Master’s or PhD degree in computer science, machine learning, geo-informatics, engineering, remote sensing, or a related field.
- Several years of experience leading technical AI/ML, geospatial data, or large-scale software and platform development initiatives.
- Proven expertise in defining technical architectures and managing interdisciplinary teams.
- Strong background in machine learning and multimodal foundation models, along with adaptability to technological advancements.
- Excellent understanding of geospatial AI, Earth observation, and remote sensing.
- Experience with HPC, cloud infrastructure, or distributed computing environments.
- Proven ability to build reliable and reusable technical capabilities in a cost-effective manner.
- Excellent written and spoken English; proficiency in German or French is an advantage.
What We Offer
This position provides a unique opportunity to:
- Contribute to the foundational phases of ETH Swiss GeoLab and shape a national competence center for Earth observation.
- Assume a senior technical leadership role with high visibility and strategic relevance.
- Develop geospatial AI capabilities that address societal, environmental, and economic challenges.
- Build innovative AI, data, and platform capabilities applicable to multiple mission areas.
- Work in a vibrant environment in Root/Lucerne, connected to an active innovation ecosystem and ETH Zurich.
Apply online using the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
Contact Information
For more information about ETH Swiss GeoLab, please visit our website. If you have any questions regarding the position, feel free to 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!