PhD Position in Multimodal AI for ICU Clinical Decision Support

Location

100%, Zurich, fixed-term

Project Background

The Biomedical Data Science Lab (BMDS Lab) at the Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, is seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join our interdisciplinary research team working at the intersection of data science, clinical simulation, and critical care research.

Intensive care units (ICUs) are among the most cognitively demanding environments in medicine. Clinicians must rapidly integrate streams of patient data, coordinate with teams, monitor alarms, and document interventions, all under extreme time pressure. However, how clinicians allocate attention, reason verbally, and make decisions is still poorly understood. This PhD project addresses that gap. By combining clinical simulation, multimodal AI, and human factors research, the successful candidate will design high-fidelity ICU simulation scenarios, capture a unique synchronized dataset of gaze, speech, and documentation behavior from practicing ICU clinicians, and evaluate how these cognitive markers can improve AI-assisted clinical decision support systems (CDSS).

This 4-year position is fully funded by the ETH Foundation.

Job Description

As a PhD student, you will be an integral part of our interdisciplinary research team, contributing significantly to a pioneering research program at the forefront of multimodal AI and ICU clinical cognition. Under the guidance of Prof. Jutzeler, a dedicated postdoctoral researcher, and other collaborators, you will have access to unique clinical datasets, wearable sensing technology, and state-of-the-art simulation facilities.

• Design, script, and iteratively refine high-fidelity ICU simulation scenarios in collaboration with clinical experts, ensuring authenticity and cognitive challenge across participant experience levels.
• Configure and operate wearable smart glasses and synchronized multimodal recording systems capturing eye-tracking, audio, video, and digital documentation.
• Recruit ICU clinicians across Switzerland and conduct simulation sessions, managing data collection, participant coordination, and protocol adherence.
• Preprocess, annotate, and manage a rich multimodal dataset, applying both qualitative and quantitative analytical methods to model clinician attention, verbal reasoning, and documentation behavior.
• Develop and evaluate machine learning models, including unimodal, fusion, and attention-based transformer architectures, to assess the added value of cognitive data streams for clinical decision support.
• Conduct systematic literature reviews across the fields of ICU decision-making, multimodal AI, eye-tracking, and clinical simulation.
• Document and disseminate research findings through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international conferences.
• Contribute to the supervision of Master's students and selected teaching activities within the BMDS lab.

Profile

Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Data Science, Cognitive Science, or a related field.
• Strong Python programming skills and experience with PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Interest in multimodal data, time-series analysis, or NLP.
• Excellent English; German or French is an asset for participant interactions.
• Capacity for self-directed work within an interdisciplinary team.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; proficiency in German is a plus.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Highly organized with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with eye-tracking or wearable sensor technology.
• Background in clinical simulation, usability evaluation, or human factors.
• Familiarity with speech processing, speaker diarization, or ASR.
• Knowledge of explainable AI methods (SHAP, LIME, attention visualization).
• Exposure to clinical environments or health informatics.

We Offer

• A fully funded position with a competitive Swiss doctoral salary.
• Access to a unique 90,000+ case clinical dataset and state-of-the-art simulation facilities.
• Opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research with the potential for high impact.
• Opportunities for professional development.
• Engagement with different communities bridging data science and medicine, leading to high-impact publications.
• You will be part of a highly motivated, friendly, and collaborative team.

Commitment to Diversity and Sustainability

ETH Zurich is committed to fostering an inclusive culture that promotes equality of opportunity, values diversity, and nurtures a respectful working and learning environment. We continuously strive for a climate-neutral future and uphold the rights and dignity of all staff and students.

How to Apply

If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

About ETH Zurich

ETH Zurich is one of the world's leading universities specializing in science and technology. Renowned for excellent education, cutting-edge research, and the direct application of new knowledge into society, our university is home to over 30,000 individuals from more than 120 countries, fostering a vibrant atmosphere that promotes independent thinking and excellence.