The Singapore-ETH Centre was established in 2010 by ETH Zurich - The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Singapore's National Research Foundation (NRF), as part of the NRF's CREATE campus. As ETH Zurich's only research centre outside of Switzerland, the centre has strengthened the research capacity of ETH Zurich to develop sustainable solutions to global challenges in Switzerland, Singapore, and the surrounding regions.
Set in Asia, in a rapidly urbanising region, the Singapore-ETH Centre aims to provide practical solutions to some of the most pressing challenges on urban sustainability, resilience, and health through its programmes: Future Cities Lab Global (FCL Global) and Future Health Technologies (FHT).
The centre serves as an intellectual hub for research, bringing together principal investigators and researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. To promote the exchange of ideas and expertise, our researchers actively collaborate with universities and research institutes and engage with industry and government agencies to translate knowledge into practical solutions for real-world problems.
The healthcare systems of the future must harness data effectively to support clinicians, allowing them to focus on patient care while leveraging AI to detect patterns beyond human perception, enhance diagnostic accuracy, optimise workflows, and improve risk assessment and communication. Developing AI models that address these needs is particularly urgent in ageing societies, where rising patient numbers coincide with increasing workforce constraints.
A significant contributor to disability in older adults is impaired musculoskeletal (MSK) health, with fall-related fractures representing a central research focus for our group. Despite their substantial socioeconomic burden, progress in prevention and screening has been limited, partly because fall and fracture risks are often addressed independently, despite their shared underlying mechanisms. A promising direction for AI in healthcare is the seamless integration of clinical image-based foundation models that can be fine-tuned across multiple use cases.
In this project, we aim to develop cross-modal AI models for MSK health evaluation by linking diverse clinical imaging datasets. The central innovation is the creation of a shared, tokenized latent space that enables data translation, risk modelling, and local deployment, even in settings with limited imaging data. Particular emphasis will be placed on integrating advanced biomechanical markers of bone health into AI workflows, supporting more precise and clinically actionable risk assessment.
The PhD candidate will be embedded in a team of researchers focused on developing large medical image-based AI models for managing MSK health.
Key components of the work include:
The employment will be at the Singapore-ETH Centre in Singapore, and local working regulations will apply. Funding is provided for up to four years. After successful completion of studies, the PhD degree will be awarded by ETH Zurich.
The Singapore-ETH Centre is an equal opportunity and family-friendly employer. All candidates will be evaluated on their merits and qualifications, irrespective of gender, race, age, or religion.
In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity, and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Sustainability is a core value for us - we are consistently working towards a climate-neutral future.
Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
For further information about The Singapore-ETH Centre, please visit our website. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Dr Benedikt Helgason (ETH Zurich) at bhelgason@ethz.ch.
Location : Zürich
Country : Switzerland