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 bolstered the research capacity of ETH Zurich to develop sustainable solutions to global challenges in Switzerland, Singapore, and surrounding regions.
Situated in a rapidly urbanising region, the Singapore-ETH Centre aims to offer practical solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in 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, uniting principal investigators and researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. To foster 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 effectively harness data to support clinicians, allowing them to prioritize patient care while utilizing AI to detect patterns beyond human perception, enhance diagnostic accuracy, optimize workflows, and improve risk assessment and communication. Developing AI models that address these needs is particularly urgent in ageing societies, where increasing patient numbers coincide with heightened 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 considerable socioeconomic burden, progress in prevention and screening has been limited, largely because fall and fracture risks are often tackled independently, despite their interconnected 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 modeling, 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 join a team of researchers focused on developing large medical image-based AI models for managing MSK health.
Please note that 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. Upon 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, without regard to 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 where the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to learn how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us; we consistently work towards a climate-neutral future.
We look forward to receiving your online application using the form below.
Please include the following documents:
Further information about the Singapore-ETH Centre can be found on our website. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Dr. Benedikt Helgason at bhelgason@ethz.ch.
Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
Location : Zürich
Country : Switzerland