Computer Graphics Laboratory (Department of Computer Science)
The AI Characters team at ETH Zurich’s Computer Graphics Laboratory is seeking a Research Engineer to play a vital role in developing and maintaining our interactive AI avatar platforms, including Digital Einstein. Our work centers on lifelike digital humans powered by large language models, affective computing, and real-time rendering, showcased at high-profile international events such as the World Economic Forum, GITEX Global, and Berlin Science Week. To learn more about our research, please visit the CGL Digital Characters page and the Digital Einstein project page.
About Digital Einstein
Digital Einstein is our flagship interactive AI avatar, bringing Albert Einstein to life as a conversational agent. This initiative is part of a broader family of AI avatars developed by our group. Utilizing a Unity-based frontend, it features real-time facial and body animations along with integrated speech recognition and speech synthesis, effectively orchestrating large language models for multilingual dialogue management. The avatar has captivated hundreds of thousands of visitors at major international venues.
Responsibilities
- Unity frontend development for Digital Einstein, including the creation of augmented reality (AR) experiences and the maintenance of the physical platform.
- Python backend development, with a focus on LLM integration to enhance dialogue quality, story adherence, agency, multimodal perception, affective cognition, and multi-turn interaction management.
- Development of a web-based version of Digital Einstein to improve accessibility for the public.
- On-site technical support during national and international events, including setup, visitor interaction, and troubleshooting, with occasional availability on weekends.
- Optionally: Development of innovative hardware interaction elements for the physical platform (e.g., tangible interfaces).
Qualifications
- University degree (BSc or MSc) in Computer Science or a closely related field.
- Solid hands-on experience with Unity.
- Experience in augmented reality (AR) development, ideally with ARKit, ARFoundation, ARCore, Meta Quest, or comparable frameworks.
- Hands-on experience with large language models and Python-based backend development.
- Web development experience is a plus.
- An interest in hardware prototyping and interactive installation design is also a plus.
- Reliable, proactive, and comfortable working in a fast-paced research environment both independently and as a part of a team.
- Willingness to provide on-site event support, including occasional weekends.
Professional Development
- A central engineering role in a high-visibility AI avatar platform showcased at prestigious international events.
- Exposure to cutting-edge research at the intersection of real-time graphics, large language models, and affective computing.
- Opportunities to contribute to academic publications and research outputs.
- Involvement in the full lifecycle of an interactive platform, from research prototypes to large-scale public deployment.
Work Environment
- Collaborative, international team at ETH Zurich’s Computer Graphics Laboratory.
- Regular mentoring and close involvement in shaping the platform’s technical roadmap.
- Dynamic research environment with a hands-on, engineering-driven culture.
Start date: September 1, 2026, or by arrangement.
Are you excited to help build the next generation of interactive AI avatars and present them to audiences worldwide? Join our team!
Apply online using the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
Contact Information
For further information about our research, visit the CGL Digital Characters page and the Digital Einstein project page. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Dr. Rafael Wampfler at rafael.wampfler@inf.ethz.ch.