Join the ETH AI Center as Academic Programs Lead
The ETH AI Center stands as one of the largest AI centers in Europe, comprising over 120 professors from all 16 departments of ETH Zurich and more than 1,500 associated PhD students and post-docs. Our mission is to foster interdisciplinary AI research and bridge the gap between science and society.
We are seeking an Academic Programs Lead to spearhead a small yet impactful unit dedicated to community-building, research acceleration, education programs, and dissemination of impact within the ETH AI Center. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, this hands-on leadership role involves setting the strategic direction for the unit while actively driving key programs forward.
Your Role
You will take ownership of the Center's research accelerator portfolio, which includes:
- GPU grants
- University partnerships (e.g., the Stanford exchange program)
- Grant writing support for flagship proposals
In addition, you will shape education offerings in collaboration with faculty, manage relationships with ELLIS and partner institutions, and ensure measurable impact across all activities, such as scaling grant programs or supporting high-value research proposals.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversee the Swiss National AI Institute’s GPU starting grants program from inception to completion, including promotion of calls, screening eligibility, coordinating reviewer panels with faculty, managing decisions, and handling applicant communications.
- Establish and manage strategic partnerships with peer institutions, including negotiating agreements, managing logistics, and sustaining relationships.
- Provide hands-on grant-writing support for flagship proposals, coordinating inputs from faculty and research groups.
- Drive the development of education programs in collaboration with faculty leads, focusing on large-scale AI engineering and entrepreneurship courses.
- Manage the ELLIS relationship and coordinate the Center’s engagement with the ELLIS network.
- Set priorities, develop work plans, and manage the budget for the Academic Programs unit; maintain a lightweight coordination rhythm with the team.
- Represent the unit to ETH AI Center leadership, the faculty steering committee, and external stakeholders.
- Step in as backup across the unit's activities as needed, ensuring continuity and quality.
Qualifications
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build trust with faculty, negotiate with external partners, and align diverse stakeholders.
- Proven ability to manage complex programs and portfolios with multiple concurrent workstreams and deadlines.
- Experience in grant writing or research funding processes, ideally within a European academic context.
- Strategic thinker comfortable with hands-on execution.
- Proactive, structured, and solutions-oriented; drive initiatives to completion without waiting for direction.
- Strong written communication skills, including the ability to draft compelling proposals, agreements, and presentations.
Requirements
- A master’s degree or PhD in a relevant field such as computer science, engineering, science policy, technology management, or a related discipline.
- At least 3–5 years of experience in academic research, research management, science program management, academic administration, or a comparable role in a tech or research environment.
- Demonstrated experience managing grants, partnerships, or institutional collaborations.
- A strong understanding of the AI research landscape and academic ecosystem.
- Fluency in English; proficiency in German is a plus.
How to Apply
If you are a highly motivated individual with a passion for AI and wish to make a significant impact in a rapidly evolving field, we would love to hear from you. Join the ETH AI Center and work at the forefront of AI research in Europe, collaborating with leading faculty, global partners, and a rapidly growing ecosystem in Zurich.
Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
Please note that the pre-selection is carried out by responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.