19 Postdoctoral Fellowship at ETH Zurich, Switzerland

We recently explored the design of garments embedded with sensing filaments to monitor movement and health. We developed strain-, capacitive- and inductive-based filaments and validated they can be used to reconstruct biomechanics as well as capture bio-signals such as respiration rate. Your role will be to take these preliminary results, add your inventive contribution and develop innovative textile-based technology to revolutionize personalized training and medicine.

In a recent publication of ours (Galli, V, Sailapu, SK, Ahmadizadeh, C, Hannigan, B, Cuthbert, T, Menon, C (2023) Passive and Wireless All-Textile Wearable Sensor System, Advanced Science, No. 2206665) we explored the possibility of collecting data from a smartphone from a textile embedded with a textile-based capacitive sensor and no rigid integrated circuits. A key aspect of that work was to configure the wireless communication, including embedding the garment with an inductive coil, designing a frequency reader, and handling data transmission. The next step of the research is to wirelessly read multiple sensors simultaneously and ideally communicate with a smartphone when it is not in contact with the garment (no battery on the garment). We are striving for a solution that is highly innovative and, at the same time, very practical for the user.

Your research will aim to conceive and design innovative sensors for monitoring people’s health. The research will initially focus on developing new materials, sensors, techniques, and methodologies for health-related wearables to create proof-of-concept devices. We are looking for someone who can think outside the box and can identify technologies and applications that are complementary. If you have an interest in applying your fundamental knowledge in, but not limited to, materials science, synthesis, analytical chemistry, electrochemistry, and chemical engineering towards producing relevant and impactful health-monitoring wearable devices, then please apply. The research will be highly collaborative; you should be eager to learn new science and technologies as well as contribute to the group through knowledge transfer of your expertise.

The goal is to develop high-resolution climate information within the framework of the SPEED2ZERO initiative of the ETH domain. Climate scenarios of various types are required to quantify the impact of climate change and extremes on the availability of renewable energy resources and biodiversity in Switzerland and Europe. Novel machine learning models enable the emulation of high-dimensional density distributions and can learn from high-resolution climate model simulations to generate new plausible weather patterns at a much lower computational cost.

Creating realistic computational models of biological neural networks is among the most difficult challenges of neuroscience. However, such models could be extremely useful both in uderstanding how the brain processes and stores information, and also for reducing the vast parameter space of experimental efforts.

At LBB, we have the technology to build well-defined, in vitro networks of living neurons, and interact with them using microelectrode arrays. This provides us with a large amount of highly reproducible data that can be used to validate computational models.

• Conduct innovative research in the areas of urban planning, life cycle assessment, and circularity measurement within the built environment
• Develop and implement tools and methodologies to assess and enhance circularity in urban planning and architectural design
• Manage and coordinate activities related to Horizon Europe grants, including budgeting, reporting, and compliance with EU regulations
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across ETH Zurich and with international partners to advance project goals
• Publish research findings in high-impact scientific journals and present at international conferences
• Contribute to the mentoring and supervision of PhD students and technical staff within the lab
• Assist in proposal writing and securing additional funding for future research initiatives

In the framework of the NCCR Automation, we are seeking a driven postdoctoral candidate to explore the intricacies of traffic control management in contemporary urban environments. The emergence of new transportation modes like car sharing and electric vehicles, alongside the increasingly interconnected transportation network motivate our research. Our objective is to devise innovative interventions, blending soft policies to influence commuters’ behavior and algorithmic solutions for optimal network operation. Our approach is based on a combination of game theoretic and data-driven control schemes. Challenges abound, from modelling human responses and integrating them into our algorithms to efficiently managing large-scale systems in various network conditions and disruptions. As our research progresses, we envision the real-world deployment of our results together with our partners in cities and municipalities to enhance their traffic landscape and sustainably meet their current and future transportation needs.

In this project, we are focused on advancing scene understanding through onboard sensing, enabling real-time evaluation of the environment for full autonomy and shared control with dynamic path planning. Our goal is to leverage advanced real-time sensor fusion for human modelling for personal mobility devices to achieve highly reactive shared control at different levels of autonomy.

As a team member, you will experience a range of exciting challenges, including multimodal data analysis, developing innovative technologies, and collaborating with leading experts in the field.

The project will involve high-pressure and high temperature experimental work using a laser-heated or externally-heated diamond anvil cell combined with various laser spectroscopic methods (Raman, Brillouin scattering) and synchrotron X-rays to determine the physical properties of deep planetary materials.

The successful candidate is expected to perform high-pressure and high-temperature experimental research in collaboration with group members, to teach, and to undertake infrastructural tasks. 

The position will be based at the Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, ETH Zurich (Prof. Motohiko Murakami).

This position focuses on the development and application of ultra long read sequencing for the analysis of (epi-)genomes and transcriptomes of individual cattle. The main aim of this project is to capitalize on long read sequencing to better understand the variability of animal (epi-)genomes, detect trait-associated structural variants, and predict their impact on (molecular) phenotypes. We already have collected plenty of data, these include

• more than 50 haplotype assemblies representing various breeds of taurine and indicine cattle
• long read sequencing data (HiFi & ONT) of >150 individuals. These data enable investigating structural variant diversity and methylation variation

Within the advertised project, we want to apply cutting edge technologies to collect and analyse additional long read sequencing data. Possible research directions include (but are not limited to)

• long read sequencing of bovine single cells
• long read-based transcript isoform quantification and analysis
• capitalizing on ultra long reads to resolve repetitive regions and assemble genomes

The goal of this position is to lead the energy system optimization sub-group of the Reliability and Risk Engineering Lab. To this aim, the successful candidate will:

• Advance mathematical optimization methods to further our understanding of future energy systems
• Conduct interdisciplinary analyses related to future energy systems, e.g., energy policy, behavioral economics, climate modeling, risk management
• Contribute to national and international projects in the field of energy systems transition
• Supervise doctoral students in the field of energy system optimization
• Contribute to shaping the research mission in the energy system modeling group at the Reliability and Risk Engineering Lab

The Post-Doctoral Researcher’s / Senior Assistant’s primary responsibility will be to co-manage the group alongside the Chair holder. This means carrying out world-class research broadly within the Chair’s domain of interest and publishing in the top-tier international venues. As part of this responsibility, the postdoctoral researcher will co-supervise and work closely with PhD students, undergraduate and masters students within the Chair. Opportunities for external collaboration with both academic and industry partners at other institutions will be plentiful, and promising collaborations with top external colleagues will be encouraged.