The Scientific IT Services of ETH Zurich (SIS, a section of the ETH central IT Services ) aims at bridging the gap between computational research and IT services. In doing so it provides a stimulating, flexible and family-friendly working environment; working closely together with ETH researchers to provide support in the wide area of scientific computing from data management and analysis, development of scientific software to the operation of high performance and cloud computing infrastructures. 

To support teaching, research and knowledge transfer, the IT Services (ITS) of ETH Zurich are working as a service organization in a large and complex IT environment. Within the ITS section Scientific IT Services the group Computational & Data Science Support (CDSS) aims at bridging the gap between computational research and IT services and infrastructure provisioning. We are working closely together with ETH researchers to provide support in the wide area of scientific computing from data analysis and management, research software engineering, to porting and optimizing such software to high-performance and cloud computing infrastructures.

CDSS is currently seeking to appoint a Data Science Expert to support our customers in tasks throughout the entire data science life-cycle from data collection and scraping, model engineering, training and upscaling until deployment and service maintenance depending on the demands of our customers. This includes, for instance, exploring, setting up and using data science tools, techniques and computing environments for specific data analysis problems, designing and developing data analytics pipelines, scaling up, or improving data science software from our customers. The data science expert works closely with our customers (i.e. ETH researchers or technical/administrative staff) to understand their data and their needs in working with the data, finds and develops solutions to address them, and provides training and consulting on established and novel tools and solution paths. In this role, he or she needs to coordinate between our customers and other members of SIS (e.g. HPC specialists), ITS experts, or external collaborators. In addition, the Data Science Expert acts as a liaison between Scientific IT Services, the domain scientists and the larger data science community at ETH Zurich.

This position requires

• PhD in data / computational science or related field such as physics, bioinformatics, computer science, etc.
• good understanding of the fundamentals of natural sciences and statistical and numerical methods
• history of work on diverse and complex data science projects with various stakeholders
• strong background in scientific programming, data processing and analysis in the Unix/Linux programming environment
• mastery of Python and other relevant programming languages in scientific computing and excellent knowledge of the relevant software development stack for data science / machine learning (e.g. scikit-learn, PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow)
• experience in applying best practices in scientific programming (e.g. automated testing and version control using Git)

Advantageous are

• DevOps skills, e.g. container technology (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes)
• hands-on experience with HPC clusters using e.g. Slurm, optimization and parallelization or GPU computing
• basic knowledge of using cloud resources.

In addition to the above analytical and technical abilities, this position demands a particular curiosity in and the capacity and flexibility to regularly learn or adopt new technologies in the broad area of data science and scientific computing. Moreover, excellent communication and presentation skills in English (German is an asset), solid project management skills and a service-oriented attitude are necessary to effectively and successfully enable research and scientific collaboration with ETH researchers and their partners.

This is a permanent, technical position driven by customer needs offering a unique blend of working opportunities and challenges at the interface of data science, research software engineering and DevOps within the diverse academic environment of ETH Zurich. Scientific IT Services provide a stimulating work environment for knowledge sharing and exchange and possibilities for engagement around a vast spectrum of areas in computational science and scientific IT as well as for further education. IT Services are committed to flexible and family-friendly working models and a healthy work-life balance. ETH Zurich supports a policy of diversity as well as inclusion and we particularly encourage qualified female candidates to apply. The position is located in Zurich, though occasional travel to other Swiss cities will be required.

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. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish.

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents:

• Motivation letter;
• CV;
• Diplomas and work certificates;
• Contact information of at least two references.

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

Further information about Scientific IT Services can be found here. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Dr. Thomas Wüst at twuest@ethz.ch (no applications).

For recruitment services the GTC of ETH Zurich apply.

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education, cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe, yet forging connections all over the world, we work together to develop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.