Head of Geospatial AI - Foundation Models and Geo-Intelligence Platform

ETH Zurich is establishing the ETH Swiss GeoLab, a new interdisciplinary unit of ETH Zürich I Space. ETH Space will soon become one of few strategic centres of ETH Zurich, and encompasses overall five units.

The GeoLab is focused on Earth observation and its applications. The GeoLab uses satellite, airborne, ground-based and in-situ observations. To these diverse data sets it applies AI-driven analysis methods and high-performance computing to develop solutions for specific societal and economic challenges.

Located at the D4 Business Village in Root, close to Lucerne, ETH Swiss GeoLab works at the interface of research, technology development and practical application. In its first phase, the GeoLab is focusing on few selected high-impact application areas where Earth observation, geodata and AI-based analytics can create tangible value for Switzerland, in areas such as natural hazards, agriculture, and forestry.

The ETH Swiss GeoLab is led by Prof. Dr Verena Griess and Prof. Dr Thomas Zurbuchen, with Dr Felix Seidel as Managing Director, responsible for the day-to-day operations of this exciting activity. The GeoLab will grow into a project-based hub of around 100 experts over the coming years and will collaborate closely with other ETH units, the Swiss national centre for supercomputing (CSCS), Swiss research institutions, public-sector stakeholders, agricultural organisations, industry partners, start-ups and international stakeholders.

This position is offered as a fixed-term appointment for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of extension.

As Head of Geospatial AI, you will spearhead the Geo-Intelligence Team and own the development and implementation of ETH Swiss GeoLab’s geospatial AI, data and shared platform capabilities. With domain experts from academia and the tech industry, you will help define the technical strategy and architecture for multimodal foundation models, agentic AI systems, geospatial tools, data pipelines and compute infrastructure.

You will work closely with Research Program Support teams (plus the external partners mentioned above). You will lead cross-functional and external experts and will have the authority to prioritize, redirect, and pivot or pause activities within the approved mission charter, budget and governance framework.

As part of your role, you will:

On behalf of the GeoLab leadership team, define and implement ETH Swiss GeoLab’s geospatial AI and technical strategy
Based on broad inputs, establish the target architecture for multimodal foundation models, agentic systems, geospatial data pipelines, compute environments and the shared Geo-Intelligence Platform
Adopt or set technical standards, priorities, interfaces and development principles aligned with GeoLab strategy and mission requirements
Drive and lead the design, development, evaluation and operationalisation of multimodal geospatial foundation models and related agentic capabilities
Encourage, enable or direct prototyping, benchmarking, validation and integration activities
Ensure that technical work produces reliable, reusable and operationally relevant capabilities rather than isolated research demonstrators
Own and be empowered to adapt the technical roadmap and delivery of the shared Geo-Intelligence Platform, including data access, processing pipelines, model-training environments, deployment capabilities and integration with HPC and cloud infrastructure
Coordinate with CSCS, ETH units, innovation leaders and technology providers to ensure scalability, security, efficiency and maintainability
Work with the Natural Hazards, Agriculture, Forestry and future Mission Leads to translate mission requirements into technical capabilities and delivery plans
Assess feasibility, define technical milestones, allocate technical resources and resolve trade-offs between mission-specific development and reusable platform components
Redirect technical work when evidence, performance or mission priorities require it
Lead or support technical collaborations with ETH groups, research institutions, CSCS, hyperscalers, companies, start-ups and open-source communities
Structure joint development activities, evaluate external capabilities and mobilise partners where they can accelerate delivery or provide distinctive expertise
In summary, you have a track record of innovative thought-leadership and a track record in brining others along with you on a journey for which the goal may not be 100% clear at the beginning. You are a voracious learner and are able to translate ambitious scientific and operational needs into robust, scalable and reusable technical solutions.

Specifically, we are looking for someone with:

A Master’s or PhD degree in computer science, machine learning, geo-informatics, engineering, remote sensing or a related field
Several years of experience leading technical AI/ML, geospatial data or large-scale software and platform development activities that includes interactions with user communities
Demonstrated experience defining technical architectures, guiding interdisciplinary teams and managing technical resources such as platform architectures and large-scale data processing and ML workflows
Strong expertise in machine learning and multimodal foundation models with a track record of learning and adaptability as the industry and technological tools change. This also involves experience with agentic AI, reasoning systems or related AI architectures.
Excellent understanding of geospatial AI, Earth observation and remote sensing
Experience with HPC, cloud infrastructure or distributed computing environments
Proven ability to build reliable, reusable and operational technical capabilities in a cost-effective and agile manner
Experience working with academic, infrastructure, technology or industry partners
Excellent written and spoken English; German or French is an asset
You bring strong technical judgement and the ability to set direction under uncertainty. You have an excitement for technology and a passion to use this technology to enable breakthrough research and to change lives through the results it produces. You are a fast learner and a strong listener who also has the courage to try things and pivot where expectations are not fulfilled. You are able to lead highly qualified specialists, resolve architectural trade-offs and translate mission needs into scalable technical solutions. You are structured, delivery-oriented and willing to challenge or redirect weak approaches where needed. You communicate effectively across scientific, engineering, management and industry environments and build trust while maintaining clear standards, accountability and focus on outcomes.

The great and rare opportunity to help build ETH Swiss GeoLab from its early phase and shape a new national competence centre for Earth observation
A senior technical leadership role with high visibility and strategic relevance
The opportunity to develop geospatial AI capabilities with direct application to societal, environmental and economic challenges
The opportunity to build novel and useful AI, data and platform capabilities for multiple mission areas
A workplace in Root/Lucerne, embedded in an active innovation ecosystem and closely connected to ETH Zurich
We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents:

Your CV
Diplomas and work certificates
A short motivation statement outlining your interest in ETH Swiss GeoLab and the Agriculture Mission
A video (max 2 mins) about you and your motivation for this position.
Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through the ETH Zurich online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

Further information about ETH Swiss GeoLab can be found on our website. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Dr Felix Seidel, Managing Director ETH Swiss GeoLab, at felix.seidel@eaps.ethz.ch.

We look forward to receiving your application!

We would like to point out that the pre-selection is carried out by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.

For recruitment services the GTC of ETH Zurich apply.