ETH Zurich, Switzerland invites online Application for number of Fully Funded PhD Degree at various Departments. We are providing a list of Fully Funded PhD Programs available at ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
Eligible candidate may Apply as soon as possible.
(01) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Doctoral position on PFAS Pathways: Tracking “Forever Chemicals” through Soil–Groundwater Interfaces for Safer Drinking Water
The Subsurface Environmental Processes Group (Eawag and ETH Zurich) is seeking a dynamic and motivated doctoral student to study the dynamics of PFAS in subsurface environments. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of highly persistent synthetic compounds increasingly detected in soils and aquifers worldwide. Their extreme stability and mobility make PFAS a critical challenge for groundwater quality and drinking water security. Although PFAS contamination has been reported in many regions, the fundamental mechanisms controlling PFAS fate and transport in coupled soil–aquifer systems remain poorly understood.
Deadline : Open until filled
(02) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD position on quantum computing
We invite applications for a PhD position in the field of quantum computing, to be advised by Dominik Hangleiter and co-advised by Renato Renner. In our group in Zurich, you will find a welcoming, open, and highly interactive research environment. Our work is collaborative and interdisciplinary, and it is firmly embedded in the international quantum computing community.
Deadline : June 15, 2025,
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(03) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Researcher – PDTx
Stroke remains a leading cause of disability worldwide. While improved early stroke response has reduced mortality, it has also led to a growing population of stroke survivors, increasing the demand for long-term rehabilitation and placing significant clinical and economic burden on healthcare systems. The current neurorehabilitation model relies heavily on resource-intensive, therapist-led care to meet the growing demand, underscoring the need for scalable, cost-effective solutions that extend into home settings. To address this gap, the first phase of the Future Health Technologies Programme (FHT1) at the Singapore-ETH Centre (SEC) (https://fht.ethz.ch)developed and piloted innovative upper limb rehabilitation technologies and evaluated them in a clinical context, both in the hospital and at the home of post-stroke subjects. Building on this progress, FHT2 seeks to scale up these technologies and conduct more extensive clinical evaluation to promote integration of technology-based clinic-to-home rehabilitation into Singapore’s healthcare system.
Specifically, one of our projects focuses on the development of a soft robotic hand orthosis to enhance upper limb rehabilitation sessions in the clinic and allow for additional task-oriented training at home. A first version of the soft exoskeleton has been developed within FHT1 and a proof-of-concept trial demonstrated preliminary feasibility, with post-stroke subjects using the rehabilitation device at home. However, adherence to home rehabilitation without therapist supervision and support can be challenging, ultimately affecting therapy dose. In this project, we will complement the exoskeleton with an AI-based digital health intervention, specifically an LLM-based conversational agent that will deliver support via a companion mobile app. The app will serve as both the user interface for daily interaction and support and a digital platform for data collection, remote monitoring, and telerehabilitation.
Within this PhD project, the objective will be to (i) derive the key requirements for the design of the digital platform and the LLM-based conversational agent (together with the input from end-users and building on pre-existing prototypes); (ii) iteratively develop the app and key interactive features (e.g., AI-based conversational agent, motivational interviewing, etc.) including their validation; (iii) interface the app with the soft hand exoskeleton technology (developed by another PhD student) (data transfer, data interpretation, feedback provision); and (iv) evaluate its impact on long-term adherence to a technology-supported rehabilitation intervention at home in the context of a 6-week proof of value clinical trial.
Deadline : Open until filled
(04) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Researcher – tenoexo
As a PhD researcher your work will focus on evaluating and improving the RELab tenoexo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP43SQpwyvk),an existing actuated lightweight soft hand exoskeleton for neuro rehabilitation. Following a user-centered approach considering the needs and requirements of post-stroke subjects and input from clinicians, you will identify key factors and enablers to improve robustness, usability and applicability in daily life situations, as well as the impact it may have on specific users (case studies). The work will be performed in close collaboration with our research partners at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).
Deadline : Open until filled
(05) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD candidate for developing multi-physics models of high-power medium frequency transformers
We are looking for highly motivated individuals with an outstanding academic background who are interested in pursuing a PhD in the important and multidisciplinary research area of modelling and optimising high-power, medium-frequency transformers (MFTs). Compact, highly efficient transformers that operate at kilohertz frequencies are key components of high-power DC-DC converters, which are the core component of solid-state transformers (SSTs). Such SSTs are required, for example, in future AI data centres, where power consumption per computer rack increases to levels of several hundred kilowatts or even megawatts. To transfer energy efficiently from the grid to CPUs/GPUs, higher system voltages are required in data centres/computer racks, and efficient power electronics converter systems based on SSTs are essential for controlling the highly dynamic power flow.
For pushing the efficiency and power density limits of these SSTs you will develop multi-physics models of transformers, which describe not only the (HF) losses in the winding and the core, but also the cooling/temperature distribution in the transformer, resonances in the winding due to parasitic capacitances, and electrical insulation. You will also work on optimising the core and winding geometry, developing advanced cooling concepts for the windings and core, and designing solutions for efficiently connecting the high-current windings. Using the models and concepts developed, you will then identify technological barriers to the transferable power and efficiency of MFTs.
Deadline : Open until filled
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(06) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Student Position in Climate Extremes and Migration Research
The Public Policy Group and the Immigration Policy Lab at ETH Zurich invite applications for a PhD student position starting in September 2026 or on a mutually agreed date. You will be part of a collaborative and interdisciplinary research team studying migration and public policy with quantitative social science methods. Your PhD project sits at the nexus of migration research and climate extremes and is embedded in the NCCR CLIM+ research program on Climate Extremes and Society, a major research initiative that brings together researchers across disciplines and Swiss institutions to study climate extremes and strengthen societal resilience. Building on the Immigration Policy Lab’s expertise in migration, your research will extend our agenda into this new area by examining how climate-related shocks may affect mobility across and within borders.
Deadline : Open until filled
(07) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD position on high-order harmonic generation spectroscopy in noble-gas liquids
We are offering a PhD position in attosecond science and strong-field physics at the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zürich. The project focuses on high-order harmonic generation (HHG) in noble-gas liquids, in particular liquid helium. This research aims to explore a new regime of ultrafast electron dynamics in condensed matter and to bridge the gap between gas-phase and liquid-phase HHG. The position offers the opportunity to work at the forefront of attosecond spectroscopy using state-of-the-art ultrafast laser systems and cryogenic technology. This 4-year PhD position is funded by our SNSF grant.
Deadline : Open until filled
(08) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position: Agro-Economic Analysis of Legume-Cereal Mixtures (PhenoMix project)
PhenoMix is a joint project of four research groups at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Data Science Center and Agroscope. The overall objective of PhenoMix is to test the hypothesis that current high throughput field phenotyping technology in combination with plant physiological and ecosystem service assessments can provide a breakthrough to determine genotypes that can be successfully combined in agroecologically beneficial legume-cereal mixtures. Different varieties of legumes (peas, lentils) and cereals (wheat, oats, barley) will be grown in pure stands and in mixtures on the field phenotyping platform FIP of the Crop Science group, on a neighbouring experimental field and on farmer’s fields. The PhenoMix Work Packages address phenotyping, plant ecophysiology, data science, and agronomic-economic performance with four doctoral students, two postdocs and several technicians assigned to those work packages. The Agro-Economic doctoral student will establish and monitor on-site and on-farm field experiments investigating several lentil-cereal mixtures by assessing various ecosystem services.
Deadline : 31 May 2026
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(09) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD position in light controlled variable stiffness for soft robotics
The introduction of fiber optics in the 1970s has revolutionized the telecommunications industry upon the replacement of copper wires and played a major role in the advent of the Information Age – One high bandwidth fiber optic cable can replace thousands of electrical links to transmit the same amount of information. As a parallel to the thriving fields of soft devices and robots controlled by electrical signals, soft optics is emerging as a new platform that uses the modulation of light in soft matter to encode multifunctionalities in the optical path.
The first part of this project will center around developing light-stimulated stiffness programming methods that surpass the performance of current variable stiffness benchmarks. The second part will focus on the application of this principle in several soft device/robot systems to demonstrate reconfigurability and multifunctionality for real-world tasks.
Deadline : Open until filled
(10) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Student in Applied ML and NLP
As part of the SNSF-funded project “Responsible AI for the Swiss Judiciary”, we work on real-world applications of artificial intelligence for the Swiss judiciary in close collaboration with courts and partners across Switzerland. We are looking for a PhD Student in Applied ML and NLP. This doctoral position is part of the SNSF-funded project “Responsible AI for the Swiss Judiciary” at ETH Zurich. The project develops and evaluates AI-based prototypes to support judicial decision-making, with a focus on real-world applicability. It combines machine learning, legal applications, and empirical evaluation in collaboration with judicial partners. The project offers a unique opportunity to work on real-world, high-stakes AI systems in collaboration with courts, combining cutting-edge AI research with impactful societal applications.
Deadline : Open until filled
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(11) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Student in Law
As part of the SNSF-funded project “Responsible AI for the Swiss Judiciary”, we work on real-world applications of artificial intelligence for the Swiss judiciary in close collaboration with courts and partners across Switzerland. We are looking for a PhD Student in Law. This doctoral position is part of the SNSF-funded project “Responsible AI for the Swiss Judiciary” at ETH Zurich. The project provides a unique opportunity to study judicial decision-making in a real-world institutional setting, combining legal analysis with experimental and empirical methods.
Deadline : Open until filled
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(12) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position: Optimization of shut-in strategies to reduce induced seismicity
The Chair of Engineering Geology and the BedrettoLab at ETH Zurich invite applications for a PhD position within a research project on poroelastic effects and induced seismicity in geothermal systems. The position focuses on post-shut-in seismicity and the design of safer operational protocols. Induced seismicity in geothermal systems often continues after injection or production is stopped, a phenomenon known as post-shut-in or trailing seismicity. In many cases, the largest seismic events occur after shut-in, posing challenges for hazard mitigation and operational safety. Despite extensive modelling efforts, the governing mechanisms are still not fully understood, and field observations of pressure and deformation during shut-in, that may improve our process understanding, are rare. This project exploits the unique monitoring capabilities of the Bedretto Underground Laboratory to investigate these processes and to develop experimentally validated guidelines for safer shut-in strategies.
Deadline : Open until filled
(13) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Doctoral student in induced and natural seismicity forecasting
The Swiss Seismological Service (SED) at the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (D-EAPS) is seeking a motivated doctoral student to work at the intersection of statistical seismology and machine learning. This position is part of two EU-funded projects: GeoTwins, which focuses on creating digital twins for geothermal systems, and Earth-AID, which aims to develop an AI-powered decision-support system for geohazards. The position will contribute to advancing earthquake forecasting and risk management and improve our ability to mitigate induced seismicity in real time.
Deadline : Open until filled
(14) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD position in Crop Phenotyping (PhenoMix project)
PhenoMix is a joint project of four research groups at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Data Science Center and Agroscope. The overall objective of PhenoMix is to test the hypothesis that current high throughput field phenotyping (HTFP) technology in combination with plant physiological assessments and data science can provide a breakthrough to determine genotypes that can be successfully combined in agroecologically beneficial legume-cereal mixtures. Different varieties of pea and lentil as well as wheat, oats and barley will be grown under our field phenotyping platform FIP (FIP – Crop Science | ETH Zurich), on a neighbouring experimental field and on farmer’s fields. PhenoMix Work Packages address phenotyping, plant ecophysiology, data science, and agro-economic assessments with four doctoral students, two postdocs and several technicians assigned to those work packages. The Crop Phenotyping doctoral student will contribute to collecting HTFP data, improving phenotyping workflows and developing a field robot for lean phenotyping.
Deadline : Open until filled
(15) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Researcher – AI TokCart
The healthcare systems of the future must harness data effectively to support clinicians, allowing them to focus on patient care while leveraging AIto detect patterns beyond human perception, enhance diagnostic accuracy, optimise workflows, improve risk assessment and communication. Developing AI models that address these needs is particularly urgent in ageing societies, where rising patient numbers coincide with increasing workforce constraints.
A major contributor to disability in older adults is impaired musculoskeletal (MSK) health, with fall-related fractures representing a central research focus for our group. Despite their substantial socioeconomic burden, progress in prevention and screening has been limited, partly because fall and fracture risks are often addressed independently, despite their shared underlying mechanisms. A promising direction for AI in healthcare is the seamless integration of clinical image-based foundation models that can be fine-tuned across multiple use cases.
In this project, we aim to develop cross-modal AI models for MSK health evaluation by linking diverse clinical imaging datasets. The central innovation is the creation of a shared, tokenized latent space that enables data translation, risk modelling, and local deployment, even in settings with limited imaging data. Particular emphasis will be placed on integrating advanced biomechanical markers of bone health into AI workflows, supporting more precise and clinically actionable risk assessment.
Deadline : Open until filled
(16) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Two doctoral students in plant ecophysiology and ecosystem services of crop mixtures (Project: PhenoMix)
The two doctoral positions are part of PhenoMix, a joint project at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Data Science Center, and Agroscope. PhenoMix focuses on legume-cereal mixtures, i.e., different varieties of pea and lentil as well as wheat, oats, and barley grown under an experimental field phenotyping platform and on a neighbouring field. Different Work Packages address phenotyping, plant ecophysiology, data science, and agro-economic assessments. The two doctoral students in our Work Package will assess differences in canopy microclimate and plant traits as well as ecosystem services between pure stands and crop mixtures. Based on stable carbon, nitrogen, and water isotope applications, they will determine light, nitrogen, and water use and assess complementarity in crop mixtures during three cropping seasons.
Deadline : 15 May 2026
(17) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position: Seismic Detection, Localization and Characterization of Explosion Events in Underground Ammunition Storage Facilities
Seismic and fiber-optic sensing technologies offer promising solutions for the real-time detection, localization and characterization of explosions and related hazardous events in underground facilities. The project aims to evaluate sensor technologies, design and optimize multi-sensor monitoring networks, and develop advanced detection and localization algorithms adapted to complex 3D underground geometries.
The research will be conducted in close collaboration between BedrettoLab run by ETH and the underground test facilities Hondrich run by armasuisse. The project spans between 2026 and 2029 and includes experimental campaigns, field installations and data collection, data processing, algorithm development and system optimization.
Deadline : Open until filled
(18) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position: Order-from-Disorder in Frustrated Quantum Magnets
The Neutron Scattering and Magnetism Group, Physics Department, ETH Zurich, is currently looking to fill a PhD position on experimental studies of frustrated quantum magnets using neutron scattering, μSR and other techniques.
Geometric frustration in quantum systems leads to a tight competition between qualitatively new collective spin states, such as topological structures, quantum spin liquids, multipolar ordered phases and spin-supersolids, to name only a few. Each state is characterized by its own set of elementary excitations that often have no analogue in semi-classical physics.
The winner of this competition is usually determined by mechanisms known as thermal and quantum order-from-disorder. Controlling these offers a way to manipulate and study such exotic systems. The successful candidate will realize this control experimentally in carefully selected prototypical magnetic materials.
Deadline : Open until filled
(19) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Doctoral Student in Forest Management Effects on Water Quality
This position is part of the project “Forest Management and Drinking Water Security under Climate Change” supported by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment. The project investigates the critical link between forest ecosystem management and health and the quality of drinking water across Switzerland. As climate change intensifies disturbances like droughts, windthrows, and pest outbreaks, understanding how forest structure and management influence water quality outcomes is vital. Across national scale and experimental sites, the project integrates country-wide data analysis, water quality monitoring of spring networks and detailed mechanistic insights into subsurface flow routing and transit times. The project is closely aligned with forest and drinking water stakeholders and decision-making authorities; thus, a solid, fundamental understanding of Central European and Swiss forest ecosystems (including species composition, development stages, and silvicultural practices) is essential for this role. The project will be carried out in a collaborative environment between the two research groups, providing extensive technical support and interdisciplinary expertise in ecohydrology and forest management.
Deadline : Open until filled
(20) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position in Advanced Bioelectronic & Electrical Conversion Research
Our group integrates state-of-the-art synthetic biology with advanced nanotechnology, and electrogenetic interfaces to engineer human cells for next generation bioelectronic medicine, designing programmable cells that respond to electrical, electromagnetic, acoustic and biochemical cues to achieve wireless, real-time control of therapeutic protein expression and metabolic regulation. Leveraging innovative platforms such as direct-current-actuated regulation, electromagnetic programming of wireless expression, and closed-loop systems, we aim to translate these technologies into clinically relevant, minimally invasive therapies for cancer, as well as metabolic, neurodegenerative, autoimmune, and infectious diseases.
Deadline : Open until filled
(21) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position for Synthetic Biology-Inspired Therapies
The Biotechnology and Bioengineering group led by Prof. Dr. Martin Fussenegger at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) of the ETH Zurich in Basel invites exceptional candidates to apply for a PhD position in pioneering projects developing synthetic biology-inspired human therapies.
The D-BSSE is the first truly interdisciplinary research department, uniting theoretical and experimental biology with advanced bioengineering and fostering close collaborations with leaders in material science, physics, and chemistry to drive transformative advances in systems biology, biotechnology, and synthetic biology. Situated in Basel, Switzerland, at the heart of the BioValley, a tri-national region that hosts 40% of the global life science industry and numerous major pharmaceutical companies, the D-BSSE offers a unique environment for high-impact translational research with unparalleled access to academic and industrial expertise.
Deadline : Open until filled
(22) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position in Management and Organization Research: AI in Strategic Management
We are excited to announce a PhD position at the Chair of Strategic Management and Innovation (SMI), ETH Zurich. The position is part of an SNSF-funded research project that examines how advanced AI technologies reshape strategy-making, organizational design, and continuous adaptation in organizations.
The Chair of Strategic Management and Innovation offers an inspiring, team-based research environment with a dynamic and international group of researchers. SMI is committed to research at the highest academic level in management and business, and the team has a strong track record of publishing in leading journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Management Science, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Annals, and Journal of Management Studies.
This is a PhD position in management and organization research, not a technical AI-development role. The successful candidate will study AI as an organizational and strategic phenomenon, with a strong focus on theory-driven, publication-oriented research. The empirical work will involve field research in collaboration with leading company partners, including regular engagement with organizational actors and processes. The position is particularly suitable for applicants considering a future career in academia. Applicants pursuing other long-term paths are welcome if they are strongly motivated to develop rigorous research and aim to publish in leading scholarly journals.
Deadline : Open until filled
(23) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD position: Examining the thresholds in past Atlantic Ocean circulation using stalagmite geochemistry
If you are intrigued by study of past climate, enjoy having your hands on samples in the lab and generating new geochemical data, and are a quantitative thinker, you might be interested in this PhD project. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a major artery of global heat transport affecting European and global climate, which has substantially weakened dozens of times in the last several hundred thousand years and then recovered within centuries to millennial. This PhD position contributes to our ongoing research to diagnose the causes for these abrupt weakenings and the factors which allowed AMOC to recover. The project is generating new geochemical records from stalagmites which grew in coastal caves, to reconstruct the phasing of changes in the North Atlantic salinity relative to AMOC variations, and interpreting them with the aid of process models and experiments with tracers in atmosphere-ocean general circulation experiments.
Deadline : Open until filled
About ETH Zurich, Switzerland- Official Website
ETH Zürich is a public research university in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. Founded by the Swiss Federal Government in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the school focuses exclusively on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Like its sister institution EPFL, it is part of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain, part of the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research.
In the 2021 edition of QS World University Rankings, ETH Zurich was ranked 6th in the world, placing it as the second-best European university after the University of Oxford. In the 2020 QS World University Rankings by subject, it ranked 4th in the world for engineering and technology (2nd in Europe) and 1st for earth & marine science. Also, ETH was rated 8th in the world in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings of 2020.
The university is an attractive destination for international students thanks to low tuition fees of 809 CHF per semester, PhD and graduate salaries that are amongst the world’s highest, and a world-class reputation in academia and industry. There are currently 22,200 students from over 120 countries, of which 4,180 are pursuing doctoral degrees.
As of November 2019, 21 Nobel laureates, 2 Fields Medalists, 2 Pritzker Prize winners, and 1 Turing Award winner have been affiliated with the Institute, including Albert Einstein. Other notable alumni include John von Neumann and Santiago Calatrava. It is a founding member of the IDEA League and the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) and a member of the CESAER network.
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