Forestry Mission Lead - Earth Observation, Forest Decision Support and Intelligence

As Forestry Mission Lead, you will spearhead the forestry-focused initiative - the GeoLab Forestry Mission - within GeoLab. You will identify high-impact challenges in Swiss forestry through direct interchange with key stakeholders and by drawing on domain-relevant data and expertise. You will define ambitious mission outcomes, translate practitioner and policy needs into research and product goals, and drive solutions through field validation, operational testing and adoption. You will report to the Managing Director of ETH Swiss GeoLab and work closely with other GeoLab mission teams, the Research Program Support team, the Geo-Intelligence team and external partners. You will lead cross-functional and external experts and will have the authority to prioritise, redirect, and pivot or pause activities within the approved mission charter, budget and governance framework. As part of your role, you will define an ambitious and coherent Forestry Mission addressing major opportunities in forest health, resilience, sustainable management, biodiversity, carbon and the provision of forest ecosystem services. You will identify operational gaps where ETH Swiss GeoLab can create distinctive value for Swiss forestry and forest policy. You will engage directly with forest owners and managers, forestry enterprises, advisory and professional organisations, cantonal and federal authorities, research institutions, insurers, technology providers, NGOs and industry partners. You will identify unmet needs, operational constraints, incentives and economic drivers in forest management, silviculture and monitoring. You will translate forestry challenges into clear research, data, product and technical requirements. You will assess user value, operational relevance, economic viability, scalability and adoption potential. You will establish measurable mission outcomes, roadmaps, assumptions and success criteria aligned with Swiss forestry needs and the overall GeoLab strategy, and actively track progress against these outcomes. You will manage the delegated mission budget, define priorities, milestones and decision points, and track finances and results through regular and transparent reporting to GeoLab leadership and other stakeholders. You will work with GeoLab’s Geo-Intelligence team - focused on geospatial AI, Earth observation foundation models and the analysis of large data volumes - and with external partners to drive pilots, field validation, operational testing and integration into forestry workflows. You will assess evidence and performance, and recommend the continuation, redirection, scaling, pausing or termination of activities. You will identify and mobilise strong ETH groups, research institutions, forestry organisations, technology companies, start-ups, service providers, public agencies and implementation partners. You will represent ETH Swiss GeoLab across Swiss forestry, scientific, policy and innovation communities. You will communicate mission goals, progress, evidence and lessons learned at field events, workshops and conferences. You will guide and train students, researchers and external contributors where required and support knowledge transfer into forestry practice.

ETH Zurich is establishing ETH Swiss GeoLab, a new interdisciplinary unit of ETH Zurich | Space. ETH Space will soon become one of the strategic centres of ETH Zurich and encompasses five units. The GeoLab is focused on Earth observation and its applications. It uses satellite, airborne, ground-based and in-situ observations and applies AI-driven analysis methods and high-performance computing to these diverse data sets 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 a small number of high-impact application areas where Earth observation, geodata and AI-based analytics can create tangible value for Switzerland. In forestry, this includes challenges related to forest health and vitality, climate resilience, disturbances, biodiversity, carbon, timber and other ecosystem services, as well as decision support for forest owners, managers and public authorities. 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 Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), Swiss research institutions, public-sector stakeholders, forest owners and managers, forestry organisations, industry partners, start-ups and international stakeholders.

• A Master’s or PhD degree (preferred) in forestry, forest science, natural resource management, environmental sciences, geoinformatics, remote sensing or a related field

• Several years of experience in applied research, program delivery or operational implementation in forest management, forest monitoring, advisory services, public administration, consulting, technology development or industry, preferably but not necessarily in Switzerland

• Strong expertise and understanding of forest management and planning, forest ecosystems and the information needs of forestry practitioners and public authorities

• A sound understanding of the opportunities and limitations of Earth observation, geospatial data and data-driven methods for forestry applications

• Proven ability to identify important operational problems and translate them into actionable initiatives

• A track record of successful collaboration in diverse teams and demonstrated enthusiasm not only for conducting research, but also for applying it for the benefit of others

• Experience in mission-, program- or applied R&D; portfolio design

• Strong project, portfolio and budget management skills, including demonstrated use of transparent reporting, dashboard and tracking tools that enable others to understand project status and performance

• Excellent stakeholder management skills across practitioners, public authorities, academia, industry and expert communities

• The ability to work across disciplinary and organisational boundaries and to lead through influence

• Strong judgement under uncertainty and the willingness to challenge established approaches constructively

• Excellent communication and listening skills, as well as strong presentation skills across different formats and audiences

• Excellent written and spoken English and German; French is an asset