Postdoctoral Researcher in Embedded Hardware, FPGA, Edge AI and Smart Sensors

The ideal candidate should enjoy developing complete embedded systems, from sensor and processor selection to PCB design, FPGA/MCU implementation, firmware development, hardware debugging, and deployment of signal-processing and machine-learning algorithms. A significant part of the position will also involve teaching and student supervision, particularly in the areas of embedded systems, FPGA design, electronics, and machine learning on microcontrollers. Teaching is an important component of the position. The successful candidate will contribute to teaching embedded systems, FPGA-based design, machine learning on microcontrollers and embedded processors, development of hands-on laboratory exercises and demonstrators, supervision of Bachelor and Master projects, co-supervision of PhD students, and support of large project-based learning activities. The successful candidate will also be expected to contribute to the strategic development of the group through supporting the preparation of European and national research proposals, contribution to Horizon Europe, MSCA, SNSF, Innosuisse, ESA, and other competitive funding applications, identification of new funding opportunities and preparation of technical work plans, coordination and management of European research projects and work packages, interaction with international academic and industrial partners, preparation of project deliverables, reports, milestones, and reviews, support in budget, resource, and task planning together with the PI and administrative staff, organization of technical meetings and coordination across project partners, and contribution to the definition of new research directions and collaborative projects. Beyond research and teaching, the successful candidate will contribute to the broader development and operation of the group, including coordination of laboratory equipment, embedded platforms, sensors, prototyping tools, and shared infrastructure, support for the organization, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the lab environment, definition of good practices for hardware development, documentation, safety, equipment usage, and shared resources, support and mentoring of students and researchers using laboratory equipment, and contribution to the acquisition and selection of new laboratory equipment and prototyping platforms. The position therefore combines hands-on technical research, teaching, student supervision, project management, and fundraising. We are looking for someone who can contribute not only scientifically, but also help develop and coordinate larger collaborative research activities.

D-ITET PBL is a research and teaching group at ETH Zurich working on embedded systems, Edge AI, TinyML, smart sensing, FPGA-based systems, autonomous robots, and drones. We are looking for a talented and highly motivated postdoctoral researcher with a strong hands-on hardware and FPGA background, who is interested in contributing substantially to both research and teaching.

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field

• Strong practical embedded hardware background

• Experience in FPGA design and implementation, including HDL development and hardware/software co-design

• Design and development of complete embedded hardware/software systems

• PCB schematic design, layout, board bring-up, debugging, and validation

• Integration of sensors, microcontrollers, FPGAs, SoCs, and embedded processors

• Embedded programming in C/C++

• Real-time signal processing and embedded perception, hardware-aware AI

• Interfaces such as SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, USB, Ethernet, MIPI, or similar

• Use of oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power analyzers, and hardware debugging tools

• Deployment and optimization of machine-learning models on resource-constrained hardware

• Experience or strong interest in Edge AI, TinyML, embedded machine learning, neuromorphic computing, or signal processing

• Hands-on FPGA development and HDL design

• Development and debugging of complete embedded systems

• PCB design, board bring-up, or substantial hardware integration experience

• Embedded C/C++ development on MCUs, SoCs, or similar platforms

• Experience integrating and experimentally validating sensors and embedded platforms

• A strong publication record directly related to embedded systems, smart sensing, FPGA, Edge AI, or closely related topics

• Interest and experience in teaching and student supervision

• Ability or strong interest in European project coordination and research proposal preparation

• Willingness to take responsibility for laboratory infrastructure and hands-on teaching activities

• Defended their PhD within the past two years

• Not have already spent more than 3 years in fixed-term academic employment at ETH Zurich or EPFL