Robotics - Control Engineer

Own the behaviour of physical robots: how they move, hold intent, coordinate and fail gracefully. Turn ideas into working software on real hardware, then harden it with experiments you help design and run. Work at the seams with sensors, actuators, mechanical limits and electrical realities. Close loops from field evidence back into better behaviour. Make testing and commissioning something the team can repeat, not a one-off heroics exercise. Share what you learn: clear notes, teachable setups, and room for students and colleagues to build on your work.

Way of Water is a funded field-robotics project at ETH Zurich (Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control, Research D'Andrea). The project builds autonomous surface robots that have to work outdoors, on real water, as a team — not only in the lab.

This is a project employee (staff) role: you come in to deliver engineering work for the life of the project. It is not a PhD position and not an academic training track.

You will also work closely with established entrepreneurs, world-class scientists, and engineers who are artists. They are people who have built a billion-dollar company, sent hardware to the International Space Station, and created live performance-art installations at the Venice Biennale.

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.

• About 0–5 years of hands-on experience after your degree. Internships, thesis projects, Focus projects and paid project work count. This is an early-career project-staff role.

• A background in robotics, control, mechanical or electrical engineering, computer science, or equivalent practice. Depth in dynamics, estimation or control of physical systems.

• Evidence you have shipped behaviour on real robots (or comparable cyber-physical systems), not only simulation.

• Hands-on work is required, not optional: you write, run and debug software on real hardware yourself — bench bring-up, field trials, logs and measurements — not desk-only or simulation-only work.

• Comfort writing and debugging software that talks to hardware (for example C/C++, Python, or similar).

• Judgement under incomplete information: you investigate, measure, decide, and iterate.

• Appetite for outdoor and on-water testing. Field days are part of the job, including Lake Zürich and partner sites.

• An independent working style, and documentation habits that help a small team scale.

• Experience with ROS/ROS 2, embedded or real-time constraints, multi-robot systems, or published technical work is welcome if you have it.