PhD Researcher in Trustworthy and Human-Centred AI Development

ETH Zurich seeks a PhD Researcher to develop trustworthy, human-centered AI systems at the KOF Swiss Economic Institute, focusing on economic research, democracy, and money systems.

This position sits within the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zurich, bridging computer science engineering with economic inquiry. The successful candidate will investigate how AI systems behave in high-stakes environments, specifically regarding money systems and democratic processes. The role demands a blend of technical rigor and an awareness of societal impact, aiming to build reliable tools for research, policy-making, and the public.

Responsibilities

• Lead independent investigations into trustworthy and human-centered artificial intelligence.
• Analyze AI reliability, security, and trustworthiness, with a focus on human-AI interaction in critical scenarios.
• Publish findings in leading conferences and journals dedicated to AI and responsible technology.
• Develop and refine prototypes that account for real-world consequences and contextual factors.
• Work directly with large language models to assess their behavior, enhance security, and ensure explainability.
• Build LLM-based systems, including implementing prompting strategies, tool integration, evaluation metrics, and retrieval-augmented generation workflows.
• Plan and execute user studies to measure and improve human-system interaction.

Requirements

• Hold a Master’s degree in computer science, machine learning, human-computer interaction, or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrate strong theoretical and practical foundations in machine learning and current AI practices.
• Possess a deep understanding of large language models, particularly concerning their reliability, security, and explainability.
• Be familiar with both the technical infrastructure and human-factors aspects of human-computer interaction.
• Show the ability to conduct independent research, communicate effectively, and navigate open-ended scientific questions.

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience using LLM APIs, open-source models, evaluation pipelines, and orchestration frameworks.
• Knowledge of model adaptation techniques, such as fine-tuning or other optimization methods.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure, MLOps, LLMOps, containerization, or deploying models to production.
• Proficiency in frontend and/or backend software development.

What the company offers

• Pursue a high-quality doctoral degree at a world-renowned institution within a collaborative research setting.
• Receive a gross salary aligned with the standard rate for PhD students at ETH Zurich.
• Join a vibrant community of economic researchers, attending workshops and conferences.
• Work at the intersection of computer science and applied domains like democracy and monetary systems.
• Earn a doctorate supervised by a computer science professor at ETH Zürich.
• Be embedded in an internationally recognized research environment with strong ties to economics and policy.
• Engage with the broader community focused on responsible and trustworthy AI.
• Build connections across academia, central banks, and policy institutions regarding AI and economic systems.
• Enjoy substantial autonomy to shape your own research agenda and take initiative.

About the company

The KOF Swiss Economic Institute stands as the leading center for applied economic research in Switzerland. The team operates within an international environment, collaborating closely with both researchers and engineers to advance the field.

• Leading institute for applied economic research in Switzerland.
• International team of researchers and engineers.
• Collaborative and dynamic research environment.