Postdoctoral Researcher in Embedded Hardware, FPGA, Edge AI and Smart Sensors 80%-100%, Zurich, fixed-term 30.09.2026 | Dept. of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (D-ITET)

This postdoctoral researcher position focuses on embedded hardware, FPGA, Edge AI, and smart sensors. Key responsibilities include developing complete embedded systems from concept to deployment, teaching embedded systems and FPGA design, and contributing to project management and research proposal preparation. A strong hands-on embedded hardware background with experience in FPGA design, PCB design, and embedded programming is essential.

• Teaching is an important component of the position.
• The successful candidate will also be expected to contribute to the strategic development of the group through:
• Supporing the preparation of European and national research proposals
• European and national research proposals
• Contribution to Horizon Europe, MSCA, SNSF, Innosuisse, ESA, and other competitive funding applications
• 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
• 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
• Contribution to the definition of new research directions and collaborative projects
• Experience in European project preparation or management is highly desirable , especially for candidates interested in taking a more senior and independent role within the group.
• Beyond research and teaching, the successful candidate will contribute to the broader development and operation of the group.
• 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

• FPGA design and implementation , including HDL development and hardware/software co-design
• FPGA design and implementation
• 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
• Candidates should also have experience or strong interest in Edge AI, TinyML, embedded machine learning, neuromorphic computing, or signal processing .
• This position is intended for candidates with a strong hands-on embedded hardware profile . Applications that are primarily focused on software, data science, or machine learning without demonstrated embedded hardware experience will not be considered.