AI Engineer for Academic Services and Program Support — EPFL
- Location
- Lausanne
- Contract
- Full-time
- Posted
- Today
Full description
About the position
Academic services and operations are getting more complex with the increasing number of programs, courses and students. At the Center for Digital Education, we are collaborating with academic support units to develop AI services that help answer requests from students, instructors and teaching sections. The services encompass the evaluation, verification and classification of documents (e.g. open survey responses) as well as support for the editing of documents (e.g. course descriptions).
We are seeking an AI Engineer for academic services and program support to design, develop, and deploy safe and secure AI systems that support existing business processes, allowing staff to focus on helping students and instructors solve their problems. Working with Large Language Models hosted on EPFL's secure infrastructure, you'll create innovative solutions which follow a responsible approach to AI.
Our infrastructure includes
- Graph AI Platform: Knowledge graph, semantic search, and RAG construction
- RCP Computational Infrastructure: GPU clusters, local LLMs, specialized AI services
- Agents Framework: Orchestration layer for chatbots and AI applications
- Production Applications: 20+ AI tutors and chatbots, analytics tools, search engines
You'll extend this ecosystem with functionalities and APIs specifically designed to support academic services that run in their dedicated IT environment.
Mission
You will develop AI applications that support academic services and operations at EPFL. You will closely collaborate with the Teaching Support Centre, the Registrar's office and the Central IT services. You'll build tools that help pedagogical advisors analyse survey responses, lighten instructors' administrative tasks, support administrators in checking documents for completeness and quality as well as support program directors in conducting accreditation work.
Main duties and responsibilities
- Supporting pedagogical processes (50%)
- Course evaluations (extract topics, categorize comments)
- Course description (support description of skills with regards to competence framework)
- Supporting administrative processes (50%)
- Administrative document analysis and quality checks
- Support administrators in complex decision making processes
Both areas of activity require particular attention to fairness and a strong commitment to the security of data processing. Potential solutions will be tested and evaluated in collaboration with our benchmark engineer for the absence of bias and the quality of responses.
Profile
Education & Experience • Master's degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, or related field • 2-3 years of professional experience in ML/AI application development • Strong background in Large Language Models
Technical Skills • Expert in Python programming and ML frameworks • LLM application development: RAG systems, prompt engineering, fine-tuning • Computer Vision/OCR: Experience with handwriting recognition or document processing • API development and data engineering experience • Familiarity with vector databases and semantic search
Desired Qualifications • Experience in educational technology or learning analytics • Knowledge of educational assessment theory and practices • Background in AI ethics and responsible AI development
- English (C1) and French
We offer
Professional Environment • Work at the intersection of AI and education at a world-leading technical university • Collaborate with AI & Education specialists from the Center for Learning Sciences (LEARN) • Access to EPFL's secure on-premise AI infrastructure (RCP GPU clusters, local LLMs) • Direct impact on teaching and learning for 1,000+ instructors
Technical Resources • State-of-the-art GPU computing infrastructure • Access to latest open-weight models and commercial APIs for development • Integration with established platforms (Graph AI, Intelligent Agents, chatbot framework)
Development Opportunities • Continuous learning environment with access to courses and training • Work on cutting-edge applications of LLMs in education • Contribute to open-source educational AI tools
Informations
Contract Start Date : 01/04/2027
Activity Rate Min : 80.00
Activity Rate Max : 100.00
Contract Type: CDD
Duration: 1 year
Reference: 2558
Questions about this listing
What salary does EPFL offer for this role?
The original listing does not state a salary. Our estimate for this role and sector in Lausanne is CHF 71'000 - 107'500 gross per year — an estimate, not a figure communicated by EPFL. The calculator on this site converts a gross salary into your actual net take-home once cross-border tax and social contributions are applied.
Is this a full-time role, and what type of contract does EPFL offer?
This listing is a full-time position. The contract type shown here comes directly from the employer's original posting; always confirm exact hours, notice period and probation length with EPFL during the application process, since these details can vary by role even within the same contract category.
Do I need a cross-border work permit for a role in Vaud?
EU/EFTA citizens living in an EU/EFTA state can apply for a G permit and can work anywhere in Switzerland: border zones no longer apply to them, and they must return home at least once a week. The Swiss employer files the request with Canton Vaud's migration office after the contract is signed. Processing times vary by canton, so confirm the specifics with Vaud's cantonal migration office or with HR during the application.
How do I apply for this position at EPFL?
Use the "Apply now" button on this page — it links directly to EPFL's original listing at careers.epfl.ch, so your application goes straight to the employer's own applicant-tracking system. Frontaliere Ticino does not collect or forward applications itself.
