Postdoctoral Researcher / Research Engineer — EPFL

Full description

Research challenge

The Research Challenge: AI training costs are exploding, largely due to energy and bandwidth inefficiencies in current electrical datacenters.

Our group is developing a novel Optical Circuit Switched (OCS) architecture that drastically reduces power and latency.

We are looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher / Research Engineer with a background in Embedded Systems and Low-Level Programming to design the control logic that powers this new hybrid network.

Your code will directly enable the next generation of energy-efficient AI clusters.

Project scope • You will bridge the gap between custom optical hardware and standard AI software stacks . • Unlike typical high-level networking roles, this project requires "bare-metal" intervention, programming the firmware and drivers that decide how and when data moves.

Role & Profile

You will lead the implementation of the system's data plane, applying embedded design principles to high-performance networking:

• SmartNIC & FPGA Programming: Implement real-time flow steering logic on devices like NVIDIA BlueField, AMD Pensando or similar.
• Driver Development: Develop and optimize Linux kernel modules and userspace drivers (DPDK) to manage flows.
• Hardware/Software Co-Design: Collaborate with optical physicists to translate physical layer constraints into efficient C/C++ control firmware.
• Evaluation: Benchmark the system against standard IP fabrics and publish results in top-tier conferences (SIGCOMM, NSDI, OSDI).

We are looking for a candidate who is comfortable "looking under the hood" of the operating system. You do not need prior experience with optics.

• PhD/Masters in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ and Linux Systems Programming .
• Experience with Embedded Linux and Kernel drivers.

Bonus Skills (Nice to have)

• Familiarity with Network Interface Cards (NICs) or packet processing (eBPF, XDP).
• Experience bringing up custom hardware boards.

We offer

• A stimulating and international working environment
• Competitive salary and excellent working conditions – more information can be found on our website (https://www.epfl.ch/campus/services/human-resources/en/basic-starting-salary-of-doctoral-assistants-and-postdocs/)
• Opportunity to perform state-of-the-art research in one of the most dynamic scientific institutions in Europe.
• Opportunity to interact with internationally renowned experts, and with a strong team of postdoctoral researchers and PhD students

Informations

Only applications submitted through the online platform are considered. You are asked to supply:

Your CV, a brief statement of interests, and a link to your code portfolio (GitHub/GitLab)

For any further information, please contact: [email protected]

Contract Start Date : 1st March 2026 Activity Rate: 100% Contract Type: CDD Duration: 9 months, extendable