Research Assistant in Language AI and Natural Language Processing 50 - 80 %

Are you excited about practically relevant scientific research and have strong interest in developing reliable AI systems for speech and text understanding and generation? Then join our research team to shape the future of NLP and Language AI!

School:

School of Engineering

Starting date:

01.05.2026 (or by agreement). 1 year contract (extendable). Application deadline: 06.04.2026.

Your role

• Join the NLP research team at ZHAW Centre for Artificial Intelligence as a Research Assistant and contribute to our applied research projects in NLP, Machine Learning and Language AI
• Develop and implement high-quality software solutions that combine traditional software engineering (full stack) with innovative AI methods
• Perform comprehensive experimental evaluations to assess and analyse the performance of your developed approaches
• Disseminate your research findings through publications and presentations in peer-reviewed journals and conferences
• Provide occasional teaching support to lecturers

Your profile

• A recent, excellent Bachelor's or Master's degree in computer science, data science, AI, or a related technical/scientific field
• Strong skills in software engineering (full stack)
• Familiarity with machine learning methods and deep learning frameworks
• Prior knowledge in Natural Language Processing (NLP) is beneficial
• Good English language skills
• Work permit for Switzerland

This is what we stand for

Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW is one of Switzerland's largest multidisciplinary universities of applied sciences, with over 14'000 students and 3'400 faculty and staff.

The School of Engineering (SoE), as one of the leading educational and research institutions in Switzerland, focuses on topics relevant to the future. 14 institutes and centres guarantee high-quality education, research and development with a focus on the areas of energy, mobility, information and health.

The Centre for Artificial Intelligence (CAI) maintains a growing number of research groups in the fields of Natural Language Processing and Computer Vision, Perception and Cognition, Autonomous Learning Systems, Trustworthy AI and AI Engineering. The CAI conducts method-oriented applied research and development at the highest level in the field of machine learning and is committed to a human-centered approach to artificial intelligence, thereby actively shaping the ethical dimension.

We are looking for a deeply interested, technically skilled personality. Please honor us with a tailored cover letter and highlight facts that underline your ability to achieve high. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

What you can expect

We offer working conditions and terms of employment commensurate with higher education institutions and actively promote personal development for staff in leadership and non-leadership positions. A detailed description of advantages and benefits can be found at Working at the ZHAW. The main points are listed below:

Contact

Prof. Dr. Mark Cieliebak
Professor for Natural Language Processing

Samy Shalaby
Recruiting Manager