PhD Position in the field of development of machine learning technologies and their deployment in the wood industry

Updated: almost 2 years ago
Job Type: Permanent
Deadline: The position may have been removed or expired!

In der aktuellen Covid-19 Situation laufen die Rekrutierungen weiter. Es kann dabei allerdings zu Verzögerungen kommen. Vielen Dank für Ihr Verständnis.


100%, Zurich, fixed-term


Empa is the research institute for materials science and technology of the ETH Domain and conducts cutting-edge research for the benefit of industry and the well-being of society


The WoodTec Group in the Laboratory for Cellulose & Wood Materials is offering a PhD Position in the field of development of machine learning technologies and their deployment in the wood industry.


Project background

The WoodTec group combines the expertise of scientists in the fields of wood engineering, machine learning and chemistry to open up new application fields for wood products and to develop solutions for a more efficient use of wood. 

The goal of the project is to build a framework that includes a non-destructive method based on high-resolution images and structured data for quality and strength grading of wood. The candidate will work on developing machine learning models, implementing them, and building machine learning pipelines. The research activities are conducted in a joint working group between WoodTec, Laboratory for Cellulose & Wood Materials, Empa & DS3Lab: Data Sciences, Data Systems & Data Services, ETH.


Job description
  • Contribution to research projects in cooperation with industrial partners
  • Programming and development of machine learning algorithms
  • Building ML pipelines that are specifically designed for scalable, high-performance machine learning tasks
  • Participation in project meetings with presentation of work progress
  • Publication of results in scientific journals and presentations at conferences

Your profile
  • MSc in computer science, data science or in a related discipline
  • Solid background in machine learning, preferably with experience in computer vision, semi-supervised learning, and building ML pipelines
  • Fluent in English, to show and maintain scientific integrity and to have excellent programming skills

We expect a highly motivated, open-minded person with a strong background in data science or computer sciences.


We offer

You will be working in an international, science-oriented team addressing various fields of data science and wood technology at a research institution in the Zurich area with outstanding infrastructure and within a broadly interdisciplinary setting. The position is available with starting dates as soon as possible.



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