Natural Hazards Mission Lead: Translate Research to Impact

ETH Zurich; Root; On-site; CHF 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Autonomy in role

Societal impact and relevance

Cross-domain collaboration

Job summary

ETH Zurich is seeking a leader for the GeoLab's Natural Hazards Mission to guide R&D, translate user needs into actionable programs, and deliver measurable value for practice and public decision-making.

The role requires strong domain expertise in natural hazards, excellent communication across disciplines, and responsibility for budget and governance within a growing ETH GeoLab. Collaboration with public authorities, industry partners and research institutions is essential.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in natural hazards, Earth observation or related field
• Strong expertise with several years in at least one natural hazard domain
• Experience leading complex projects or multi-partner initiatives
• Excellent written and spoken English; at least B2-level German or French
• Ability to manage priorities, resources and budgets transparently

Responsibilities

• Lead the research and development portfolio for the Natural Hazards Mission
• Engage with public authorities, practitioners, infrastructure operators and expert communities
• Identify high-value operational challenges and translate into research priorities and solution requirements
• Define mission roadmaps, milestones, and success criteria; monitor progress and budget
• Develop, test, validate and integrate solutions into operational workflows
• Build partnerships across ETH domain, research institutions and industry
• Represent the Mission and communicate goals, progress and lessons learned

Skills

Project leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Budget management

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Education

Master's degree or PhD in natural hazards/earth observation or related field

Tools

Earth observation tools

Geospatial data

Modelling software

Geospatial AI

Job description

ETH Zurich is seeking a leader for the GeoLab's Natural Hazards Mission to guide R&D, translate user needs into actionable programs, and deliver measurable value for practice and public decision-making.

The role requires strong domain expertise in natural hazards, excellent communication across disciplines, and responsibility for budget and governance within a growing ETH GeoLab. Collaboration with public authorities, industry partners and research institutions is essential.