Research Engineer - Interactive AI Characters Platform

NZZone; Zürich; Vor Ort; CHF 80.000 - 100.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Professional development opportunities

Collaborative international team

Mentoring

Dynamic research environment

Zusammenfassung

NZZone is seeking a Research Engineer to lead the development of our interactive AI avatar platforms, including Digital Einstein. Based at ETH Zurich, you will work on projects at prestigious events such as the World Economic Forum and GITEX Global.

The role requires solid experience in Unity, AR development, and Python for backend integration. You will contribute to a collaborative and diverse team dedicated to advancing cutting-edge technologies and interactive experiences. Join us to shape the future of AI avatars.

Qualifikationen

• University degree (BSc or MSc) in Computer Science or a closely related field.
• Solid hands‑on experience with Unity.
• Experience with AR development, ideally with relevant frameworks.
• Hands‑on experience with large language models and Python‑based backend development.
• Interest in hardware prototyping and interactive installation design is a plus.

Aufgaben

• Unity frontend development for Digital Einstein, building AR experiences.
• Python backend development, focusing on LLM integration.
• Website development for accessibility of Digital Einstein.
• On‑site technical support at national and international events.
• Optionally develop novel hardware interaction elements.

Kenntnisse

Unity development

Large language models

Augmented reality (AR) development

Python backend development

Web development

Ausbildung

BSc or MSc in Computer Science or related field

Jobbeschreibung

The AI Characters team at ETH Zurich’s Computer Graphics Laboratory is seeking a Research Engineer to take a central role in developing and maintaining our interactive AI avatar platforms, including Digital Einstein. Our work focuses on lifelike digital humans powered by large language models, affective computing, and real-time rendering — deployed at high-profile international events such as the World Economic Forum, GITEX Global, and Berlin Science Week. You can learn more about our research on the CGL Digital Characters page and the Digital Einstein project page.

Project background

Digital Einstein is our flagship interactive AI avatar, bringing Albert Einstein to life as a conversational agent. It is part of a broader family of AI avatars developed in our group. Built on a Unity-based frontend with real-time facial and body animations and integrated speech recognition and speech synthesis, the system orchestrates large language models for multilingual dialogue management. It has been showcased at major international venues, engaging hundreds of thousands of visitors worldwide.

We are now expanding the platform in several directions: augmented reality (AR) experiences that bring AI characters into the visitor’s physical space; a web-based version of Digital Einstein for broader public accessibility; novel hardware interaction elements for the physical platform (e.g., tangible interfaces); and continued improvements to the underlying LLM-driven cognition layer, including story adherence, agency, multimodal perception, and affective responsiveness. As our team scales, we are looking for a skilled Research Engineer to lead the technical development of these next‑generation features and ensure the robustness of the platform across all deployment contexts.

Job description

• Unity frontend development for Digital Einstein: building AR experiences and maintaining the physical platform; components are designed for reuse across all deployment contexts
• Python backend development, with a focus on LLM integration such as improving dialogue quality, story adherence, agency, multimodal perception, affective cognition, and multi-turn interaction management
• Website development to bring Digital Einstein to the web and enable broader public accessibility
• On‑site technical support at national and international events and demonstrations (setup, visitor interaction, troubleshooting), including occasional availability on weekends
• Optionally: development of novel hardware interaction elements for the physical platform (e.g., tangible interfaces)

Profile

• University degree (BSc or MSc) in Computer Science or a closely related field
• Solid hands‑on experience with Unity
• Experience with augmented reality (AR) development, ideally with ARKit, ARFoundation, ARCore, Meta Quest, or comparable frameworks
• Hands‑on experience with large language models and Python‑based backend development
• Experience with web development is a plus
• Interest in hardware prototyping and interactive installation design is a plus
• Reliable, proactive, and comfortable working in a fast‑paced research environment both independently and as part of a team
• Willingness to provide on‑site event support, including occasional weekends

We offer

Professional Development:

• A central engineering role in a high‑visibility AI avatar platform showcased at flagship international events (World Economic Forum, GITEX Global, Berlin Science Week, and more)
• Exposure to cutting‑edge research at the intersection of real‑time graphics, large language models, and affective computing
• Opportunities to contribute to academic publications and research outputs
• Involvement in the full lifecycle of an interactive platform, from research prototype to large‑scale public deployment

Work Environment:

• Collaborative, international team at ETH Zurich’s Computer Graphics Laboratory
• Regular mentoring and close involvement in shaping the platform’s technical roadmap
• Dynamic research environment with a hands‑on, engineering‑driven culture

Start date: September 1, 2026, or by arrangement.

We value diversity and sustainability

In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Please refer to the Equal Opportunities and Diversity website for details. Sustainability is a core value for us – we are consistently working towards a climate‑neutral future.