Student Research Assistant in Unity Frontend & LLM Backend Development for Digital Einstein

Immigration Policy Lab; Zürich; Hybrid; CHF 20,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hands‑on experience with high‑profile/

Mentoring and collaboration

International team at ETH Zurich

Job summary

ETH Zürich's Digital Einstein team seeks a Student Research Assistant to develop and maintain the Unity frontend and Python/LLM backend for a high-profile AI avatar platform. The role combines real-time rendering, interaction design, and backend orchestration of LLMs, with on-site demonstrations and weekly team meetings.

You will work ~15 hours/week during term, with flexibility for semester breaks, collaborating with an international, cutting-edge research group.

Qualifications

• Enrolled student at ETH Zurich or another Swiss university.
• Strong programming skills and practical software‑development experience.
• Experience with Unity and C#.
• Experience with Python.
• Interest in large language models, including LLM APIs, prompting, agentic systems, or dialogue systems.
• Reliable, proactive, and comfortable working independently as well as in a team.
• Willingness to provide occasional on‑site event support, including on weekends.
• German language skills are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the Unity frontend for the Digital Einstein platform, including UI components, interaction flows, character behaviours, and real‑time rendering features
• Develop and maintain the Python/LLM backend for interactive conversations, including the integration and evaluation of large language models and related AI services
• Test and improve the reliability, latency, and overall interaction quality of the system
• On‑site support at selected events and demonstrations
• Participate in weekly team meetings (1–2 hours) to discuss progress and plan next steps
• Workload: approximately 15 hours/week during the semester, with the possibility of working more during semester breaks

Skills

Strong programming skills

LLM knowledge

Experience with Unity

Experience with C#

Experience with Python

Independent work

Teamwork

German language skills (plus)

Education

Enrolled student at ETH Zurich or another Swiss university

Tools

Unity

Python

C#

Job description

Student Research Assistant in Unity Frontend & LLM Backend Development for Digital Einstein

10%-30%, Zurich, fixed-term

The Digital Character AI team at ETH Zurich's Computer Graphics Laboratory is looking for a Student Research Assistant to support the development of our interactive AI avatar platforms across both the Unity frontend and the LLM-based backend. Our work focuses on lifelike digital humans powered by large language models, affective computing, speech technologies, and real-time rendering. Our systems have been deployed at high-profile international events such as the World Economic Forum, Berlin Science Week, and GITEX. You can learn more about the Digital Einstein project here.

Project background

Digital Einstein is an AI avatar platform that brings Albert Einstein to life as an interactive conversational agent. The system combines a Unity-based frontend for real-time character rendering, animation, and interaction with a Python-based backend that orchestrates large language models, dialogue management, speech processing, memory, and other AI components. We are currently extending the platform to additional interactive digital characters. We are looking for a student assistant who can contribute across the complete system - from Unity-based user experiences and character interaction to LLM-driven dialogue and backend services.

Job description

• Develop and maintain the Unity frontend for the Digital Einstein platform, including UI components, interaction flows, character behaviours, and real‑time rendering features
• Develop and maintain the Python/LLM backend for interactive conversations, including the integration and evaluation of large language models and related AI services
• Test and improve the reliability, latency, and overall interaction quality of the system
• On‑site support at selected events and demonstrations
• Participate in weekly team meetings (1–2 hours) to discuss progress and plan next steps
• Workload: approximately 15 hours/week during the semester, with the possibility of working more during semester breaks

Profile

• Enrolled student at ETH Zurich or another Swiss university
• Strong programming skills and practical software‑development experience
• Experience with Unity and C#
• Experience with Python
• Experience with or strong interest in large language models, including LLM APIs, prompting, agentic systems, or dialogue systems
• Reliable, proactive, and comfortable working independently as well as in a team
• Willingness to provide occasional on‑site event support, including on weekends
• German language skills are a plus

We offer

• Hands‑on experience with a high‑profile AI avatar platform showcased at international events (World Economic Forum, GITEX, and others)
• Exposure to a cutting‑edge research environment spanning real‑time graphics, large language models, and affective computing
• Regular 1‑on‑1 mentoring and weekly team meetings
• Collaborative, international team at ETH Zurich's Computer Graphics Laboratory

Working, teaching and research at ETH Zurich

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. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us – we are consistently working towards a climate‑neutral future.

Curious? So are we.

We look forward to receiving your online application by November 30 with the following documents:

• A short motivation letter (max. 1 page)
• Your current CV
• Your academic transcripts
• A brief portfolio or code sample demonstrating relevant work (e.g. GitHub link)

Further information about our research can be found on our website. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Rafael Wampfler at [e-mail] (no applications).

Interviews are expected to take place in December 2026. The start date is January 1, 2027.

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

We would like to point out that the pre‑selection is carried out by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.

About ETH Zürich

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education, cutting‑edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe, yet forging connections all over the world, we work together to develop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.