PhD Positions - Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems (CLS)

Eth Zurich; Tübingen; On-site; EUR 20,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully funded

Joint supervision

Exchange program

Job summary

ETH Zurich invites applications for CLS PhD positions. Fellows are co-supervised by ETH Zurich and MPI directors across locations in Stuttgart/Tübingen, Saarbrücken or Tübingen, with a mandatory 12-month exchange. Fellows register at ETH Zurich and earn a ETH doctoral degree.

The program uses English and fellowships are fully funded. Applicants should hold or expect an excellent Masters degree in a relevant subject and have a strong interest in AI for science, ML, CV, NLP and related fields.

Qualifications

• We welcome applicants with a strong research background in AI, ML, CV or NLP.
• Master’s degree in a relevant field is required.
• Proficiency in English, both written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Engage in basic research across listed AI and ML areas.
• Collaborate with ETH Zurich and MPI groups under co-supervision.
• Contribute to publication and doctoral work, aiming for a PhD from ETH Zurich.

Skills

AI for Science

Machine Learning

Computer Vision

Natural Language Processing

Reinforcement Learning

Robotics

Causal Inference

Biology-inspired Robotics

Optimization

Deep Learning

HCI / HRI

Education

Masters degree in a relevant subject

Job description

PhD Positions - Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems (CLS)

In our highly competitive CLS doctoral training program, fellows are co-supervised by one advisor from ETH Zurich and one from the MPI for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart / Tübingen, the MPI for Informatics in Saarbrücken or the ELLIS Institute Tübingen. Each CLS fellow has a primary location (chosen based on interests and match) and conducts a mandatory 12-month exchange at the other location. All CLS Ph.D. fellows register as graduate students at ETH Zurich and, upon successful completion of their Ph.D. project, will be granted a doctoral degree by ETH. Fellowships are fully funded. The program language is English.Faculty participating in this call (*only available as co-advisor for the one-year exchange):
Zurich: Andreas Krause*, April Wang*, Benjamin Grewe, Celestine Mendler-Dünner, Christian Holz*, Daniel Razansky, Florian Dörfler, Gunnar Rätsch, Julia Vogt, Konrad Schindler, Marc Pollefeys, Menna El-Assady, Mrinmaya Sachan, Niao He, Quentin Boehler, Robert Katzschmann, Siddhartha Mishra, Siyu Tang, Stelian Coros.
Stuttgart/ Saarbrücken/ Tübingen: Alberto Comoretto, Antonia Georgopoulou, Antonio Orvieto*, Bernt Schiele, Bernhard Schölkopf, Buse Aktaş, Chelsea Rose Sidrane, Christian Theobalt, Jakob Macke, Jonas Geiping, Kashyap Chitta, Katherine Kuchenbecker, Konstantin Rusch, Maksym Andriushchenko, Maximilian Dax, Moritz Hardt, Philipp Müller, Rediet Abebe, Renate Sachse, Sahar Abdelnabi, Shiwei Liu.

• Each CLS Ph.D. fellow has a primary location (chosen based on interests and match) and conducts a mandatory 12-month exchange at the other location
• All CLS Ph.D. fellows register as graduate students at ETH Zurich and, upon successful completion of their Ph.D. project, will be granted a doctoral degree by ETH
• Fellowships are fully funded
• The program language is English

Profile

• Applicants should have a strong interest in doing basic research in areas such as: AI for Science, AI Safety, Bio-inspired Robotics, Biomechanics, Causal Inference, Computational Biology, Computer Graphics, Computer Vision, Control Systems, Deep Learning, Digital Humans, Earth Observation, Educational Technology, Efficient AI, Explainable AI, Haptics, Human-Computer Interaction, Human-Robot Interaction, Imaging Technology, Machine Learning, Medical Informatics, Medical Robotics, Natural Language Processing, Neuroinformatics, Optimization, Physical AI, Probabilistic Models, Reinforcement Learning, Robotics, Security and Privacy, Smart Materials, Social Questions, Soft Robotics, Statistical Learning Theory, Visual Analytics
• Applicants must further hold or expect to hold an excellent degree at Masters level in a relevant subject
• Good written and spoken English is essential

We value diversity at our institutions. If you feel that you meet our requirements, we encourage you to apply

We offer

PhD students profit from joint supervision by ETH Professors and MPI Directors, Group Leaders or PIs at the ELLIS Institute Tübingen, ultimately obtaining their doctoral degree from ETH Zurich. With these unique opportunities, CLS offers young academics in the field of learning systems the chance of outstanding collaborations and exchange early in their careers.

Curious? So are we.

The application deadline for all parts of the application is midnight (23:59 CET) on November 2, 2026. Long-listed applicants will be asked to submit a 2-5 minute research video. Short-listed applicants will be invited to the CLS2027 Selection Symposium in Tübingen on March 1-2, 2027.