EPFL AI Center and Swiss AI Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowships

Mission

The EPFL AI Center is the hub for AI research at EPFL, spearheading strategic initiatives and research challenges in AI, hosting large-scale projects in collaboration with diverse partners.

The Fellowship will enable the Postdoctoral researcher to develop an interdisciplinary research agenda in collaboration with at least two EPFL labs headed by EPFL AI Center faculty members.

Key goals of this Fellowship programme are to:

• Advance cutting-edge AI research;
• Promote ethical AI development ensuring fellows critically evaluate issues such as bias, privacy, and fairness in AI research;
• Prepare for the next generation of leaders in AI;
• Spark interdisciplinary collaboration between the EPFL AI Center’s community.

Eligibility requirements

• Applications are encouraged by researchers at the postdoctoral level.
• Applicants must have obtained a PhD diploma in computer science, physics, engineering, applied mathematics, or another field relevant to artificial intelligence, no more than two years before the submission deadline.
• Doctoral students in the last year of their doctoral studies are eligible to apply (senior PhD students), provided that they will have successfully completed their PhD diploma by the time they start the fellowship.
• Applicants must have the support of two EPFL host professors who are Faculty members affiliated with the EPFL AI Center. Applicants should therefore contact potential host Professor(s) from this list and discuss and agree on a potential collaboration before submitting their application.
• Priority will be given to external candidates. However, senior PhD students and junior postdocs, who are already at EPFL are eligible to apply.
• This programme is highly competitive, and the primary evaluation criterion is excellence, as measured by academic records and professional accomplishments. Candidates applying for the AI Center fellowship are expected to have excellent grade transcripts.
• Applicants may submit only one application.
• Citizens of any nationality may apply for the AI Center & Swiss AI Initiative postdoctoral fellowship programme. No age restrictions apply
• Applications from candidates of all genders and backgrounds are strongly encouraged.

Funding

Funding and eligible costs:

• The fellowship covers a contribution to the salary of the postdoctoral researcher of appr. 50% per year (EPFL salary scales apply). The remaining part of the salary is covered by the EPFL host laboratories. EPFL Human Resources guidelines and practices apply with regard to social security
• A maximum amount of CHF 5’000 per fellowship year can be granted for research costs, open research data costs, open access publication costs, travels and conferences. These costs need to be justified in the budget and in the financial report. Any additional costs for research expenses, travel, etc. need to be covered by the host Professor(s).
• The host laboratories commit to making the necessary infrastructure available to the postdoctoral researcher (e.g., office space, laboratory space and equipment, administrative support).

How to apply

Explore the Application toolkit and read carefully the application guidelines.

All required documents must be submitted on the online submission platform.

All documents must be submitted in English.

Deadline

9 November 2026 17:00 (CET)

Evaluation

Each application will be evaluated by the Evaluation Committee of the programme, composed of experts in AI-related research. External reviews may be solicited for an appropriate evaluation of the proposals, if this is deemed necessary.

Proposals will be evaluated and scored based on the following criteria:

• Scientific excellence, which will be assessed in terms of:
  • The degree to which the project proposal fits with the topics specified in the call for proposals;
  • Originality/novelty of the research objectives and/or research plan;
  • Suitability and quality of the research approach/working method;
  • Competence and experience of the applicant in the field of the proposed research;
• Impact of the project:
  • Potential, relevance and practical impact of the project proposal with respect to AI;
  • Potential for collaboration with research groups at EPFL and for interactions with the EPFL AI Center community;
• Feasibility of the project in terms of resources, management, and organization.