Agriculture Mission Lead – Earth Observation and Agricultural Decision Support

ETH Zurich is establishing the ETH Swiss GeoLab, a new interdisciplinary unit of ETH Zürich I Space. ETH Space will soon become one of few strategic centres of ETH Zurich, and encompasses overall five units.

The GeoLab is focused on Earth observation and its applications. The GeoLab uses satellite, airborne, ground-based and in-situ observations. To these diverse data sets it applies AI-driven analysis methods and high-performance computing to develop solutions for specific societal and economic challenges.

Located at the D4 Business Village in Root, close to Lucerne, ETH Swiss GeoLab works at the interface of research, technology development and practical application. In its first phase, the GeoLab is focusing on few selected high-impact application areas where Earth observation, geodata and AI-based analytics can create tangible value for Switzerland. In agriculture, this includes challenges related to productivity, resilience, resource efficiency, environmental performance and decision support for practitioners and policymakers.

The ETH Swiss GeoLab is led by Prof. Dr Verena Griess and Prof. Dr Thomas Zurbuchen, with Dr Felix Seidel as Managing Director, responsible for the day-to-day operations of this exciting activity. The GeoLab will grow into a project-based hub of around 100 experts over the coming years and will collaborate closely with other ETH units, the Swiss national centre for supercomputing (CSCS), Swiss research institutions, public-sector stakeholders, agricultural organisations, industry partners, start-ups and international stakeholders.

This position is offered as a fixed-term appointment for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of extension.

Job description

As Agriculture Mission Lead, you will spearhead the agriculture focused initiative - the GeoLab Agriculture Mission - within GeoLab. You will identify high-impact challenges in Swiss agriculture through direct interchange with key stakeholders and rely on domain-relevant data and experts. Moreover, you will define ambitious mission outcomes, translate practitioner needs into research and product goals, and drive solutions through field validation and adoption.

You will work closely with other GeoLab mission teams, its Research Program Support team, and the Geo-Intelligence team (plus the external partners mentioned above). You will lead cross-functional and external experts and will have the authority to prioritize, redirect, and pivot or pause activities within the approved mission charter, budget and governance framework.

As part of your role, you will:

• On behalf of the GeoLab leadership team, define an ambitious and coherent Agriculture Mission addressing major opportunities in productivity, resilience, resource efficiency and environmental performance
• Identify operational gaps where ETH Swiss GeoLab can create distinctive value for Swiss agriculture
• Engage directly with farmers, agricultural advisory services, producer organisations, cooperatives, cantonal and federal authorities, insurers, technology providers and industry partners
• Identify unmet needs, operational constraints, incentives and economic drivers in agricultural practice
• Translate agricultural challenges into clear research, data, product and technical requirements
• Assess user value, economic viability, scalability and adoption potential
• Establish measurable mission outcomes, roadmaps, assumptions and success criteria aligned with Swiss agricultural needs and the overall GeoLab strategy; you will also track progress actively against these outcomes
• Manage the delegated mission budget and define priorities, milestones and decision points and track finances and successes in that framework, through regular reporting activities to GeoLab leadership and other stakeholders
• Work with GeoLab’s Geo-Intelligence team – the team deeply focused on AI and analyses of big data amounts - and external performers to drive field pilots, validation, operational testing and integration into agricultural workflows
• Identify and mobilise strong research groups, agricultural organisations, technology companies, start-ups, service providers, insurers, public agencies and implementation partners
• Represent ETH Swiss GeoLab within Swiss agricultural, scientific, policy and innovation communities
• Communicate mission goals, progress, evidence and lessons learned at field events, workshops and conferences
• Guide and train students, researchers and external contributors where required and support knowledge transfer into agricultural practice.

Profile

In summary, you understand the realities of agricultural practice and are motivated by the opportunity to translate research, Earth observation data and data-driven technologies into practical solutions with measurable impact.

Specifically, we are looking for someone with:

• A Master’s or PhD degree (preferred) in agricultural sciences, agronomy, crop science, agricultural engineering, environmental sciences or related fields
• Several years of experience applied research, program delivery or operational implementation, in agricultural practice, advisory services, agri-technology, public administration or industry, preferably but not necessarily in Switzerland
• Strong expertise and understanding in agricultural practice, production systems, agronomy and crop management
• Proven ability to identify important operational problems and translate them into actionable initiatives
• With a track-record of successful collaborations in diverse teams and have demonstrated your excitement to not only do research but apply that research to the benefit of others.
• Experience in mission, programme or applied R&D portfolio design
• Strong project, portfolio and budget management skills with demonstrated examples of dashboard and tracking tools for others to gain insights in these projects
• Excellent stakeholder management skills across diverse practitioners, public authorities, academia, industry and expert communities
• The ability to work across disciplinary and organisational boundaries and to lead through influence
• Strong judgement skills under uncertainty and the willingness to challenge established approaches constructively
• Excellent communication and listening skills, and great presentation skills in various modalities
• Excellent written and spoken English and German; French is an asset

You are mission-driven, entrepreneurial, a strong learner and comfortable working in a newly established and evolving organization. You have a track-record of successful team participation and leadership and an excitement for hard and impactful work. You combine scientific credibility with pragmatic decision-making, economic awareness and a clear focus on adoption, scalability and public value. In doing so, you want to work on the best idea, not necessarily your best idea.

We offer

• The great and rare opportunity to help build ETH Swiss GeoLab from its early phase and shape a new national initiative for Earth observation
• A mission-driven role with high visibility and strong relevance for Swiss agriculture and with broad international impact due to the learnings from it
• A dynamic, interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial environment at one of the world’s leading technical universities
• A workplace in Root/Lucerne, embedded in an active innovation ecosystem and closely connected to ETH Zurich and particularly ETH Zurich I Space

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 with the following documents:

• Your CV
• Diplomas and work certificates
• A short motivation statement outlining your interest in ETH Swiss GeoLab and the Agriculture Mission
• A video (max 2 mins) about you and your motivation for this position.

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

Further information about ETH Swiss GeoLab can be found on our website. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Dr Felix Seidel, Managing Director ETH Swiss GeoLab, at felix.seidel@eaps.ethz.ch.

We look forward to receiving your application!

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

For recruitment services the GTC of ETH Zurich apply.

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.