The School of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR) is a member of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO) and offers bilingual and trilingual bachelor's and master's degree programmes. 

We are looking for a PhD candidate in the field of human-computer interaction for a doctoral thesis in Fribourg, Switzerland, in collaboration with HEC at the University of Lausanne. The thesis is also part of a European project aimed at improving the health of older adults with cardiovascular disease. You will take part in an applied research project focused on the design, development, and evaluation of intelligent conversational coaches.

Mission and area of activity

• Design and develop personalized conversational agents integrating large language models (LLMs)

• Study the mechanisms for personalizing human-computer interactions: 

  - adaptation to the user profile 

  - conversational memory 

  - context-aware personalization 

  - user engagement.

• Develop functional prototypes in Python
• Explore the integration of conversational technologies into health-oriented and e-coaching information systems
• Design and conduct user studies to evaluate the adoption, impact, and user experience of the solutions developed
• Use qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze user interactions and behaviors
• Collaborate with academic, medical, and industry partners as part of a European consortium
• Contribute to scientific publications in the fields of information systems, HCI, and digital health
• Write a doctoral thesis in the fields described above

Your profile

• Master's degree in information systems, computer science, human-computer interaction, data science, business informatics, or a related field
• Very good Python programming skills
• Practical experience in developing digital applications or prototypes
• Strong interest in conversational agents, LLM technologies, and intelligent interfaces
• Familiarity with natural language processing (NLP) technologies and modern AI frameworks is an asset
• Interest in user-centered design and UX/HCI evaluation methods
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary environment combining technology, health, and social science
• Proficiency in French or English, with good knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of the other Swiss official languages, German and Italian, is a plus

Additional information

• Fixed-term contract of 2 + 2 years
• Contact: Caon Maurizio, head of Digital Business Center, 026 429 67 44
• Starting date: 01.09.2026
• Application deadline: 30.06.2026

Interested? We look forward to receiving your complete application file. Please submit it by clicking on the "Apply" button below.