Director of the Idiap Research Institute, Martigny, Switzerland

Organisation/Company

School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering ENAC, EPFL

Research Field

Computer science
Technology

Researcher Profile

Leading Researcher (R4)

Application Deadline

7 May 2026 - 23:37 (UTC)

Country

Switzerland

Type of Contract

Other

Job Status

Other

Hours Per Week

42

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

The Idiap Research Institute invites applications for the position of Institute Director. The successful candidate will also receive an academic affiliation at EPFL School of Engineering.

The Idiap Research Institute ( www.idiap.ch ) is an independent, not-for-profit, research institute of national importance, academically affiliated with the Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL) and the University of Geneva. Accredited and funded by the Federal Government, the State of Valais, and the City of Martigny, Idiap has, during the last 35 years, been developing outstanding research, education, and technology transfer activities in multiple areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI). With an annual budget of 17 MCHF and about 170 researchers and collaborators, Idiap is today a key Swiss research institute in multiple AI fields, including machine learning (including deep learning, foundation models or agentic AI), human-centered AI (including social computing, multi-modal processing or robotics), digital security (including biometrics or trustworthy identity technologies), natural language processing, speech and audio processing, energy informatics (including efficiency and sustainability), health, medicine and genomics.

With a shared vision and a strong Idiap-EPFL strategic alliance, the two institutions are seeking to appoint a new Director, ready to take over the foreseen growth challenges, in collaboration with academic and industrial partners, a worldwide recognized permanent staff of senior researchers, and a strong administrative support staff.

Candidates, whose research program is well aligned with the scope of Idiap activities, are also expected to have a proven record for R&D leadership in industry and/or academia. Candidates should be expected to demonstrate experience with participative management skills and fundraising abilities, a high degree of social competence and assertiveness, and excellent communication and negotiation skills, to be able to work in a multidisciplinary, multi-lingual, and multi-cultural environment, with English and French as working languages. Candidates should also demonstrate a strong commitment to excellence in teaching.

Description

The Director will serve as a member of a collegiate executive board he/she will chair and coordinate. As such the Director will:

o ensure the realization of the Institute's missions in research, education, and technology transfer, while maintaining Idiap's scientific reputation and strengthening its impact,

o elaborate and implement the Institute's scientific strategy in the medium and long term, identifying emerging opportunities and addressing key scientific, technological, and societal challenges,

o establish and support organizational structures and partnerships that reinforce the scientific foundations of the Institute, foster excellence across research domains, and prepare the next generation of scientific leadership,

o promote an environment that encourages outstanding potential, interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and responsible AI development,

o lead institutional development, including fundraising, strategic alliances with academic and industrial partners, and engagement with public stakeholders,

o initiate and maintain an independent, creative, and internationally visible research program aligned with Idiap's core areas,

o contribute, in the context of the academic affiliation with the EPFL School of Engineering, to undergraduate and/or graduate teaching, supervision, and mentoring.

The successful candidate will be based at Idiap in Martigny and teach at EPFL main campus in Lausanne.

In your application, please refer to myScience and reference JobID 69498.

Website

https://www.myscience.ch/jobs/id69498-director_of_the_idiap_research_institute_…

Website for additional job details

https://www.myscience.ch/jobs

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering ENAC, EPFL

Country

Switzerland

City

Martigny and Lausanne

Geofield

City

1015 Lausanne

Website

https://www.epfl.ch/schools/enac

Street

Station 1

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