Digital Catalyst
Immigration Policy Lab
Digital Catalyst
80%-100%, Zurich, fixed-term
At the ETH Student Project House (SPH), we inspire and empower students to cultivate a maker-innovator mindset. We believe that by exploring their own ideas and developing personal projects, students gain valuable hands-on experience and learn essential skills for their future. That’s why we’ve created an ecosystem where students - Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral - are encouraged to ideate, build prototypes, and continuously test and refine their creations.
Our interdisciplinary team of 30 people supports students with the tools, knowledge, and guidance they need to pursue their passions. Our well-equipped Makerspace provides access to a wide range of tools and equipment for prototyping. To help projects grow beyond the idea stage, we also offer co-working, ideation, and event spaces, as well as personalized coaching.
To better support ETH students who work on digital projects, we are building up a Digital Makerspace. This initiative aims to provide hardware and software, digital expertise, and a strong community of digital innovators. Many of our offerings are entirely digital, so we’re developing and running a variety of digital solutions to support this space.
We’re now looking for a new team member to join and shape our Digital Makerspace team. Read on to find out if this could be the right fit for you!
Project background
You’ll be working in one of the most inspiring spaces at ETH Zürich - surrounded by 3D printers, computers, whiteboards, ideation tools, and custom-designed furniture.
We currently have two locations: a five-storey house near the ETH main building, and one on the Hönggerberg campus. We share our open workspace with student project teams, collaborating at eye level and fostering a culture of exchange and creativity. We also work at both locations.
Our community brings together individuals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, which is why we communicate primarily in English.
We believe in the power of open source and giving back to the community whenever we can.
Job description
Below is a selection of projects you will be working on:
- Digital Makerspace Tools
- Participate in the design and delivery of services that empower ETH students with their digital projects (Examples: Webhosting, LLM Proxy)
- Create hardware portfolio (AR/VR glasses, video equpiment, etc.) and make it available to students with a lending system
- Create a software tool portfolio and make it available to students
- Digital Makerspace Workshops
- Develop workshop formats to engage and interest students in digital topics
- Hold workshops around digital topics (Example: Make your first webapp)
- Digital Makerspace Community
- Engage with students during help sessions
- Potentially create a community of digital makerspace instructors that help during workshops or offer peer-to-peer student help sessions
- Digital Makerspace Development
- Develop the existing offer of the Digital Makerspace
- Grow and diversify our offerings
- Bring your ambitious ideas to help ETH students with their digital projects
Profile
We need your digital expertise to support our students and the team:
- You have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, ideally in Computer Science, AI or Machine Learning, or can demonstrate equivalent knowledge and experience
- You are passionate about bringing projects to life
- You have demonstrable experience with digital tools (e.g. Docker, networking, Unix, Windows)
- You’re proficient in at least one programming language (e.g. Python, JavaScript, PHP)
- You’re motivated and able to learn new languages, tools, and technologies
- You're a driven and highly energetic person
- You enjoy working with people and are passionate about supporting them
A note: research indicates that women and individuals from marginalized groups tend to apply only when they meet all of the criteria. If you believe you’re qualified, but don’t necessarily check every box, please submit an application.
Workplace
Workplace
We offer
- Your job with impact: Become part of ETH Zurich, which not only supports your professional development, but also actively contributes to positive change in society
- You can expect numerous benefits, such as public transport season tickets and car sharing, a wide range of sports offered by the ASVZ, childcare and attractive pension benefits
- We offer a 1-year contract with the possibility to prolong the contract, whereas the funding is granted for a minimum of 3 years.
- We believe in personal growth. For that we do regular team feedback sessions and value everyone's opinion. We find the best solutions through collaboration.
We value diversity and sustainability
Curious? So are we.
We’d love to get to know you! Please record a maximum two-minute video clip introducing yourself and the coolest digital project (e.g. webpage, app, project...) you have realized. We're not looking for video production skills - just use your smartphone, be yourself, and don't worry about editing the clip. We want to meet the real you!
Upload the video on a platform of your choice (Dropbox, YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, ...) and include the URL link in your cover letter.
We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents:
- Cover letter
- CV
- Link to your video clip
Questions regarding the position should be directed to Isabella Ilchmann (isabella.ilchmann@sph.ethz.ch).
Please note that we can only accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or by post will not be considered.
We will accept applications until 14. January 2026. The application period may be extended at our discretion, based on factors such as application volume and suitability.
Further information about the ETH Student Project House and our machines can be found on our website or on Instagram.