Natural Hazards Mission Lead

ETH Zurich has established the ETH Swiss Geo Lab, a new interdisciplinary unit of ETH Zürich I Space.

The Geo Lab focuses on Earth observation and its applications. It uses satellite, airborne, ground-based and in-situ observations, together with geospatial data, 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 Geo Lab works at the interface of research, technology development and practical application, focusing on selected areas where Earth observation, geodata and advanced analytics can create tangible value for Switzerland.

The Natural Hazards Mission addresses a broad range of hazards relevant to Switzerland, including gravitational, meteorological-climatic and tectonic hazards. Current activities focus on alpine mass movements, while the mission will progressively expand to other natural hazard processes and associated risks. ETH Swiss Geo Lab acts as a catalyst to accelerate the translation of research findings and prototypes into operational applications that support decision-making within integrated natural hazard risk management.

It builds on stakeholder engagement, solution scoping and community-building activities already underway within Geo Lab, including contributions from senior domain experts and partners across the Swiss natural hazards community.

ETH Swiss Geo Lab is led by Prof. Dr Verena Griess as Director and Dr Felix Seidel as Managing Director. The Geo Lab will grow into a project-based hub of around 100 experts over the coming years and will collaborate closely across the ETH domain, including WSL/SLF and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), as well as other Swiss research institutions, public-sector stakeholders, natural hazard organizations, industry partners, start-ups and international partners.

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

As Natural Hazards Mission Lead, you will lead the research and development portfolio and delivery of Geo Lab's Natural Hazards Mission. Working within Switzerland's integrated natural hazard risk management framework, you will help define and evolve the mission portfolio, translate user needs into actionable programs and ensure that Geo Lab activities create measurable value for practice and public decision-making.

You will report to the Managing Director of ETH Swiss Geo Lab and work closely with Geo Lab’s existing Natural Hazards Community & Solutions Lead, who supports stakeholder engagement, community building and solution scoping, as well as other Geo Lab mission teams, domain experts, research institutions, public authorities, industry and other external partners. Within the approved mission charter, budget and governance framework, you will have the authority to prioritize, initiate, redirect, scale, pause or stop activities.

As part of your role, you will:

• On behalf of the Geo Lab leadership team, define and manage an ambitious and coherent R&D and innovation portfolio for the Natural Hazards Mission
• Engage with public authorities, practitioners, infrastructure operators, industry and expert communities to understand needs and identify opportunities
• Identify high-value operational challenges and translate them into measurable outcomes, research priorities and solution requirements
• Define mission roadmaps, milestones, decision points and success criteria, track progress and evidence, and recommend continuation, redirection, scaling or termination of activities
• Manage the delegated mission budget and ensure transparent performance and financial reporting
• Work with Geo Lab teams and…