Natural Hazards Mission Lead

Natural Hazards Mission Lead 100%, Zurich, fixed-term

ETH Zurich is establishing the ETH Swiss Geo Lab
, 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 Geo Lab is focused on Earth observation and its applications. The Geo Lab 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 Geo Lab works at the interface of research, technology development and practical application. In its first phase, the Geo Lab is focusing on few selected high‑impact application areas where Earth observation, geodata and AI‑based analytics can create tangible value for Switzerland. The Natural Hazards Mission focuses initially on mass movements, including landslides and rockfalls, with the aim of improving early detection, monitoring, preparedness and decision support for Swiss practitioners, authorities and infrastructure stakeholders.

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

The ETH Swiss Geo Lab 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 Geo Lab 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 Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), Swiss research institutions, public‑sector stakeholders, natural hazard 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.

As Natural Hazards Mission Lead, you will lead the research and development portfolio, integration and delivery of Geo Lab’s Natural Hazards Mission. Initially focused on landslides and rockfalls, and later expanding to other natural hazards, you will help define the mission vision, translate user needs into research and product requirements, and ensure that Geo Lab activities create measurable value for Swiss practice and public decision‑making.

You will build on ongoing interchange with key stakeholders and solution‑scoping activities already underway within Geo Lab, and work closely with senior domain‑relevant partners, technical teams and experts.

You will report to the Managing Director of ETH Swiss Geo Lab and work closely with Geo Lab’s Natural Hazards Community & Solutions Lead, other Geo Lab mission teams, the Research Program Support team, and the Geo‑Intelligence team and external partners. You will define priorities, milestones and decision points, lead mission delivery and will have the authority to prioritise, redirect, pivot or pause activities within your research and development portfolio, the approved mission charter, budget and governance framework.

As part of your role, you will:

• On behalf of the Geo Lab leadership team, define an ambitious and coherent research and development portfolio for the Natural Hazards Mission, initially centred on landslides and rockfalls
• Translate identified critical operational gaps into measurable outcomes that create value for practitioners, authorities and decision‑makers
• Engage with local, cantonal and federal authorities, infrastructure operators, practitioners, industry and expert communities, in coordination with Geo Lab leadership and existing Natural Hazards community activities
• Translate operational challenges into research, data, product and technical requirements
• Establish measurable mission outcomes, roadmaps, assumptions and success criteria aligned with Swiss natural hazard needs and the overall Geo Lab strategy; you will also track progress actively against these outcomes
• Manage the delegated…