The EPFL AI Center runs this postdoctoral fellowship at EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne), with part of its funding from the Swiss AI Initiative. The 2026 round is its third call.
Fellows work with at least two EPFL labs led by AI Center faculty and set their own interdisciplinary agenda on AI and its use across scientific fields. They also take part in AI Center community activities.
Benefits & funding
- A full-time contract on EPFL’s postdoc salary scale (2026: CHF 88,000 gross in year 1, with the 13th month); the fellowship pays about 50%, the host labs the rest.
- Up to CHF 5,000 per fellowship year for research, publication, data, travel and conference costs; unspent funds are repaid.
- Up to two years; year two depends on a first-year progress review.
- Early exit: pro rata repayment of amounts already paid.
Eligibility
- Any nationality; no age limit.
- A PhD in computer science, physics, engineering, applied mathematics or another AI-relevant field, obtained no more than two years before 9 November 2026; final-year PhD students may apply if they finish before the start.
- Support from two EPFL host professors on the AI Center faculty list, agreed before applying.
- One application per person.
- External candidates have priority, but senior PhD students and junior postdocs already at EPFL may apply (EPFL HR limits on contract length apply).
Can you apply?
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Education required
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Application process
- 1Agree a joint project with two AI Center host professors and obtain their joint support letter.
- 2Prepare the research proposal and other documents on the call’s templates, in English.
- 3Register two referees (not your hosts) on the MoveIn portal at least one week before the deadline; their letters are due by the deadline.
- 4Submit on MoveIn by 9 November 2026, 17:00 CET.
Program timeline
Last day to register referees (one week before the deadline)
2 November 2026
Application deadline
9 November 2026, 17:00 CET
Within six months of the decision letter
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