PhD position in Developing Language-Model Methods for Pediatric Critical Care

Department of Intensive Care and Neonatology, University Children's Hospital
Your responsibilities
  • Develop trustworthy and efficient language-model methods for pediatric critical care.
  • Perform rigorous evaluation protocols covering accuracy, calibration, faithfulness, fairness, efficiency, and clinical utility.
  • Work closely with clinicians, data scientists, and research partners to translate clinical needs into technically sound studies.
  • Publish in leading machine-learning, NLP, and medical-informatics venues and contribute reproducible research codes.
Your profile
  • A Master's degree in computer science, data science, biomedical engineering, computational linguistics, statistics, or closely related field
  • Strong foundation in machine learning and hands-on experience with deep learning; experience with transformers, LLMs, or retrieval systems is highly desirable
  • Proficiency in Python and a modern deep-learning frameworks such as PyTorch
  • Experience with cluster environments (e.g., SLURM)
  • An interest in methodological research as well as careful, clinically grounded validation
  • Ability to communicate clearly and collaborate across technical and clinical disciplines
  • Strong communication skills in English, Knowledge of German is an advantage

Your salary

Your salary will be based on the Swiss National Science Foundation salary scale.

The exact salary will depend on your qualifications and professional experience. Your salary will be established in accordance with our salary guidelines during the selection process. Applicants who do not yet possess the necessary skills and experience may in some cases be offered a lower pay grade. In many cases, supplementary pay will be offered for irregular working hours. Further salary development will depend on your performance and the financial ability of the Eleonorenstiftung.

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Contact

Daphné Chopard
Senior Scientist
+41 44 249 57 82

Intensivmedizin/Neonatologie
Claudia Guetg
Senior HR Business Partner Apply now

We do not consider any applications from recruitment agencies.

Your start with us
We're ready and can offer you this position starting in autumn 2026.

The application process

After you have submitted your application via our online portal, we will consider it carefully. We will make an initial selection from among the applications received and then get in touch with you. If we progress to the interview stage, the following procedure will apply:

application process

Your benefits

Leave the car at home.

All employees with at least 50% employment level and a contract duration of 6 months or longer benefit from CHF 500 discount per year on the SBB GA travel card or get at least 25% discount on the ZVV BonusPass for the entire ZVV network.

Mix your own smoothies.

Enjoy the healthy and tasty menu of the day in our staff restaurant for just CHF 9.00. With a varied salad buffet, juice bar, muesli bar and cake buffet, the restaurant caters for every taste.

Have you heard about the "Frauenbadi"?

Don’t worry – there’s a men’s one too! Located in the heart of Europe and right next to a lake, Zurich strikes the perfect balance between modern city life and stunning nature. Zurich is the education and economic centre of Switzerland and hosts countless events and a wide range of activities – there’s some-thing for everyone! More information about working in Switzerland can be found here.

We love all children - including yours!

We have signed a contract with the GFZ foundation day care centre, located near the Kispi, meaning you can benefit from longer day care at the same price. Your children can stay at the day care centre from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm.​

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We will help you through difficult times.

With an employment level of at least 20%, you will enjoy worldwide private insurance coverage in the event of an accident at work or in your free time. Even below 20%, you benefit from private occupational accident insurance with additional general coverage for non-occupational accidents.

Take a city break!

Every five years, you’ll be rewarded for your loyalty with extra holiday days. Previous roles at the Children’s Hospital will be counted.

Get well soon!

Have you worked for us for more than three months in at least a 0.2 FTE position? In most cases, you will benefit from Helsana daily sickness benefits insurance. In the event of illness, you will receive a daily allowance amounting to 80% of your salary for up to 720 days.

Head to the south!

If your five weeks of holiday aren’t enough, we’ll do our best to let you take unpaid holiday.

We fill your piggy bank

We assume 60% of your pension fund contributions, which exceeds the statutory minimum. As a part-time employee, you also benefit from a reduced coordination offset.

Spend more time with your children.

With interesting part-time roles available, we aim to give our employees the opportunity to balance their career with family life. For example, if you’ve just started a family or are finishing up a degree, you can look into reducing your working hours at the Children’s Hospital.

We'll update your vaccination record.

The staff doctor isn’t just there for emergencies – you can consult them about vaccinations and occupational health.

Let’s write history.

We work in the modern new building of the University Children’s Hospital Zurich in the Lengg district. The building combines pioneering architecture with state-of-the-art infrastructure and smooth work processes. Spacious rooms, innovative medical technology and a well-designed environment create the best conditions for our patients and everyone who works here. Help us shape the future of paediatric medicine.

Surpass yourself.

No matter what stage of your career you are at, the Children’s Hospital Zurich can help you go further. Our career models for nurses, doctors and in research offer you a huge variety of development opportunities for your specialist or management career.

Treat yourself.

We are a member of Corporate Benefits, the benefits portal for employees. This gives you attractive discounts and special conditions on many well-known brands from the worlds of fashion, technology, travel and leisure.

Kinderspital Zürich as an employer
Kinderspital Zürich is the largest university children's hospital in Switzerland with about 2,500 employees, and is one of the leading centres for paediatric and youth medicine in Europe. Although the hospital may be big, it's the little ones that count: up to 100,000 patients are cared for each year across 47 faculties, where we do everything in our power to ensure their well being. 'Kispi' not only offers cutting-edge devices and the highest quality of care, but also a good sense of interpersonal issues. Alongside its comprehensive range of paediatric medicine and surgery facilities, the children's hospital also offers a unique rehabilitation centre and a research centre.

Your location

Lenggstrasse 30
8008 Zürich
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