EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, is one of the most dynamic university campuses in Europe and ranks among the top 20 universities worldwide. The EPFL employs more than 6,500 people supporting the three main missions of the institutions: education, research and innovation. The EPFL campus offers an exceptional working environment at the heart of a community of more than 18,500 people, including over 14,000 students and 4,000 researchers from more than 120 different countries.
The Research Challenge: AI training costs are exploding, largely due to energy and bandwidth inefficiencies in current electrical datacenters.
Our group is developing a novel Optical Circuit Switched (OCS) architecture that drastically reduces power and latency.
We are looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher/Research Engineer with a background in Embedded Systems and Low-Level Programming to design the control logic that powers this new hybrid network.
Your code will directly enable the next generation of energy-efficient AI clusters.
You will bridge the gap between custom optical hardware and standard AI software stacks.
Unlike typical high-level networking roles, this project requires "bare-metal" intervention, programming the firmware and drivers that decide how and when data moves.
You will lead the implementation of the system's data plane, applying embedded design principles to high-performance networking:
We are looking for a candidate who is comfortable "looking under the hood" of the operating system. You do not need prior experience with optics.
Bonus Skills (Nice to have):
Only applications submitted through the online platform are considered. You are asked to supply:
Your CV, a brief statement of interests, and a link to your code portfolio (GitHub/GitLab)
For any further information, please contact: [email protected]
Contract Start Date : 1st March 2026
Activity Rate: 100%
Contract Type: CDD
Duration: 9 months, extendable
Job details are sourced from the employer's original posting.
Open job postingAbout the company
EPFL is a Swiss university known for its research and education in science and technology.