Student Research Assistantship Position on Computer Science Education Research

Student Research Assistantship Position on Computer Science Education Research (Web Developer)
10%-30%, Zurich, fixed-term

The Professorship for Research on Learning and Instruction at ETH Zurich strives to discover effective, evidence-based ways to improve educational practice. To continue in this direction, it is currently looking for a skilled student Research Assistant (RA) to lead the technical development of a web-based platform for educational research.

Project background

The specific project that you would support as a student RA, is investigating how Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) can be used to teach "problem decomposition" skills. We need you to build the web application that will serve as the interface for our lab experiments. You will work closely with a PhD student to turn research designs into a functioning prototype. Compensation will be CHF 30.70 per hour, up to 15 hours per week (during the semester).

Job description

• Full-Stack Development: Build a web application from scratch to host educational tasks and integrate it with educational frameworks
• AI Integration: Integrate popular AI frameworks (e.g., OpenAI, Gemini, etc.) to the application to allow AI-assisted user interaction
• Experiment Design: experience with or willingness to study new frameworks for creating experiments and studies(e.g., jsPsych and PsychoPy), or even writing the full-stack pipeline
• Collaboration: Iterate on the prototype based on pilot testing and feedback from the research team

Workload: Approximately 15 hours per week on average during the semester, with a preference to increase the working hours during the semester breaks (up to 40 hours/week).

Duration: We are seeking individuals who can commit to this role initially for 2 months as a trial period, with the potential for a longer engagement if the collaboration goes well. Therefore, we prefer individuals who can stay enrolled as a student and can be employed as an assistant for at least one year, and possibly longer.

Currently, we are looking for an RA to assist with the development of a specific project, but we are open (and would welcome) to collaborate beyond this project.

Profile

• You are fluent in English (native or C1/C2 level)
• You are currently a university student in Zurich, Switzerland (in any field) and will remain enrolled as a student for at least a year
• You have prior experience in building web applications or know how to do full-stack development (also recreationally or for university classes)
• You will be available to work in January and February 2026 as a trial period, with the possibility to extend the contract for longer in case of a successful collaboration.

Preferred

• You are motivated to learn about research methods in learning sciences and educational research
• You are preferably studying Computer Science or a related field
• You are interested in Learning Sciences or Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
• You are familiar with, or willing to learn, a behaviour experiment creation framework, e.g. PsychoPy or jsPsych
• You have good programming skills with HTML, Javascript and Python
• You are encouraged to experiment with vibe coding, but you're also expected to take responsibility for ensuring proper code quality control

Workplace
Workplace
We offer

• A unique opportunity to work with LLMs in an Educational Technology (EdTech) context
• Gaining practical experience with what is behind data collection and data preparation for analysis and publication
• A collaborative work environment with working hours designed to accommodate your academic schedule, including study periods for exams
• Membership in an interdisciplinary team offering support and a friendly learning environment
• An occasion to get a first approach to scientific research in education, its methods, and theories

We value diversity and sustainability

In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us – we are consistently working towards a climate-neutral future.

Curious? So are we.

You can find more information about the Professorship of Research on Learning and Instruction and the research lab here. For any questions related to the project or this position, please do not hesitate to contact Martina Vincoli )

Please submit the following application documents using the ETH online portal:

• Letter of motivation describing your qualifications and interest for the position
• CV (including your predicted graduation date)

We look forward to receiving your online application by December 11, 2025. The preferred start date is as soon as possible.

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered. We will consider applications as they come in until the position is filled.

We would like to point out that the pre-selection is carried out by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.

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