PhD Position: Risk Communication and AI

PhD Position: Risk Communication and AI # 100%, Zürich, limited term #### print Print How can people make informed decisions in the event of an incident? How can the population, authorities, and emergency services be informed about the probability of further earthquakes after an earthquake? Become part of the Risk Communication research group at the Swiss Seismological Service (SED) at ETH Zürich and help us answer these questions. Specifically, you will investigate how earthquake probabilities can be prepared in a understandable way for different user groups. Additionally, you will research how helpful, trustworthy, and reliable AI-based systems are in conveying event information. The SED is the federal specialist agency for earthquakes. You will work with researchers from various disciplines and with practitioners, and cooperate with the TdLab and the Professorship for Ethics, Technology, and Society at ETH Zürich for the transdisciplinary aspects. This gives you the opportunity to connect theory and practice and to directly integrate your research into real applications. Project background ## After every major earthquake, the probability of another similar or even larger earthquake increases in the short term. Although the probability increases significantly, the absolute values often remain small. This makes understandable and target-group-specific communication challenging. In the earthquake probability project, you will investigate how such information can be prepared in a understandable, helpful, and appealing way for different areas of application. You will also work on the European project EARTH-AID, where we develop agent-based AI to support the assessment of geological hazards. You will investigate how different users use and evaluate these. Job description ## • You systematically investigate how different content and formats influence the perception, understandability, acceptance, and willingness to act of users • You participate in the step-by-step design process and contribute significantly to the further development and optimization of communication products with your research results • You deal in depth with AI-based information products and the associated opportunities, risks, and challenges • In doing so, you reflect in particular on ethical issues related to the creation, provision, and use of AI-based information • You are involved in various projects, often work transdisciplinarily, and combine qualitative and quantitative methods • The start date is November 1, 2026, or by agreement Profile ## • You have a master's degree in social, environmental, or natural sciences • You have (initial) experience in applying qualitative and quantitative social science methods or are motivated to acquire them • Designing, conducting, and evaluating your own (experimental) qualitative and quantitative studies with different statistical methods is fun for you • You have excellent German language skills (often our study language) and excellent English language skills. Knowledge of other national languages is a plus • You can be just as enthusiastic about technical aspects as about design questions or the way texts are formulated • You enjoy working with different people from science and practice • A self-dependent, proactive, team-oriented way of working completes your profile • You have a valid work permit for Switzerland or meet the necessary requirements Workplace ## Workplace ## We offer ## • Exciting research questions at the interface between research and practice and the opportunity to make a direct impact with your research • A motivated team consisting of scientists and communication specialists who work closely with experts from other disciplines • An inspiring environment and the opportunity to gain insights into various projects • A workplace in the ETH center with the possibility of working from home part-time chevron_right Working, teaching, and researching at ETH Zürich Diversity and sustainability are important to us ## In line with our values, ETH Zürich supports an inclusive culture. We promote equal opportunities, appreciate diversity, and maintain a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all employees and students are respected. On our website for equal opportunities and diversity, you can find out how we ensure a fair and open environment in which everyone can develop and thrive. Sustainability is a central value for us - we are consistently working towards a climate-neutral future. Curious? So are we. ## We look forward to your online application with the following documents: • Letter of motivation • Curriculum vitae • Certificates The application deadline is September 1, 2026. For more information about the SED, visit our website. For inquiries, Dr. Michèle Marti, head of the Communication Group and the Risk Communication research group, 044 632 30 80 or michele.marti@sed.ethz.ch (no application documents), is available. Please apply exclusively through the online application portal. Applications by email and postal mail will not be considered. We would like to point out that the pre-selection is carried out by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence. About ETH Zürich ## ETH Zürich is one of the best technical and natural science universities in the world. We are known for our excellent