Assistant Professor position (tenure-track) in Artificial Intelligence

Faculty of Informatics

Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) is a young and lively university, a hub of
opportunity open to the world where students are offered a quality interdisciplinary
education in which they can be fully engaged and take center stage, and where our
researchers can count on having the space to freely pursue their initiative.
Established in 1996, USI is in constant evolution, always taking on new challenges while
remaining true to its three guiding principles: quality, openness and responsibility.

The Faculty of Informatics at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) welcomes applications
for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in any area of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The position is
available from August 2024. Applications from exceptional candidates in other areas
strategically important to the Faculty are also strongly encouraged to apply (see section
“Additional Areas Considered” below).

USI’s Faculty of Informatics is an international, English-speaking, research-focused faculty in
Lugano (Switzerland). About 200 researchers from around the world conduct research in eight
different macro-areas, with tens of millions of Swiss francs acquired through competitive
funding; since its inception less than 20 years ago, faculty members have obtained 13 ERC
grants and various other distinctions. The Faculty is one of the leading research centers in
Switzerland and, with its Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IDSIA), an international
point of reference in AI.

The Faculty’s strong commitment to research impacts its educational programs through a
unique teaching philosophy where the student is actively and creatively placed at the heart of
the learning process. All of the Faculty’s academic programs are entirely taught in English.
The Faculty's MSc program in Artificial Intelligence is a thriving international degree; Artificial
Intelligence will also be an integral part of a new Data Science BSc program to be launched
in 2024. The selected candidate will have the opportunity to actively participate in these
programs.

Requirements
The successful candidate must hold a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science or areas related to
the topics of the advertised position and is expected to develop a strong, independent, and
well-funded research program in AI-related topics. They should be prepared to build and
maintain a research group supported through third-party funding, such as the Swiss National
Science Foundation and industry partnerships.

We seek a colleague who will support our goal of ensuring an inclusive, equitable, and
diverse workplace. As an institution that values diversity, USI particularly encourages
applications from women and from all individuals from underrepresented groups.
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Access to state-of-the-art research computing facilities will be available, including a local
University cluster and the Swiss high-performance computing facility (CSCS) in Lugano.
Successful applicants will receive institutional funding for a Ph.D. position.
About USI
Located on Ticino in the South of Switzerland, the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) is
one of 12 certified public universities in Switzerland. It is organized into six faculties and is
active in several study and research areas, such as architecture, communication sciences,
computational science, data science, economics, health studies, humanities, informatics,
law, medicine, and biomedicine. USI is a young and lively university, a hub of opportunity
open to the world where students are offered a quality interdisciplinary education in which
they can be fully engaged and take center stage and where our researchers can count on
having the space to pursue their initiative freely.
About 4'200 students and 1'300 professors and researchers from more than 115 countries
convene daily on its campuses in Lugano, Mendrisio, and Bellinzona. The relatively small
size of the university encourages the free flow and open exchange of ideas. The University
provides a rich environment for collaboration and career growth. USI encourages faculty,
students, and researchers to develop their potential and appreciates their curiosity and
willingness to experiment with new ways of thinking, learning, teaching, and working.
USI has an active research community in Artificial Intelligence. The faculty’s IDSIA institute
(Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence) is a world-renowned AI research center
famous for, e.g., having developed the Long Short-Term Memory technique.
Additional Areas Considered
Exceptional candidates in Security and Programming Languages are welcome to
apply in this call.
General terms
Workplace is USI Università della Svizzera italiana, located in Lugano,
Switzerland. Availability to travel to other parts of Switzerland and abroad (for
purposes of collaboration and research) is required. Salary will be defined
according to terms and conditions as in the university Statutes (Link)
Residence
Professors reside in Ticino, which is part of the Italian-speaking area of
Switzerland. The new professor is expected to provide consistent participation in
the academic activities of the university.
Application
Applications with a curriculum vitae, list of publications, the names of three references, and
statements on research and teaching should be sent to dean.inf@usi.ch.
The closing date for applications is April 15, 2024.
The targeted starting date for the position is September 1, 2024.
Inquiries: Prof. Marc Langheinrich, Dean, Faculty of Informatics, at dean.inf@usi.ch.
More information

• IDSIA: https://www.idsia.ch/
• Faculty of Informatics: https://www.inf.usi.ch/en
• Università della Svizzera italiana: https://www.usi.ch/en

Lugano, March 22nd, 2024