Doctoral Student - Exoplanet Atmosphere Characterisation

About the role

ETH Zurich's Exoplanets and Habitability Group, led by Prof. Sascha P. Quanz, is looking for one or two doctoral students to work on the atmospheric characterisation of temperate terrestrial exoplanets and the search for life. The work is closely linked to the LIFE space mission, a mid-infrared nulling interferometer designed to directly detect and spectroscopically characterise dozens of temperate terrestrial exoplanets. Successful candidates will join the LIFE Science Team and collaborate with researchers and students at ETH Zurich and across the wider LIFE collaboration.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and pursue research on the characterisation of temperate terrestrial exoplanet atmospheres and the search for signs of life in the context of the LIFE mission
• Investigate atmospheric scenarios beyond modern Earth analogues, including non-Earth-like biospheres, non-standard biosignatures and relevant abiotic alternatives
• Use and further develop atmospheric retrieval and/or complementary modelling and inference approaches
• Explore, where relevant, ML/AI approaches for atmospheric inference and interpretation
• Investigate the robustness and limitations of atmospheric characterisation methods and compare complementary approaches
• Translate atmospheric characterisation results into science requirements and instrument-performance requirements for LIFE, in collaboration with the LIFE Science and Instrument Science Teams
• Contribute new scientific ideas to the LIFE science case and engage with the broader LIFE collaboration

Required profile

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in astrophysics, planetary science, atmospheric science, physics or a closely related field, completed by the start date
• Strong interest in exoplanet science, atmospheres, habitability, biosignatures and the search for life
• Ability and interest to work in teams and across disciplines, and to interact with the exoplanet, atmospheric science and astrobiology communities
• Scientific curiosity, independence and a collaborative approach to research
• Very good command of spoken and written English

Required skills

• Experience in atmospheric modelling, retrievals, radiative transfer, photochemical or climate modelling, statistical inference, machine learning or AI is welcome but not required
• Strong scientific programming skills, preferably in Python; experience with AI and machine learning tools is an asset

What we offer

• A fully funded four-year doctoral position with competitive salary and benefits according to ETH regulations
• Support for conference travel, computing and career development
• A collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment within the group and the LIFE Space Mission team

Applications are submitted online through the university's application portal by 25 November 2026, with a flexible start date envisioned in spring or early summer 2027. Required documents are a CV, transcripts and diploma, a two-page statement of research interests, and the names and contact details of three referees.