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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.

Scientific Officer NCCR Separations

Mission

Separation technologies—which selectively isolate and purify substances from complex mixtures—are fundamental to modern industry and daily life. They purify our drinking water, extract oxygen from air for medical treatment, refine crude oil into fuels, produce the materials that make up our homes, cars, and devices, and capture industrial pollutants before they reach the environment. These technologies are particularly vital to Switzerland's leading industries: pharmaceutical companies depend on them to purify life-saving medicines, the chemical industry relies on them for both raw materials and finished products, metal refiners use them to extract and purify valuable metals, and food manufacturers employ them to process dairy products and other foods.

The NCCR Separations’ main aim is to accelerate the development and implementation of breakthrough separation technologies essential for the energy transition, achieving net zero emissions, and dramatically improving industrial energy efficiency. In the first phase, it will emphasize technology development in three main areas spanning direct air capture, ammonia separations, and critical metal recovery from waste. By addressing some of humanity's most pressing challenges—from climate change to clean energy—the NCCR Separations will help strengthen Switzerland's position as a global leader in sustainable technologies while advancing the nation's climate neutrality goals.

To ensure the long-term impact and continued acceleration of breakthrough separation technologies, the consortium will develop an international user facility, known as the Materials Center for Advanced Separations (MCAS). MCAS will serve as a permanent platform where computational tools, databases, experimental methodologies, and resources developed during the NCCR's lifetime can be maintained, shared, and utilized by national and international researchers and industrial partners, extending the impact of NCCR Separations well beyond the program's funding period. More information on the NCCR

The Scientific Officer supports the coordination and long-term sustainability of NCCR Separations, working closely with the Program Manager and Director to meet SNSF requirements. This role focuses on building the research infrastructure and methodologies that will form the foundation of the Materials Center for Advanced Separations (MCAS).

The Scientific Officer will develop and implement standardized experimental protocols, characterization methods, data systems, and documentation practices across the NCCR to ensure reproducibility, interoperability, and compliance with Open Research Data policies. This includes managing shared experimental facilities and data infrastructure, coordinating access to specialized equipment and analytical capabilities, and ensuring that protocols, datasets, software, and computational tools remain accessible and reusable beyond the NCCR's lifetime. The position also involves active contributions to scientific reporting and communication, structuring research outputs for coherence, and identifying funding opportunities to support the consortium's continued impact.

Responsibilities will evolve in phases: infrastructure planning and standards development (Years 1-2), expanded training and coordination (Years 2-3), and long-term sustainability planning with transition to MCAS (Years 3-4).

Main duties and responsibilities

Many of the main duties will often require close collaboraiton with NCCR Program Manager and Director. 

Scientific Reporting and Communication

  • Prepare, coordinate, and consolidate scientific information for NCCR reports/documents.
  • Develop uniform scientific reporting across work packages (WPs).
  • Establish and monitor performance indicators for open science adoption, research productivity, and collaborative activities across the NCCR.
  • Support work package leaders in structuring scientific content and ensuring coherence across scientific activities, objectives, and outcomes.
  • Contribute to scientific communications and visualization, including newsletters, website content, research highlights, and stakeholder updates for both scientific and non-scientific audiences.

Research Infrastructure Coordination

  • Coordinate access and documentation of shared experimental facilities.
  • Develop standardized protocols and methodologies to ensure reproducibility and interoperability.
  • Establish cross-lab validation and quality control procedures for experimental data.
  • Facilitate knowledge exchange on techniques, equipment capabilities, and best practices across the NCCR.
  • Help launch MCAS.
  • Work with NCCR PIs to transfer NCCR-developed equipment, protocols, computational tools, and datasets to MCAS.
  • Ensure experimental and computational tools/methods are documented, validated, and prepared for sustained MCAS operation.
  • Help develop infrastructure to support long-term maintenance and accessibility of NCCR resources for users beyond the NCCR's lifetime.
  • Coordinate with NCCR PIs to align scientific outputs with user facility requirements and standards.

Data Management and Open Science

  • Implement and maintain NCCR's digital repository, defining standards for data structure, metadata, and workflows to ensure FAIR-compliant sharing and preservation.
  • Support research teams with data management plans meeting SNSF and Open Science requirements.
  • Monitor open access compliance and publication outputs against SNSF requirements.
  • Guide researchers on data and publication licensing, embargo periods, and intellectual property constraints.
  • Maintain version control, documentation, and accessibility of software and computational tools.
  • Contribute to open-source tools and repositories linked to NCCR data.
  • Support cross-lab data validation protocols ensuring data integrity and reproducibility.
  • Evaluate and implement new data science tools to improve NCCR infrastructure.

Training and Community Engagement

  • Help develop, organize, and deliver training sessions/workshops for researchers in areas strategic to the NCCR (e.g., experimental best practices, data management, open science, scientific writing, ethics, etc).
  • Provide consultations on documentation, workflows, code repositories (e.g., GitHub, GitLab), and data sharing practices.
  • Promote a culture of reproducible research and cross-team collaboration across the consortium.

Strategic Coordination and Funding Development

  • Facilitate coordination across WPs to ensure alignment on research methodologies, standards, and outputs.
  • Serve as liaison between WPs leaders, promoting scientific knowledge exchange and identifying opportunities for scientific collaboration.
  • Identify funding opportunities relevant to NCCR priorities in research and infrastructure development.
  • Contribute to proposal preparation, including research, infrastructure development, scientific communication/outreach, and data management.

 

Profile

Education and Experience

  • Preferred PhD in data/computer science, engineering, chemistry, materials science, or a related field; an MSc with experience is also acceptable.
  • Experience coordinating experimental research facilities, shared instrumentation, or analytical laboratories in academic or research environments.
  • Demonstrated ability to develop and implement standardized experimental protocols and quality control procedures across research groups.
  • Experience with research data management, digital repositories, or scientific data infrastructure.
  • Familiarity with open science principles, FAIR data standards, and open-access publishing practices.
  • Experience collaborating with scientists from diverse disciplines; prior involvement in large-scale, multi-institutional research projects or consortia is highly valued.
  • Background in separation science, materials characterization, analytical chemistry, or related areas is advantageous.
  • Experience with scientific communication, reporting, or proposal writing is an asset.

Technical Skills

  • Familiarity with materials characterization techniques and analytical instrumentation.
  • Experience developing or implementing experimental protocols, standard operating procedures, and quality assurance practices.
  • Understanding of laboratory information management systems (LIMS) or equipment booking/tracking systems.
  • Experience with data structuring, metadata standards, and documentation workflows.
  • Familiarity with Git/GitHub/GitLab and reproducibility practices.
  • Proficiency in Python or similar scripting languages for data processing and automation is a plus.
  • Knowledge of database technologies, computational workflows, or containerization (e.g., Docker, Singularity) is an advantage.
  • Familiarity with high-performance computing environments is beneficial.

Soft Skills and Competencies

  • Strong communication skills with ability to explain technical concepts to diverse audiences and contribute to scientific writing.
  • Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail for managing complex projects across multiple teams.
  • Ability to work independently and collaborate effectively across institutions and support services.
  • Proactive, service-oriented approach to fostering open science and reproducible research.
  • Strategic thinking to identify opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and funding.

Languages

  • Excellent command of English is necessary.
  • Knowledge of French and German is an asset.

We offer

  • Excellent working conditions within a team in a dynamic, interdisciplinary and international working environment
  • Competitive salary, remote working may be possible for a portion of the time.

Informations

This position is based primarily at EPFL Valais Wallis in Sion, with opportunities for collaboration and work at the EPFL campus in Lausanne.

The official start date should be before May 1, 2026, with the possibility of an earlier start by mutual agreement. Employment contracts are issued on an annual basis and may be renewed by mutual agreement. This position is funded through the NCCR Separations, which operates in 4-year funding cycles with the potential for continuation up to a maximum of 12 years, subject to successful evaluations and renewal of the National Centre of Competence in Research.

Contract Start Date : 05/01/2026 

Activity Rate Min : 80.00 

Activity Rate Max : 100.00 

Contract Type: CDD

Reference: 2073 










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