Postdocs in Computational Neuroscience and AI (Behaviour Analysis or Embodied AI), EPFL Geneva (Mathis Group)

Job Description

EPFL is recruiting two postdocs in computational neuroscience and AI in Professor Alexander Mathis’s group at Campus Biotech, Geneva: one in computer vision for behaviour analysis and one in embodied AI for motor control.

At a glance

• Positions: Two postdoctoral fellows: (1) Computer Vision and AI for Behaviour Analysis; (2) Embodied AI (reinforcement learning for motor control)
• Where: A. Mathis Group for Computational Neuroscience and AI (CNAI), Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland
• Group leader: Professor Alexander Mathis
• Pay: Competitive, in line with EPFL postdoc standards (no figure given)
• Duration: Initially one year, with the possibility of extension; 100%
• Start: Flexible, ideally as soon as possible
• Apply: open until filled (re-checked 25 October 2026)

About the computational neuroscience and AI postdocs

• Both posts: run independent research in line with the lab’s mission, contribute to its open-source software, datasets and benchmarks, and mentor PhD and Master’s students
• Position 1: build behavioural datasets for groups of animals and methods to reconstruct animals and their environment
• Position 1: develop behaviour understanding from multi-view video and audio, advance multimodal large language models for fine-grained action understanding, and help shape the next generation of DeepLabCut
• Position 2: train muscle-actuated, biomechanically realistic agents on skilled motor tasks with reinforcement learning, imitation learning and curricula
• Position 2: develop full-body musculoskeletal control and, with experimental labs, compare learned control policies with neural representations of movement

The lab’s work centres on three linked questions: how to measure and understand behaviour with AI, how brains and embodied agents learn to control the body, and how the brain builds a sense of its own body through proprioception. The ad lists its open-source tools and models, including DeepLabCut and the embodied agents MuscleMimic, Kinesis and Arnold, and mentions collaborations with neuroscience labs, ecology partners and clinical groups.

Why this role matters

Tools from this lab are used by behavioural neuroscience groups around the world, so a postdoc here builds software with a large, real user base. The two tracks also sit where the field is heading: vision-language models for behaviour, and physics-based embodied agents as models of the motor system. Either gives a machine-learning researcher a route into neuroscience, or a neuroscientist a strong AI profile.

What EPFL is looking for

• A PhD (completed or nearly completed) in computer science, applied mathematics, computational neuroscience, robotics, physics or a closely related field
• A strong publication record in relevant venues
• Solid Python programming and experience with a modern deep-learning framework
• Excellent spoken and written English, and a commitment to open science and reproducible research

Nice to have

• Position 1: computer vision, video understanding, action recognition, vision-language models, pose estimation or large-scale self-supervised learning; some neuroscience or ethology
• Position 2: reinforcement or imitation learning, optimal control, dynamical systems, and physics simulators such as MuJoCo; some motor neuroscience or biomechanics

Pay and location

The ad offers a competitive salary in line with EPFL postdoc standards, access to EPFL compute, conference travel and professional development, but gives no figure. The contract is fixed term, initially for one year with the possibility of extension, at 100%, based at Campus Biotech in Geneva. The start date is flexible.

How to apply

Apply through the official EPFL job posting. EPFL’s posting does not give a closing date, so the role is open until filled; ResearchJobs.in will re-check this listing on 25 October 2026. Apply only through the EPFL website with a motivation letter, a CV with publication list, two relevant publications and the email addresses of two or more referees. Check the posting for location and work-authorisation details before you apply.

See all our postdoc positions, or browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in.