IAESTE Internships

Location

Switzerland

Internship type

ON-SITE

Reference number

CH-2026-000242

Students Requirements

General discipline

Material Engineering and Sciences

Completed Years of Study

2

Fields of Study

Languages

English Good (B1, B2)

German Good (B1, B2)

Required Knowledge and Experience

-

Other Requirements

-

Work Details

Duration

12 - 36 Weeks

Within These Dates

01.02.2026 - 31.12.2026

Holidays

NONE

Work Environment

-

Gross pay

2300 CHF / month

Working Hours

41.0 per week / 8.2 per day

Living Lodging

Type of Accommoditation

Employer

Cost of lodging

850 CHF / month

Cost of living

1650 CHF / month

Work Offered

Additional Info

Any student with Non-EU/EFTA nationality needs an official letter from their university, confirming that the internship is compulsory (required for visa/work permit).

Work description

Empa is a national research laboratory and part of the ETH Domain. We conduct cutting-edge materials and technology research, generating interdisciplinary solutions to major challenges faced by industry, and create the necessary scientific basis to ensure that our society develops in a sustainable manner.TSL (Technology and Society Laboratory) is dedicated to creating and transferring knowledge that supports the transformation to a sustainable society within planetary boundaries by analyzing and evaluating novel materials and technologies from a circularity, life-cycle impact, and safety perspective, and by providing guidance for designing more sustainable materials, technologies, and systems.Stabilizing the climate requires an urgent transition to renewable energy systems, inducing a large increase in material demand. Additionally, the ongoing digitalization of our societies competes for similar materials, increasing the pressure on global supply chains. The availability and accessibility of secondary raw materials, as well as the implementation of circular strategies such as reuse or refurbishment, can help to reduce supply bottlenecks and thus accelerate the transition.In this context, our Technology and Society Laboratory (TSL) is looking for a highly motivated student to develop a method explicitly considering material–energy feedback loops in transition scenarios. ObjectiveThe objective of the internship is to develop a coherent and interoperable data basis that enables the analysis of material–energy feedback loops in transition scenarios. By consolidating heterogeneous datasets into a unified structure, the student will support semantic querying and data-driven analyses that improve transparency, traceability, and the robustness of system-level assessments across circular-economy use cases.Expected OutcomesThe internship will result in (i) a harmonised, high-quality dataset that can be directly used for semantic queries and advanced analytical or AI-supported applications in the context of material and energy system transitions, and (ii) a documented and reproducible data integration workflow that supports future extensions, updates, and reuse within ongoing and subsequent research activities.Skills Required- Experience in modelling and evaluating energy and material flows of society, for example with material flow analysis or life cycle assessment- Familiarity with model building, data science, and programming or willingness to learn

Deadline

11.01.2026