Marcela Ruiz

The Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) School of Engineering is offering a fully funded PhD position within the AntiFreeze project, focusing on the development of Low Code & No Code software engineering artefacts for personalized interventions in Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s disease. The project aims to leverage virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies to assess, evaluate, and train strategies to avoid freezing episodes, a common and debilitating symptom in Parkinson’s disease. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, neurologists, and rehabilitation robotics experts to design, implement, and experimentally validate novel digital tools that enable clinicians to rapidly personalize interventions for patients. The PhD will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Marcela Ruiz (ZHAW) and Prof. Dr. Robert Riener (ETH Zurich), and will be carried out over 36 months. Applicants must have an excellent master's degree in computer science, STEM, health and life sciences and technology, or a related field, and must meet the PhD admission criteria of ETH Zurich. The position offers a competitive salary, pension, and benefits, as well as a supportive, diverse, and inclusive work environment. The application deadline is October 23, 2025. Interested candidates should apply online, submitting a motivation letter, CV, references, research statement, and academic transcripts.