Let me start with some context, as my time at EPFL has been anything but common.

I received an offer from EPFL right after finishing my PhD at Tohoku University in September 2020. By October, I had joined EPFL in a Systems Engineering role, though my contract category was officially that of a postdoc (1022-N3, to be specific), which will be relevant later on. I was part of EPFL's Space Center, or eSpace as it is most commonly known, which was led by Prof. Jean-Paul Kneib as academic director and Emmanuelle David as executive manager. Unlike traditional labs, centers at EPFL are meant to provide domain-specific (space, in this case) cross-departmental capabilities, including networking, access to infrastructure, research initiatives, and educational support. What set eSpace apart from other centers at EPFL was that it also conducted its own in-house research, something that I found quite interesting at the time.

My role was to launch and lead a new lunar research and technology initiative within the center, help manage ongoing industry-led projects, assist and co-lead the writing of project proposals, and coordinate the supervision of student-related activities. Back then the center supported five EPFL student associations working on space-related projects, ranging from launching rockets to building rovers.

I initially sought such a role because, at the time, and like many recent or soon-to-be PhD graduates, I wasn't sure if I wanted to pursue a career in academia. So I figured an engineering position in an academic institution seemed like a good middle ground—a way to test the waters for a few years before deciding whether to dive fully into industry or commit to a research career. Plus, the center's team was being rebuilt, and I was under the impression that they were looking to hire a core team of people who could grow with the center and help establish it as a recognized and leading authority in all things related to space research and education in Switzerland. After many years abroad, having lived in six different countries, my wife and I were craving some stability, a project with a long-term vision, in an attempt to lay down roots somewhere near both of our families (Spain is just a 2-hour flight away). We are also both outdoorsy types (most of our hobbies involve either waterbodies or the mountains). So moving to Switzerland and joining an emerging center seemed to tick all of our boxes.

By late 2022, after a couple of years at the center, I had made up my mind about academia. I missed research and wanted to return to it full-time; project management is definitely not my cup of tea. I also began to realize that, as opposed to what I had understood early on, a long-term career at EPFL wasn't in the cards, even if I wanted it (more on this later). So I started exploring opportunities to transfer to a lab in Switzerland, ideally within EPFL, where I could return to spending more time on my research.

I had been collaborating with Prof. Edoardo Charbon, head of EPFL's AQUA Lab, for about a year. At the end of 2022, we secured funding for an armasuisse-funded collaborative project called DRAGONFLY. Edoardo was naturally one of the first ones to hear about my intention to find a lab and he graciously offered me the chance of moving to AQUA, which I did in April 2023. I finally stepped into a “real” postdoc role and got a chance to make up for what felt like “wasted” (academically speaking) time at the center. Edoardo also gave me total freedom to pursue my own research (keep in mind I brought my own project funds), which I liked, gave me a chance to build my work on top of AQUA's pioneering single-photon technology, and committed to keeping me in the team until the final extension of my contract.

I've been at AQUA since then and will wrap up my time at EPFL at the end of next month (September 2024).

A lesson learned (the hard way)

With the context out the way, here's the one crucial lesson I learned quite late into my journey at EPFL—something that would have saved me a lot of headaches and a ton of time. Had I known this earlier, I would have invested my time quite differently.

Academic careers for young researchers at EPFL are capped by design. Unless you're hired as a faculty member (including tenure-track assistant professors, with some caveats), for which opportunities are scarce, the demand is high, and the competition fierce, postdocs positions at EPFL come with an expiration date, and growing academically into a faculty position is "almost" impossible.

I say almost because, as I've come to learn, there's some wiggle room depending on the School, the Dean of said School, and the relationship of said Dean with the head of the lab you are part of. I highly recommend checking out the Directive on Terms of Employment of Scientific Staff at EPFL linked here and you will see that it leaves some things quite open to interpretation.

Office politics aside, the bottomline is that EPFL expects PhDs and postdocs to move on after their contract ends. As a postdoc, you'll be hired under a CDD¹ (Contrat à Durée Déterminée, or fixed-term contract) for one year, renewable up to three times, always for a duration of 12 months; i.e., your time as a postdoc at EPFL is limited to 4 years.

Here is where I blundered, big time.

A limited academic lifespan isn't exclusive to EPFL. Many universities expect you to move to other institutions, and sometimes even other countries, in pursuit of academic mobility. Some faculty positions and research grants even require this level of internationalization. I just wish I had understood the implications of what this meant for me at EPFL a lot sooner.

Since I was initially hired in an engineering role (despite what it stated in my contract), it never crossed my mind to check what the regulation regarding scientific staff stated. No one made this distinction clear to me either. Early on, I was under the impression, based on what I had been told, that my time at EPFL as an engineer/PM could be somehow unlimited (with the possibility of a permanent residence permit and perhaps a CDI (indefinite contract) awaiting after 5 years). Later, I learned that my role was irrelevant and my official category dictated the terms of my employment. I became aware of Art. 4.2 of the former directive, and through conversations with colleagues who were in a similar situation, I started to think that my contract at EPFL, officially as a postdoc², could be at least exceptionally renewed past the 4-year mark if I had ongoing funded projects and had a strong performance record (by my 3rd year as a "postdoc," although my publication record wasn't particularly competitive given my time away from research, I had successfully raised funds as PI, had supervised more than 20 master's student projects, and started teaching and directing two master's level courses within the School of Engineering; I essentially said yes to anything that would make me indispensable to the university and would boost my academic profile).

Only then did it occur to me to start double-checking what I'd been told and my interpretation of the internal directives directly with HR, asking them about career prospects at EPFL once my current contract ended. That's when I realized there weren't any³.

HR's response was crystal clear: you can only stay at EPFL as a postdoc for a maximum of 4 years, period. No extensions allowed, regardless of your performance or the funds you've brought in and invested in our institution. And since I had been formally hired as a postdoc, my time at EPFL started running out the moment I arrived in Switzerland. The only way to extend my stay (up to a maximum of 9 years, according to HR, though I'm not sure where in the regulations this is written) would be to change my contract, for instance, by securing a fellowship grant like a Starting grant or an Ambizione (for which I think my category would have changed into a 1022-N4).

This is my one and only regret from my time at EPFL. Had I known what I wanted from the beginning and had I taken the time to undestand how academic paths within EPFL are regulated—rather than relying on others' words with their sometimes good, other times (let's be honest) deceiving intentions—, I would have squeezed a lot more of the value that EPFL and Switzerland had to offer, which is substantial.

¹Of the almost 4000 academics working at EPFL, 84% are under fixed-term contracts. This includes tenure-track assistant professors and PhD students. (source)

²I believe I was formally hired as a postdoc rather than an engineer (despite my role) because it came with a higher salary, although soon after I learned the difference between the two isn't that significant—3 years of experience in industry are almost equally counted toward determining your salary bracket as compared to having recently graduated from a doctoral program. I don't have any concrete evidence on the following, but I suspect achieving permanency at EPFL is easier for technical profiles like engineers and IT specialists than for academics. Primarily because the former can be more easily transferred across different schools, institutes, and labs without impacting the core of their work

³This isn't 100% true, as there are positions within the so-called non-professorial track at EPFL, but I wasn't particularly interested in these positions, nor were they ever presented to me as an option to expand my stay at EPFL.

The value of EPFL for research

EPFL has a lot to offer to researchers. For starters, and despite some recent budget cuts, Switzerland invests quite some money in research compared to other countries⁴. With money comes access to cutting-edge facilities and the latest technologies. In hardware-dependent research fields like robotics, access to infrastructure and funding is crucial and something not to overlook. On top of the internal budget allocated to each lab at EPFL—the highest I've seen among all the universities I've been part of throughout my career—there is a wide range of national funding opportunities, from public sources (such as the National Science Foundation (SNSF)) and private foundations. And despite the at times tumultuous relationship with the European Commission, Switzerland has managed to regain its status as an associated country, giving researchers based in Swiss institutions once again full access to ERC grants (though this may have changed again by the time you read this).

Being one of the most prestigious universities in the world comes with additional benefits. From finding partners at other top-tier universities and corporations to being invited to participate in large projects or having otherwise unreachable people reply to your emails, EPFL's reputation carries considerable weight. Potential biases of evaluators and reviewers, allow me to presume, also work in your favor. The EPFL name alone opens doors that might otherwise remain closed. I'm convinced that having @epfl.ch at the end of my email address has made it easier for me to raise funds and secure collaborators. And as I approach the end of my contract and start searching for a faculty position, I'm sure it would continue to help. Regardless of what we may want science to be, institutional reputation matters.

Another huge benefit of EPFL, and of Switzerland in general, is undoubtedly the economics. PhDs and Postdoc salaries are among the highest in Europe (you can check starting salaries for PhDs and postdocs at EPFL here). While these salaries might seem mediocre compared to what you could earn as an engineer in the Swiss industry and the high cost of living in most main Swiss cities, my salary was more than enough to support both my wife and me. If you're interested in a breakdown of our living costs in Switzerland, check out Appendix I below.

With access to advanced infrastructure, ample funding, and favorable economics comes a stream of some of the brightest minds in science. Working doors away from some of the best thinkers, innovators, theorists, and experimentalists across every domain is incredibly enriching, fulfilling, and inspiring. Being surrounded by Fields Medal winners, Pritzker Prize awardees, and ERC grantees sets a very high standard for how the game of academia should be played. If you thrive on competition, this environment can be incredibly stimulating. At the same time, this reputation and environment attract a steady stream of talented individuals eager to work with you (or at least at your lab). This was something new to me and took me some time to get used to it (hence this post). This aspect might be particularly interesting for junior professors, given how often my professor friends complain about the challenges of hiring and finding talent.

⁴According to Statista, in 2022, Switzerland invested 3.37% of its GDP in Research & Development activities, the highest in Europe, followed by Sweden, Austria, and Germany.

Challenges of a postdoc at EPFL

There are some drawbacks to joining EPFL early in your academic career. I believe herein lies some of the reasons that the median lifetime of postdocs at EPFL is only 1.5 years. And I'm sure data is skewed toward the lower end but no data is reported on the average lifetime of academics at EPFL, so it's impossible to say with any certainty.

The fact that key information related to my contract with and my career prospects within EPFL was never clear to me speaks of 1) how naive I could be at times and 2) that a more transparent and clear onboarding and employment regulation process is needed. Even once aware of the potential limitations of my contract, information was hard to find and replies from HR representatives varied widely (from the unreasonably optimistic to the downright pessimistic).

Leaving this mishap aside, a 1-year contract puts postdocs under a lot of pressure, especially those coming from abroad. Being forced to raise your own funding to support potential contract extensions, while balancing staying competitive within your research domain and amping up your responsibilities at EPFL (e.g., by teaching or through supervisory roles) can be incredibly stressful. Make sure you are aware of how much funding is available in your lab to support your position. If you are hired as part of a funded project (which is likely), how much runway does your lab have to support you on that project? Take any promises about upcoming soon-to-be-funded projects that could extend your position beyond the initial project with a high dose of skepticism. If you bring your own funding, e.g. as an SNSF Postdoc fellow, ensure you can fulfill the totality of your plans before you hit your contract extension limit. Most importantly, be aware of the investment you are making in an institution that would eventually ask you to leave.

EPFL's approach to hiring talent has been a constant source of frustration for me. The unwavering prioritization of external candidates for new faculty roles is still mind-boggling to me. From what I've gathered in conversations with long-time EPFL staff, this wasn't always the case. I genuinely believe that EPFL's systematic refusal to offer indefinite or longer-term contracts and faculty positions to the amazing and highly devoted talent working within its own walls (to be clear, I'm not referring to myself here) will harm the university in the long run (some statistics are already pointing in this direction) in contrast for instance to its federal counterpart in the north that shall not be named. During my time at EPFL, I've seen SNSF- and ERC-StG grantees change institutions because the university wouldn't commit to guaranteeing them any long-term job stability. Knowing that your time to leave will eventually come, changes the way you think about your role at the institution—at least, it did for me, quite drastically.

EPFL also imposes strict limitations on what early-career researchers can and cannot do, reserving most "official" (as in on paper) responsibilities for professors. This can be quite limiting at times. For instance, as a postdoc, you are not allowed to officially supervise PhD students. You can support them, meet with them, even act as their advisor, but your name won't appear as their official advisor or co-advisor in any official records. Formalities like this, while might seem inconsequential at the time, can be very relevant when applying for faculty positions in some countries down the line. A similar approach applies to project proposals, for which EPFL requires that your professor sign as the PI regardless of who wrote the proposal. However, in this case, I somehow managed to find a workaround⁵ that allowed me to be listed as PI in proposals, sign contracts with funding institutions, and manage my own funding. But this isn't the norm. EPFL typically insists that professors sign most official documents since they are the only ones with a permanent relationship with EPFL and can, therefore, be held accountable in the event of you suddenly leaving for another institution.

Beyond these aspects are the typical struggles of most early academic roles regarding isolation, self-doubt, frustration, and discouragement, which I'm sure we all feel at times and aren't necessarily associated with the institution we work for. In my case, I couldn't benefit much from a team around me with whom I could discuss ideas, share progress, and celebrate wins. Despite my commitment to supervising students, I worked alone for most of my time at EPFL. I didn't mind it, but it came with its own set of challenges, particularly related to managing my own psyche. Progress, when working alone, becomes solely dependent on your performance. And good science cannot be rushed.

⁵My guess is that I was able to navigate this due to taking the responsibility of managing and teaching master's courses on my own, which put my name in the “lecturers” database, allowing me to handle certain responsibilities only reserved to professors without raising too many flags.

My ultimate recommendation

So if you are considering moving to Switzerland and joining EPFL as a postdoctoral researcher, I highly encourage you to carefully evaluate your expectations and plan for the future. Switzerland in general, and EPFL in particular, are exceptional places for science. With the right strategy, your time here can bolster your academic career, offering access to amazing talent and technology most people can only dream of. But it's crucial to understand what you are getting into. Know your time at EPFL is finite. And regardless of how much of you is invested in the institution, eventually, they will thank you for your work and with the soothing tone that so often underlines Swiss politeness wish you every success in your future career endeavors.

Appendix I: How well does one live on a postdoc salary?

Here are our (my wife's and mine, no kids) monthly and yearly living expenses averaged over the four years we've spent in Switzerland (2020-2024).

APARTMENT

We lived in a 50 m², 1-bedroom apartment (in Switzerland our apartment would be referenced as a 2-room, or 2-pièces, apartment since they count both the bedroom and the living room). We were on the 3rd floor of a small building with nice views of the French Alps to the south.

Monthly cost: 1400 CHF + 200 CHF for water and heating

Note that since we rarely spend 200 CHF worth of water and heating per month, we will often get a refund of around 500 CHF every year when the actual usage was “balanced out” against what we had paid.

On top of this, we paid a quarterly electric bill, which ranged from 40 CHF in the summer months to 100 CHF in winter, averaging out to about 70 CHF per quarter. Our internet bill was 49 CHF per month.

We also had to pay a few other mandatory expenses. The communal tax was 160 CHF per year, and we were required to pay the public TV and radio fee, which was 335 CHF per year.

Additionaly, we had to pay a series of mandatory insurances. First, our household insurance through AXA, which cost us 100 CHF per year. Second, the cantonal insurance against natural disasters and fires, known as ECA (Établissement Cantonal d'Assurance), which was around 45 CHF per year.

Yearly cost: 20,298 CHF (1684 CHF/month)

FOOD

We spent approximately 500 CHF per month on groceries. On top of that, I spent around 120 CHF eating on campus 2-3 times per week. This amount varied greatly based on how often I worked from home. Eating on campus can be quite costly, with most single-course menus going for 10-15 CHF.

Yearly cost: 7440 CHF (620 CHF/month)

TRANSPORT

We lived a 30-min walk away from EPFL's main campus in Lausanne. I walked most days and my wife commuted either by bike, train, or bus. We didn't own a car, but we subscribed to the Mobility car-sharing service, which costs us 120 CHF every year. While public transport in Switzerland is great, it can be quite expensive. A single ride from Lausanne to Geneva Airport can cost up to 30 CHF. We paid for the SBB Half-fare travelcard for my wife at 170 CHF per year; mine was covered by EPFL. And she also paid a monthly pass at 74 CHF. Altogether, our transport expenses averaged around 150 CHF per month.

Yearly cost: 1,800 CHF (150 CHF/month)

HEALTH

Private health insurance is mandatory in Switzerland. Recently health insurace cost has gone up significantly. When I first moved in, my monthly premium was 295 CHF with a deductible of 2,500 CHF per year. Now for the same deductible, we each pay a premium of 375 CHF per month.

Yearly cost: 9,000 CHF (750 CHF/month)

EXTRAS

Here is where costs can vary greatly based on your lifestyle. For us, extra expenses included things like gym subscriptions (140 CHF/month), phone plans (40 CHF/month), lots of travel, clothing, hobbies, nights out, and various monthly subscriptions. These amounted to approximately 1,200 CHF/month.

Yearly cost: 14,400 CHF (1,200 CHF/month)

TOTAL YEARLY EXPENSES ≈ 53,000 CHF (4,400 CHF/month)

Appendix II: How to secure a postdoc at EPFL

Here's what I would do if I were looking for a postdoc position at EPFL knowing what I know today.

The first and most obvious answer is to start by identifying the labs that align with your research interests. EPFL publishes postdoc openings on this database, but a better option would be to routinely check on the websites of the labs you're interested in. Postdoc positions can be hard to fill, so labs often make an effort to loudly publicize openings when they arise. Flagging mailing lists like robotics-worldwide and academic job boards like CRA with your preferences could also help. Given the cost associated with hiring a postdoc in Switzerland, positions are typically tied to recently funded projects. Make sure you understand the requirements and constraints associated with these positions. Do your due diligence.

For extra info on how to generally approach finding opportunities for early-career researchers, MIT's Prof. Luca Carlone has a great presentation published on his website with lots of resources.

If no opening exists for the lab or labs you are interested in, then you have a few alternatives.

You can try cold emailing the professor (head of the lab), but this can often feel like shouting into the void. Many EPFL professors I have interacted with seem to neglect their inboxes (to be fair some are highly responsive, but the number of them is anecdotally small).

A more effective approach might be to contact the lab's admin assistant and/or the second in command (often a senior scientist). They are often more aware of potential upcoming needs for postdocs and can provide valuable information. Most labs' team members and their contact details are listed on EPFL's website.

The best and often most successful alternative, however, would be to make bringing you in a no-brainer; i.e., by securing your own funding. EPFL lists here some of the most popular funding schemes you might consider. Keep in mind that some of these grants require you to liaise with potential host labs before applying, which can be a great way to start building rapport with your prospective professor and colleagues.

But how can you stand out in such a highly competitive environment?

I cannot speak to what this or that professor looks for what I can tell you is that in a field full of talented scientists, non-technical abilities often make the difference in landing a position. I'm not unveiling any secret potion to anyone here. We all know how to code, we all have a publication record that speaks to the quality of our science, and we know the literature and jargon of our fields in and out, but can you think like a junior professor? The key is often to show that you can fulfill the responsibilities of the role immediately above you.

• If you were given a lab and the responsibility of building a team and a theme around it, could you?
• Are you an independent and critical thinker?
• Are you capable of standing by your ideas?
• Have you written or are you writing your own research proposals?
• Have you successfully raised funding before? Do you have grants in mind you may want to target during your time at EPFL?
• Have you defined the milestones you may want to achieve during your time at EPFL?
• Can you communicate complex concepts clearly?
• Are you part of a strong network you could pull ideas from? Can you or have you collaborated with experts other than your PhD advisor?
• How well do you work with others? And alone?
• Have you supervised and managed other's work before?
• And ultimately, are you a solution provider or a problem seeker?

Appendix III: Bites of unsolicited advice

To wrap up this overly long post, I wanted to leave you with a rapid-fire set of tips:

• Be selfish: prioritize what benefits your research and future career opportunities.
• Clarify your conditions: reach out to EPFL's Research Office and HR department to ask them anything that isn't clear to you regarding your contract and career prospects.
• Ask, ask all the time: if you want something, ask as many times as needed. The only way of paving the uncommon path is to ask what no one asked before.
• Learn how to navigate bureaucracy: with institutions like EPFL, there can be a lot of bureaucracy hidden even in the most mundane tasks. If you have a distaste for bureaucracy (like I do), the best approach when attempting something new is to tackle the task first, solve it, then ask for permission (legal things only please). Once solved, barely anyone cares about these things anymore.
• Be resourceful.
• Proposal timelines: be aware of the fact that it can take anywhere from 9 to 15 months between the moment you start writing a grant proposal to the project's official starting date (if successful).
• Engage with student associations: there are plenty of student associations at EPFL building amazing things. If you are looking to work with students (through semester or master projects related to your research), you can't go wrong with those who already belong to associations.
• Master's theses over semester projects: the ROI on supervising semester projects has been pretty low for me. Master's theses are a much more productive and effective way of having someone working alongside you full-time during a semester.
• Build teams: to increase the ROI of semester projects, team students up.
• Teach but careful: teaching as a postdoc is a great way of learning how to plan your days and optimize your time prior to teaching and office hours becoming a mandatory part of your weekly tasks. But be aware of the amount of time it takes to properly plan lectures and follow up on students' work. For me, it amounted to 30-40% of my time during the semester.
• Creating courses: avoid building a new course from scratch at all cost.
• Center challenges: doing research within a center at EPFL can be challenging. Their mandates are quite different from that of labs and often resources are extremely limited.
• Plan your next steps: use the unusual engagement of your superiors during your first few days as part of the team to outline together a roadmap for your postdoc and post-EPFL steps.
• Self-care: above all else, take care of yourself.