UN Student Team at ETH Zurich
The UN-ETH Student Team is a new extra-curricular initiative at ETH Zurich. It connects ETH students with UN practitioners to collaborate on real-world projects. The initiative will start operating in the summer of 2025. Students from all ETH departments are encouraged to apply for upcoming project positions.
The Initiative
The UN-ETH Partnership seeks to promote project-based collaborations between UN teams and ETH researchers and students to address global challenges. The UN-ETH Student Team is a part of this endeavour and inspired by the success of existing student-led initiatives, like ETH juniors, AMZ Racing, and “NomadZ/Robocup”. By applying proven concepts and technologies, the team will complement other, more research-oriented initiatives of the UN-ETH Partnership.
The UN-ETH Student Team is a non-profit initiative. As an extra-curricular activity, the team is driven by voluntary student engagement. Specifically, team members will form project groups of about six students and work closely with UN practitioners and supporting ETH staff for up to 10 months. This extended project cycle gives students enough time to familiarise themselves with UN needs and develop solutions grounded in practicability. engagement.
Each project is built on a specific use case in global peace and security, humanitarian aid, or the 2030 Agenda, including its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since data is key to address global challenges, data science and data engineering will be important crosscutting dimensions of the team’s work. The first projects will be launched in the summer of 2025, based on use cases received through the UN-ETH Incubator. Additional projects will follow in early 2026.
The UN-ETH Student Team is made possible through the generous support of Ambassador Jenö Staehelin.
What can team members expect?
By joining the UN-ETH Student Team, you will:
- Contribute to the public good by supporting UN practitioners, policymakers, and civil-society actors in drawing insights from data and scientific inquiry.
- Develop skills in project management, teamwork, and leadership through applied student-driven projects.
- Learn how to engage with policy actors, understand their specific data-analytic needs, and prepare for a potential future career in the public sector.
Frequently Asked Questions
Members of each project group are expected to dedicate an average of 4 hours per week over the project’s full duration. However, each group manages its own schedule and work packages so that students will be able to balance their involvement with coursework and other responsibilities. In addition, the UN-ETH Student Team will offer opportunities to students who wish to get involved on an ad-hoc basis (e.g., by assisting project groups with special tasks).
We aim for projects that can be completed over the course of 10 months. This is meant to give students sufficient time to familiarise themselves with a given problem and the needs of UN partners (incl. UN data structures and work flows). Shorter projects are also possible, but we expect a minimum duration of at least 6 months due to the part-time nature of students’ involvement.
Importantly, the planned duration of each project will be fixed from the outset and clearly communicated during recruitment. This allows students to make an informed commitment when joining the team since members are expected to remain involved in one project from beginning to end.
No. While many project positions will require coding skills, the team also depends on subject-matter expertise and on students who take responsibility for project management. Driving the “Scrum” process involves coordinating timelines, facilitating communication within the team and with UN partners, ensuring milestones are met, and producing professional documentation. Since these tasks are essential, we explicitly encourage students with prior experience or a strong interest in project management to apply.