PhD Candidate in Conversational Agents for Health

About the job

The Fribourg University of Applied Sciences (HEG-FR) is a member of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO) and offers bilingual and trilingual programmes at bachelor and master levels. 

We are looking for a PhD candidate in the field of human-machine interaction for a thesis in Fribourg (Switzerland) in collaboration with the HEC of the University of Lausanne. The thesis is also part of a European project aimed at improving the health status of seniors with cardiovascular disorders. You will participate in an applied research project focused on the design, development and evaluation of intelligent conversational coaches.

Mission and area of activity

• Design and develop personalised conversational agents integrating large language models (LLM).

• Study the mechanisms of personalising human-machine interactions:

  - adaptation to user profile 

  - conversational memory

  - contextual personalisation

  - user engagement

• Develop functional prototypes and demonstrators in Python
• Explore the integration of conversational technologies into health-oriented information systems and e-coaching
• Design and conduct user studies to evaluate the adoption, impact and user experience of the developed solutions
• Use qualitative and quantitative methods to analyse user interactions and behaviours
• Collaborate with academic, medical and industrial partners within a European consortium
• Contribute to scientific publications in the fields of information systems, HCI and digital health
• Write a doctoral thesis in the fields described above

Your profile

• Master’s degree in information systems, computer science, human-machine interaction, data science, business informatics or a related field
• Very good programming skills in Python
• Practical experience in developing digital applications or prototypes
• Strong interest in conversational agents, LLM technologies and intelligent interfaces
• Familiarity with natural language processing (NLP) technologies and modern AI frameworks is an asset
• Interest in user-centred design and UX/HCI evaluation methods
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary environment combining technology, health and human sciences
• Proficiency in French or English with good knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of other official Swiss languages (German and Italian) is a plus

Additional information

• Fixed-term contract: 2 + 2 years
• Information: Maurizio Caon, Head of the Digital Business Center, 026 429 67 44
• Start date: 01.09.2026
• Application deadline: 30.06.2026

Interested? We look forward to receiving your complete application dossier.

Please send it to us by clicking on the "Apply" button below.