Research Associate / PhD Student (m/f/x)

As part of the German government's artificial intelligence (AI) strategy, the successful Saxon competence center ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig (Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence) is being expanded into a leading German AI competence center for Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is located at the University of Leipzig and the TUD Dresden University of Technology. At each location we bring together more than 150 staff members. In ScaDS.AI, various research topics are being worked on within the framework of a graduate school on the fundamentals and applications of data science and artificial intelligence. In addition, service-oriented solutions are developed and there is close cooperation with a large number of partner organizations from science and industry. The center offers an excellent working environment with access to state-of-the-art technologies and an outstanding high-performance computing infrastructure. For TUD diversity is an essential feature and a quality criterion of an excellent university. Accordingly, we welcome all applicants who would like to commit themselves, their achievements and productivity to the success of the whole institution.

At the Center for Interdisciplinary Digital Sciences (CIDS), the Department Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig) offers 2 positions as

Research Associate / PhD Student (m/f/x) (subject to personal qualification employees are remunerated according to salary group E 13 TV-L)

starting at the next possible date. The positions are limited to three years. The period of employment is governed by the Fixed Term Research Contracts Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz - WissZeitVG). The positions aim at obtaining further academic qualification (usually PhD). Balancing family and career is an important issue. The positions are generally suitable for candidates seeking part-time employment. Please indicate your request in your application.

The work is being done within a multi-disciplinary research environment organized within a structured PhD program that enables to complete a doctoral thesis within three years.

Topics: Researchers of several disciplines are collaborating in ScaDS.AI on advancing a broad spectrum of AI. The spectrum of available topics ranges from core areas of AI Theory, Hardware, Mathematic foundations, AI applications to societal aspects of AI. The topics are not limited. Information about the available topics and supervisors can be found under the following link: The location of work (Dresden or Leipzig) depends on the topic assigned for each position.

Requirements:

• outstanding university degree (typically M. Sc.) in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics or another relevant field study with good GPA
• very good programming skills and AI/ML knowledge
• good written and spoken English skills (CEFR level C1 or higher)

We offer:

• cutting-edge research in data science and artificial intelligence
• full funding (TV-L / minimum monthly gross salary of about 4.500 Euro full time)
• well-structured three-year qualification and research program in English with regular feedback and adjustment mechanisms (reading groups, summer schools, specialized courses, lecture series and soft skill courses)
• strong international orientation, guest program for research stays abroad, international mentoring and supervision by two principal investigators
• excellent hardware facilities for high performance computing and scalable AI

What to submit :

• master certificate and transcript of records (if not in German or English: original and official translation)
• curriculum vitae (as a PDF document)
• research statement (motivation to pursue PhD and the specific research topic you are interested in (maximum 3 positions))
• contact information of two references
• for non-native speakers: proof of English language test not older than 12 months (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS, CAE)
• proven language skills can be: completed degree program, school-graduation in Germany, TOEFL)

TUD strives to employ more women in academia and research. We therefore expressly encourage women to apply. The University is a certified family-friendly university. We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities. If multiple candidates prove to be equally qualified, those with disabilities or with equivalent status pursuant to the German Social Code IX (SGB IX) will receive priority for employment.

Please submit your detailed application with the above-mentioned documents quoting the job number w25-063 by August 28, 2025 (stamped arrival date of the university central mail service or the time stamp on the email server of TUD applies) to: TU Dresden, ScaDS.AI, Herrn Prof. Dr. Wolfgang E. Nagel, Helmholtzstr. 10, 01069 Dresden, Germany or via the TUD SecureMail Portal by sending it as a single pdf file to [email protected] . Please submit copies only, as your application will not be returned to you. Expenses incurred in attending interviews can be reimbursed.

Reference to data protection: Your data protection rights, the purpose for which your data will be processed, as well as further information about data protection is available to you on the website: .

Company

TU Dresden

Excellence – A matter close to our hearts

Excellence? Elitism? Opportunity or risk? The Excellence Programme, initially launched in 2005 by the German government has aroused passionate debate right from the start and still has the potential to polarise opinion.

TU Dresden (TUD) looks at it this way: excellence is all about performance and having the right attitude. For everyone here at TU Dresden – one of eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany since 2012 – it is also a matter very close to our hearts. Firstly because of the extra motivation and impetus generated, and secondly, because of the way we handle this role.

Our vision for the future can be summed up as follows: “Let us become one of the leading centres for research and teaching, with our own individual character and a special talent for networking, able to attract the best minds in Germany and from further afield.” After all, it is a well-known fact that excellence in research and teaching presupposes excellent conditions. Or, to put it figuratively, for excellent crop yields, you need the right soil and weather.

TU Dresden is a comprehensive university with 18 faculties and works in close collaboration with its top performers: three Clusters of Excellence, including the “Centre for Tactile Internet” (CeTI) , the Cluster “Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter” (ct.qmat) and the Cluster “Physics of Life” (PoL) . The guiding principle here is that strong individual elements become even stronger when they work together.

The vision for the future takes this principle beyond the confines of the university: with the research network DRESDEN-concept ( D resden R esearch and E ducation S ynergies for the D evelopment of E xcellence and N ovelty), TU Dresden has been creating an alliance of research and cultural facilities in the city, an “excellent playground for excellent people”. This bond is unique in Germany and has evolved over many years. It is not necessary to create anything new here, as it is simply a matter of building further storeys on top of an already solid structure. The measures envisaged as part of the DRESDEN-concept contribute to the overall development of TU Dresden and form an integral part of the university strategy.

Excellence is understood and practised in Dresden as an opportunity for the entire university, and in this spirit, TU Dresden takes those measures that lead to excellence – by the university, for the university – in cooperation with colleagues here and all over the world. But at the same time neither elitist nor exclusive. TUD’s excellence comes from the heart – from and for our about 32,400 students, 600 professors and about 8,400 members of staff. In this way, excellence becomes the basis, the objective, the approach and the driving force. And that’s why being a top performer can also be so rewarding and enjoyable.

Campus Image © Nils Eisfeld

Company info

Location

Dresden
01069 Dresden
DE