Jobs & Training
We employ scientists in chemistry, engineering, physics, materials science, and mathematical modelling as well as staff in administrative and technical positions.
Vacancies and PhD Positions
Most of our current vacancies and PhD positions are posted on the KIT jobs page. For details on our PhD positions you may contact Patricia Jaeger or Christine Fischer. Vacancies not posted on the KIT website are included below.
Bachelors or Masters Thesis
Because we are an institute within the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and have close connections to other universities (including Darmstadt, Münster, Ulm, Gießen, Basel, and Strasbourg), we can supervise bachelor's or master's theses. To apply, please contact our research unit chairs and research groups.
The project concerns application of voltage-driven reversible electrochemistry (surface chemistry and ion-exchange) to control magnetism. The research involves nanomagnetism, material science and electrochemistry. Please apply via the linked EURAXESS website.
EURAXESS project descriptionWork on developing a new electrolyte suitable for cycling Li-ion batteries at high temperature.
Job detailsResearch Scientist (m/f/d)
LLM Agents and Semantic Data Processing in Materials Science
Category
Job description
As part of your role, you will design and implement LLM-based agent systems that structure and process materials science data. In doing so, you will develop data and agent architectures for integrating heterogeneous sources and enabling knowledge extraction. You will create semantic representations such as ontologies, knowledge graphs, or RDF/SPARQL models, connect large language models to databases, simulation data, and formal models, and implement the necessary logic for data access, provenance, reproducibility, and traceability. Your responsibilities will also include the scientific documentation, evaluation, and publication of your research results in international peer-reviewed journals and conferences.
Personal qualification
You have:
- A completed academic university degree (Diplom (University) / Master’s degree) in computer science, physics, materials science, data science, or a related field, ideally with a completed doctorate
- Very good knowledge of software development (in particular Python and JavaScript/TypeScript)
- Experience with LLMs beyond prompt engineering, e.g., tool use, agent control, state management, retrieval, and workflow integration
- Solid knowledge of data models, APIs, and structured data processing
- Ability to work independently in scientific research and collaborate in interdisciplinary environments
More details Apply
Computer Scientist (f/m/d)
Category
Job description
You will be responsible for the operation and further development of the IT infrastructure for AI-supported semantic data processing of materials – and will support onboarding as well as community support activities. Your responsibilities include:
- Research and development of AI-supported semantic data processing solutions for materials data
- Further development and operation of the project-wide IT infrastructure for materials data, semantic processing, and AI workflows
- Design, research, and implementation of ontology-based extensions of the MaterialDigital DataPortal (CKAN as a reference and entry-level solution for data and metadata management)
- Analysis and evaluation of alternative platform and data space concepts
- Integration of the PMD data space into federated data spaces, in particular Gaia-X and Catena-X; integration, consolidation, and provision of tools and services from other working groups
- Establishment and operation of a shared service and tool landscape for the community
- Presentation of results at national and international conferences, as well as conducting training sessions and workshops (PMD activities)
- Collaboration with researchers and external project partners
- Development and implementation of operational, update, and sustainability concepts
Personal qualification
You have:
- A successfully completed university degree (Diplom (University) or Master’s degree) in computer science, physics, engineering, or related fields, ideally with a completed doctorate
- Very good knowledge in operating data-intensive IT infrastructures
- Experience with data and metadata platforms (e.g., CKAN)
- Ability to critically analyze, further develop, or replace existing solutions
- Very good knowledge of Linux, container technologies (e.g., Docker), and service-oriented architectures
- Experience with APIs as well as authentication and authorization concepts
- Ability to document complex systems in a clear and understandable manner
- Independent, structured working style and strong communication skills
- Ideally, you also have experience in the following areas: Gaia-X, Catena-X, or comparable data space ecosystems
- Metadata standards, federation, and interoperability
- Open-source and community-driven software development
- Semantic data infrastructures or knowledge graphs
- Sustainable research software, reproducibility, and FAIR-related concepts
- Training, onboarding, or technical coordination
More details Apply