Barkhausen Institut gGmbH: PhD Position in Secure and Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning / AI (m/f/d)

HTW Dresden; Dresden; On-site; EUR 52,000 - 73,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Open and creative team

Agile working hours

Cross-disciplinary projects

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Barkhausen Institut invites applications for a PhD position in secure and privacy-preserving machine learning and AI. The role blends academic research with practical prototype development, aiming for a PhD and a 2-year funded contract under TV-L E-13.

Responsibilities include conducting research, developing methods, publishing results, and presenting at conferences. The institute offers flexible hours, cross-disciplinary projects, and relocation support for Dresden.

Qualifications

• Above-average university degree in cryptography, security, or privacy.
• Strong research background with publications or project work.
• Programming experience and interest in prototyping research.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research toward a PhD in secure and privacy-preserving ML/AI.
• Develop and evaluate methods and prototypes; publish findings.
• Collaborate on research projects; prepare deliverables and reports.
• Present findings at conferences and project meetings.

Skills

Cryptography

Privacy-preserving ML/AI

Programming experience

Research experience

English proficiency

Education

MSc/ Diploma in cryptography, security, privacy

Job description

The Barkhausen Institut performs research on the latest hardware, software and communication technologies and demonstrates their application in tomorrow’s society. Our goal is to build a flexible and trustworthy IoT platform based on reliable electronics and secure communication methods.

The Trustworthy Data Processing group at the Barkhausen Institut is seeking a highly motivated candidate to pursue a PhD in secure and privacy-preserving machine learning and AI.

At the earliest possible date we are looking for a

PhD Position in Secure and Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning / AI (m/f/d)

The position combines academic research with practical system development, including developing new methods, implementing prototypes, and evaluating their security, privacy, and efficiency.The position will initially be filled for a period of 2 years and will be remunerated in line with TV-L E-13. The position aims at supporting further academic qualification (e.g. PhD).

Your responsibilities will include

• Conduct research in secure and privacy-preserving machine learning and AI towards a PhD.
• Develop and evaluate methods and prototypes and publish research findings.
• Contribute to collaborative research projects, including preparing project deliverables and reports.
• Present research findings at conferences, workshops, and project meetings.

We expect the following

• Above-average university degree in the field of our research focus (cryptography, security, privacy)
• A strong academic background and relevant research experience;
• Programming experience and an interest in developing research prototypes;
• An interest in combining scientific research with practical system development.
• Very good written and spoken English skills
• We especially welcome applicants with a background in both of the following areas:
• Privacy-enhancing technologies, such as homomorphic encryption, trusted execution environments, and secure computation;
• Machine learning and AI

What we provide

• An open and creative team
• Agile working hours and workflows
• Cross-disciplinary projects
• Work on future technologies
• Flat hierarchies for your ideas and flexible teams
• Our remuneration is based on the collective agreement for the federal states. If you meet all the professional requirements diploma/master’s degree, this position is classified as TV-L E 13. Depending on your professional experience, the basic monthly salary ranges between €4,629 and €6,580. We will be happy to provide more details during the interview.

If you have passion for new technologies and the desire to develop the connected world of tomorrow with us, we are looking for you.

Life and science are compatible at our institute. We offer a range of recognised family-friendly measures, such as part-time work, mobile working and flexible working hours that take family needs into account. We also offer support for arriving in Dresden (all formalities, apartment etc.).

Diversity and Inclusion

• Barkhausen Institut strives for gender and diversity equality. We welcome applications from all backgrounds. Severely disabled persons are given preference in the event of equal suitability.

Application deadline

• Please apply until October 31, 2026.

The data submitted by you in the course of the application procedure will be processed by the Barkhausen Institut (BI). BI shall use the data for the purposes of the application procedure. No data shall be passed on to third parties.