Master / Bachelor - Survey of Vehicle AD - Software Architectures (f/m/d)

Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; Stuttgart; On-site; EUR 13,000 - 20,000; Part time

Job summary

Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) in Stuttgart/Oberpfaffenhofen offers a Master/Bachelor internship focused on surveying software architectures for automated driving. You’ll analyze end-to-end, modular, and agentic pipelines, build a taxonomy, and compare open-source stacks while identifying trends and gaps.

The role targets students in engineering or computer science with interest in AD, software architecture, and research writing (DE/EN).

Qualifications

• Academic studies in a relevant technical or engineering field with interest in automated driving.
• Interest in software architectures and agentic AD/LLM concepts.
• Basic knowledge of literature research and academic referencing.
• Structured, analytical work style with precise documentation (EN/DE).
• Beneficial: basic programming in Python/C++ and open-source experience.

Responsibilities

• refine the topic and formulate precise research questions.
• conduct a systematic literature search (IEEE, ACM, arXiv, Google Scholar).
• develop a taxonomy of architectures: end-to-end, modular, agentic.
• compare open-source AD stacks: layers, middleware, APIs, licensing, maturity.
• map agentic AD concepts: roles, communication, knowledge integration.
• compile benchmarks/datasets for scenarios like parking/docking.
• create evidence syntheses, tables, and visualizations; draft reports.

Skills

Automated driving

Software architectures

LLM concepts

Open-source experience

Programming basics (Python/C++)

Education

Student in Engineering or CS

Tools

ROS 2/CyberRT

Job description

Master / Bachelor - Survey of Vehicle AD - Software Architectures (f/m/d)

Job Description

Req ID: 3643

Place of work: Stuttgart, Oberpfaffenhofen

Starting date: as soon as possible

Career level: Student research project and final thesis, Student employment, Internship

Type of employment: Part time

Duration of contract: 4-6 months

Remuneration: Remuneration is in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector - Federal Government (TVöD-Bund).

Enter the fascinating world of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V.; DLR) and help shape the future through research and innovation! We offer an exciting and inspiring working environment driven by the expertise and curiosity of our 12,000 employees from 100 nations and our unique infrastructure. Together, we develop sustainable technologies and thus contribute to finding solutions to global challenges. Would you like to join us in addressing this major future challenge? Then this is your place!

The Institute of Vehicle Concepts (FK) of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) is internationally recognised for the design of future road and rail vehicles that enable climate and environmentally friendly mobility while being affordable and user-friendly at the same time.

We research and demonstrate the required key technologies and maintain close cooperation with other scientific institutions as well as industrial and political bodies.

What to expect

You will work with our team on a systematic survey of software architectures for automated driving, focusing on end-to-end approaches, modular pipelines, and agentic AD systems (LLM-based, tool-using agents and orchestration). You will develop a taxonomy of the different architectures, analyse relevant open-source stacks (e.g., Autoware, Baidu Apollo, potentially S-Core/Red Hat ecosystems) based on documentation, releases, and repositories, and derive technological trends, gaps, and actionable recommendations.

Your tasks

• refine the topic and formulate precise research questions.
• conduct a systematic literature search (IEEE, ACM, arXiv, Google Scholar), screen the studies, and extract relevant data.
• develop a taxonomy of architectures: end-to-end vs. modular vs. agentic (roles, orchestration, tool use, safety/runtime aspects).
• compare open-source AD stacks, analyzing architecture layers, middleware (e.g., ROS 2/CyberRT), APIs, roadmaps, releases, licensing/governance, community metrics, and maturity levels.
• map agentic AD concepts, including agent roles (planner, safety critic/verifier, perception narrator, controller designer), communication patterns, knowledge integration (e.g., RAG), and integration points within existing stacks.
• compile the landscape of relevant benchmarks and datasets, especially for scenarios such as parking or docking.
• create evidence syntheses, comparison tables, and visualizations, deriving guidelines and research gaps.
• contribute to scientific writing (DE/EN) and prepare the final presentation.

Your profile

• Academic studies in a relevant technical or engineering field such as Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Control Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Technical Business Administration or similar
• Interest in automated driving, software architectures, and agentic AD/LLM-based concepts.
• Basic knowledge of literature research and academic referencing (e.g., BibTeX, Zotero, systematic screening).
• Structured, analytical working style with precise documentation (EN/DE).
• Beneficial: Basic skills in programming (e.g., Python/C++) and experience in open-source communities.
• Remuneration is according to the German TVöD 05.

We offer

DLR stands for diversity, appreciation and equality for all people.

We promote independent work and the individual development of our employees both personally and professionally.

Equal opportunities are of particular importance to us, which is why we want to increase the proportion of women in science and management in particular.

Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preference if they are qualified.