Student Assistant (f/m/d) | Scientific Software Development for Computational Mechanics

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V.; Stuttgart; On-site; EUR 18,000 - 25,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Hourly wage 15.61€

Flexible hours

Open-source project

Possible co-authorship

Job summary

The Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) seeks a Student Assistant (f/m/d) in Scientific Software Development for Computational Mechanics. The role focuses on scientific software development within the Mechanics for Intelligent Structures group, collaborating with the group leader and PhD students to build a modern, open-source software framework.

Applicants should be enrolled in a Master’s program in computer science, mechanical engineering, mathematics, or physics, with

Qualifications

• Enrolled in a Master’s program in a relevant field.
• Strong programming skills in Python and C++.
• Experience with software development, version control (Git), and collaborative coding.
• Interest in scientific computing and computational mechanics.
• Ideally experience with finite element or numerical methods.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a freely available, collaborative research software framework for computational mechanics.
• Implement finite element and related numerical methods using Python and C++.
• Translate existing research codes into a modern software framework.
• Develop reusable, well-documented, and maintainable scientific software.
• Test, validate, and benchmark newly implemented methods.
• Contribute to documentation, examples, and software quality.
• Collaborate with researchers to integrate methods into ongoing projects.

Skills

Python

C++

Git

Scientific software

English

Education

Master's program in computer science, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, physics, computational engineering or related discipline

Tools

Git

Python

C++

Job description

The Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) conducts research to advance intelligent systems that perceive, learn, and interact. Through fundamental research across computational, physical, and social dimensions, we shape artificial intelligence and robotics to advance knowledge and benefit society.

We are looking for aStudent Assistant (f/m/d) in Scientific Software Development for Computational Mechanics.

The Mechanics for Intelligent Structures research group, led by Dr. Renate Sachse at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS), is seeking a student assistant (m/f/d) to support the development of an open, collaborative research software framework for computational mechanics. The position is ideal for students who enjoy scientific software development and would like to contribute to modern research infrastructure used by an international community.

Roles & Responsibilities

The student assistant will contribute to the development of a freely available, collaborative research software framework for computational mechanics. The focus of the position is scientific software development rather than conducting independent research projects. The student will work closely with the group leader and PhD students to implement and maintain computational mechanics methods that serve as the foundation for future research activities.

Typical tasks include:

• implementing computational mechanics algorithms in Python and C++,
• translating existing research codes and numerical methods into a modern collaborative software framework,
• developing reusable, well-documented, and maintainable scientific software,
• implementing finite element and related numerical methods,
• testing, validating, and benchmarking newly implemented methods,
• contributing to documentation, examples, and software quality,
• collaborating with researchers to integrate newly developed methods into ongoing research projects.

Education & Experience

Applicants should

• be enrolled in a Master‘s program in computer science, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, physics, computational engineering, or a related discipline,
• have excellent programming skills in Python and C++,
• have experience with software development, version control (Git), and collaborative coding,
• have an interest in scientific computing and computational mechanics,
• ideally have experience with finite element methods, numerical methods, or scientific computing,
• write clean, well-structured, and maintainable code,
• be able to work independently and reliably,
• have good oral and written communication skills in English.

Our offer

• A paid student assistant position (15.61 € per hour) at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
• Opportunity to contribute to an open-source research software project with long-term scientific impact
• Work on modern scientific software engineering and computational mechanics
• Close collaboration with researchers developing next-generation simulation methods
• Flexible working hours (up to 20 hours per week)
• Opportunity to co-author scientific software publications where appropriate

For further information about the position, please contact Dr. Renate Sachse at [e-mail].

The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in its workforce in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply.