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

Max Planck Society; Stuttgart; Vor Ort; EUR 18.000 - 25.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Hourly wage 15.61€

Open-source project involvement

Up to 20 hours/week

Co-authorship opportunities

Collaboration with researchers

Zusammenfassung

Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) Stuttgart is seeking a Student Assistant to support scientific software development for computational mechanics. The role emphasizes contributing to an open, collaborative research software framework and working closely with researchers and PhD students.

The position offers 15.61 € per hour, part-time up to 20 hours/week, with opportunities to co-author papers and participate in open-source software projects.

Qualifikationen

• enrolled in a Master’s program in computer science, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, physics, computational engineering, or related discipline.
• excellent programming skills in Python and C++.
• experience with software development, version control (Git), and collaborative coding.
• interest in scientific computing and computational mechanics.

Aufgaben

• Implementing computational mechanics algorithms in Python and C++.
• Translating existing research codes 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 developed methods into ongoing projects.

Kenntnisse

Python

C++

Ausbildung

Master's program in CS/Engineering/Math/Physics

Tools

Git

Jobbeschreibung

Young Researchers Stuttgart

Solid State Research & Material Sciences Computer Science

Job Code: Stu_129

Job Offer from August 13, 2026

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.

Student 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.