08 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Germany

Fraunhofer SIT is offering several open positions for research associates in applied cybersecurity research at its new location in Heilbronn. We are looking for qualified candidates to work in the areas of software security and supply chain security.

Heilbronn is one of the most dynamically developing locations in Germany in terms of innovation, technology development, and science. The city’s education campus hosts various institutions from university and non-university research and development, collaborating in a unique environment to develop data-driven technologies and smart applications for the future. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has established eight research and innovation centers in Heilbronn, including one focused on cybersecurity. This center is a new location of the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology (Fraunhofer SIT), headquartered in Darmstadt.

Cybersecurity is key to the digitalization of businesses, society, and government. Without adequate cybersecurity, digital transformation cannot succeed. The security of IT products and supply chains plays a crucial role in this effort.

Fraunhofer SIT is one of the world’s leading research institutions for cybersecurity and privacy protection. The institute is a driving force in the international IT security landscape and the largest contributor to the National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity (ATHENE), the largest cybersecurity research center of its kind in Europe and a vital part of Germany’s cybersecurity strategy. Fraunhofer SIT and ATHENE focus on key security challenges and conduct applied research and development at the highest international level. Researchers at the new Heilbronn site will closely collaborate with ATHENE experts in software security.

This job posting is aimed at candidates with or without professional experience who are looking to advance their careers in a field with major challenges and excellent future prospects. It offers the opportunity to qualify in a highly specialized environment under outstanding conditions.

Digitization poses major challenges for society, business, and politics. In order to shape it successfully, many practice-relevant research questions of cybersecurity and privacy protection need to be addressed.
The National Research Center for Applied Cyber Security ATHENE is a research institution of the Fraunhofer Society, with the participation of the Fraunhofer Institutes SIT and IGD as well as the universities TU Darmstadt and Hochschule Darmstadt. In a hitherto unique and innovative model of cooperation between university and non-university research, ATHENE conducts cutting-edge research for the benefit of the economy, society, and state and sets scientific impulses.
Fraunhofer SIT is one of the leading research institutions for IT security in Germany and Europe. The focus is on applied research and the development of innovative solutions for real security and data protection issues.

 n für IT-Sicherheit in Deutschland und Europa. Im Fokus stehen die angewandte Forschung und die Entwicklung innovativer Lösungen für reale Sicherheits- und Datenschutzfragen.

Your research will be mainly related with two sub-projects of the research group:

• Sub-project F “Management and quantification of maturity improvement”:  Investigation and development of mathematical methods which allow to quantitatively and meaningfully assess the process maturity of new, still immature production processes along their process development and optimization. The concepts of “observability” and “controllability” known from systems theory are to be generalized and advanced so that a probability-based statement about the maturity of the production process can be derived. Methodologically, approaches of PAC-Learning (Probably Approximately Correct), Bayesian statistics, systems theory and artificial intelligence are to be used as a basis in order to explore and implement a continuous calculation chain starting from observable and controllable process variables up to an easily understandable probabilistic statement about the process maturity.
• Sub-project M1 “Systematic over-instrumentation”: The aim of this sub-project is to research and develop methods to initiate, to place and to parametrize additional sensors and actuators to gain more insight into and more influence on the manufacturing process in order to support its improvement and maturation.  
• Moreover, you should guide and instruct the doctoral candidates who are already doing research with respect to the quantification of process maturity and concerning the systematic over-instrumentation of manufacturing processes.

The work takes place within the framework of MeGaBat project in which the recovery of critical raw materials from battery recycling industry is the overall objective.

The aim of this position is to investigate novel recycling processes for spent batteries based on electrochemical methods. The scope of duties includes:

• Development, design and production of a demonstrator on a pilot plant scale and testing under real conditions (incl. electrodes fabrication, electrochemical reactors design and upscaling)
• Production of battery-grade materials and evaluation of the sustainability and cost efficiency of the process chain
• Evaluation, utilisation and exploitation of the results of the project
• Evaluation of competitiveness compared to other extraction and recycling processes
• Evaluation of the market potential and application of the developed electrochemical systems in other areas
• Supervision of students (Bachelor, Master) and co-supervision of PhD students
• Collaboration and acquisition of application-oriented development projects in the field of battery technology
• Innovative environment with modern technical equipment
• Work in a highly topical, industry-related field of research
• Acquiring interdisciplinary skills as a basis for working with innovative battery technology

• Development and application of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools for monitoring CO2 reservoirs
• Use of TensorFlow and PyTorch to process and analyze data related to CO2 transport and storage
• Development of methods for efficient data transmission and processing
• Development of a real-time demonstration interface for operational insights
• Continuous improvement of ML models as more sophisticated data becomes available
• Support in the preparation of research proposals
• Preparation of publications (peer-review) and presentations in English
• Participation in administrative tasks
• Field data collection support

• As part of a young team, you will work on public and industrial projects in the area of Power-to-X syntheses, particularly focusing on the synthesis of sustainable aviation fuels, olefins, etc. (SAF).
• You will support the team as a scientific contact for questions in the field of analytics and heterogeneous catalysis.
• You will conduct simulations of process engineering processes at the reactor and process level (e.g., kinetic modeling).
• You will be responsible for the scientific planning and execution of experiments in laboratory and pilot plant facilities.
• You will publish scientific papers and present your research results at project meetings or conferences.
• You will work closely with partners from academia and industry and actively contribute to the transfer into application.

The department of Cell and Tissue Technologies is located in the main institute in Stuttgart and focuses on animal-free in vitro test alternatives. The New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), for the preclinical testing of efficacy and toxicity of substances, has enormous potential for applied research. The department has been working in the field of cell and molecular biology for more than 25 years and has extensive expertise in the genetic modification of cells and the development of genetically modified cell lines as well as in the establishment of complex tissues e.g., human in vitro skin models. The department’s portfolio includes its own and patented 2D in vitro test and screening systems as well as various skin models and disease models of the skin. Of course, the department is also involved in the differentiation of organoids from hiPSC and the establishment of different spheroids.

The position is aimed at people with professional experience in research and development who are interested in contributing to the further successful development of the department in a scientifically excellent and great team and working in a highly specialized environment under excellent conditions in an area with great challenges and excellent future prospects.