Job Description

Enter the fascinating world of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; 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 11,000 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!

For our Institute for AI Safety and Security in Ulm we are looking for a

Mathematician, Computer Scientist, Physicist or similar (f/m/x)
Research in the field of Distributed Systems

The Institute for AI Safety and Security provides research and development services in the field of AI-related methods, processes, algorithms and execution environments. The focus is on ensuring safety and security for AI-based solutions in ambitious application classes. “Safety and security by design” is a central aspect in this context, since it directly supports future requirements of safety-critical applications that are based on AI or integrate AI-based components.

Main research areas of the Institute for AI Safety and Security are:

• Development processes and methods for safety-critical AI applications
• Robust and reliable approaches to safeguard AI methods and algorithms
• Safety and security in the context of AI-based applications
• Management and use of sensitive data
• Execution environments for AI-based applications
• Innovative computation methods

The department Safety-Critical Data Infrastructures deals with data and information quality as well as the foundations for building secure, decentralized data infrastructures. One focus of the department is the research, development and implementation of concepts for distributed systems with regard to integration and applicability in the context of complex AI systems with high requirements for data sovereignty and transparency. Furthermore, the analysis and research of attack vectors, deception approaches and corresponding countermeasures for distributed systems are at the center of our efforts.

The advertised position includes the following scientific topics:

• Scientific research on studies and specialist information relating to procedures and challenges in the development and implementation of distributed systems, such as decentralised data and service ecosystems/​data spaces.
• Familiarisation with the underlying topic of Gaia-X Federation Services. Application of Gaia-X Federation Services for concrete utilisation.
• Development of possible use cases for distributed systems in line with DLR's focus areas such as aerospace, energy, transport and security.
• Implementation of distributed systems and data spaces.
• Derivation of options for action for scientific and industrial applications.
• Development and implementation of future-proof extensions for currently available concepts of distributed systems with regard to data sovereignty, preservation of data privacy and robustness. The applicability in the context of complex AI systems should also always be considered.
• Analysing and developing procedures for the development of AI-based components for and with distributed systems.
• Analysis of possible approaches to the integration of technologies for the purpose of maintaining and increasing data sovereignty in decentralised data and service ecosystems.
• Research into possible implementation paths in large data ecosystems with heterogeneous data source structures for semantic homogenisation, increasing security and enhancing the robustness of the systems.
• Research into methods and processes for quality assurance and general protection of databases and data streams in distributed systems. The topics of integrity, availability and confidentiality are to be explicitly considered.
• Researching and analysing potential attack vectors and deception approaches against distributed systems with regard to integrity, availability and confidentiality.
• Development of countermeasures of distributed systems for attacks and deception approaches in the context of integrity, availability and confidentiality.
• Development of an approach for the evaluation of risks and motives regarding attacks on distributed systems.
• Analysis of necessary procedural steps for embedding defence measures in existing process models in the context of distributed systems.
• Preparation of scientific (partial) contributions for publications
• Derivation of options for scientific and industrial applications
• Presentation of scientific results
• Control and management of externally funded and core-funded projects
• Specialist support in the acquisition of national/​European third-party funding

• Strong competences in the field of distributed systems
• Strong competences in the field of IT security
• Strong experience in analyzing and implementing software solutions
• Strong programming skills (in the Python and object-oriented programming languages)
• Expertise in the field of artificial intelligence
• Experience in the application of AI-oriented tools and frameworks
• Competences in the preparation of complex scientific contexts
• Proficiency in written and spoken English
• General knowledge of German
• Knowledge in the environment of decentralized data and service ecosystems (such as GAIA‑X) are desired
• Ideally you have strong programming skills in the language C/​C++/​C#/​JAVA

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. To this end, we offer numerous training and development opportunities. 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.

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