The Research Training Group GRK 2868 D³ - Data-driven Design of Resilient Metamaterials funded by the German Research Foundation has started in October 2023. Our vision is to develop and apply a data-driven approach to cross-scale materials discovery and design, in particular, goal-oriented, inverse design procedures based on process-structure-property linkages are of interest. The exploration aims at the mechanical performance as well as at the sustainability of the new metamaterials. D³ offers a competence- and publication-oriented qualification concept with co-supervision and international mentoring following a stringent schedule. D³ will provide a creative, motivating, and collaborative research environment with equal opportunities. Academic and business careers are actively supported by career development measures including at least one international research stay. For TUD Dresden University of Technology diversity is an essential feature and a quality criterion of an excellent university. Accordingly, we welcome all applicants who would like to commit themselves, their achievements and productivity to the success of the whole institution.
The Research Training Group GRK 2868 D³ offers several positions as
Research Associate / PhD student (m/f/x)(subject to personal qualification, employees are remunerated according to salary group E 13 TV-L)
starting October 1, 2026. The individual positions are limited until March 31, 2030. The period of employment is governed by the Fixed Term Research Contracts Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz - WissZeitVG). The positions offer the chance to obtain further academic qualification (usually PhD).
Tasks: The successful candidates perform scientific research in one of 9 PhD projects and participate actively in the qualification program and general scientific activities of D³. Please select a maximum of two projects that you want to apply for and specify them explicitly in the submitted documents. Brief descriptions of the interdisciplinary projects are available via .
Requirements:
* excellent university degree in mechanical/civil engineering, materials science and engineering, data or computer science, mathematics or physics
* fluent in English, ideally documented in terms of a B2 English language certificate
TUD strives to employ more women in academia and research. We therefore expressly encourage women to apply. The university is a family-friendly university. We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities. If multiple candidates prove to be equally qualified, those with disabilities or with equivalent status pursuant to the German Social Code IX (SGB IX) will receive priority for employment.
Application: Please submit your detailed application with the usual documents including a scientific curriculum vitae, a letter of motivation, a letter of recommendation, transcripts of records from the last two degrees with detailed grade summaries and your final thesis by June 15, 2026 (stamped arrival date of the university central mail service or the time stamp on the email server of TUD applies), preferably via the TUD SecureMail Portal by sending it as a single pdf file to DCube@tu-dresden.de or to:
TU Dresden, Chair of Computational and Experimental Solid Mechanics, Prof. Kästner, Helmholtzstr. 10, 01069 Dresden, Germany.
Please submit copies only, as your application will not be returned to you. Expenses incurred in attending interviews cannot be reimbursed.
Reference to data protection: Your data protection rights, the purpose for which your data will be processed, as well as further information about data protection is available to you on the website: .
Company
TU Dresden
Excellence – A matter close to our hearts
Excellence? Elitism? Opportunity or risk? The Excellence Programme, initially launched in 2005 by the German government has aroused passionate debate right from the start and still has the potential to polarise opinion.
TU Dresden (TUD) looks at it this way: excellence is all about performance and having the right attitude. For everyone here at TU Dresden – one of eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany since 2012 – it is also a matter very close to our hearts. Firstly because of the extra motivation and impetus generated, and secondly, because of the way we handle this role.
Our vision for the future can be summed up as follows: “Let us become one of the leading centres for research and teaching, with our own individual character and a special talent for networking, able to attract the best minds in Germany and from further afield.” After all, it is a well-known fact that excellence in research and teaching presupposes excellent conditions. Or, to put it figuratively, for excellent crop yields, you need the right soil and weather.
TU Dresden is a comprehensive university with 18 faculties and works in close collaboration with its top performers: three Clusters of Excellence, including the “Centre for Tactile Internet” (CeTI), the Cluster “Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter” (ct.qmat) and the Cluster “Physics of Life” (PoL). The guiding principle here is that strong individual elements become even stronger when they work together.
The vision for the future takes this principle beyond the confines of the university: with the research network DRESDEN-concept ( D resden R esearch and E ducation S ynergies for the D evelopment of E xcellence and N ovelty), TU Dresden has been creating an alliance of research and cultural facilities in the city, an “excellent playground for excellent people”. This bond is unique in Germany and has evolved over many years. It is not necessary to create anything new here, as it is simply a matter of building further storeys on top of an already solid structure. The measures envisaged as part of the DRESDEN-concept contribute to the overall development of TU Dresden and form an integral part of the university strategy.
Excellence is understood and practised in Dresden as an opportunity for the entire university, and in this spirit, TU Dresden takes those measures that lead to excellence – by the university, for the university – in cooperation with colleagues here and all over the world. But at the same time neither elitist nor exclusive. TUD’s excellence comes from the heart – from and for our about 32,400 students, 600 professors and about 8,400 members of staff. In this way, excellence becomes the basis, the objective, the approach and the driving force. And that’s why being a top performer can also be so rewarding and enjoyable.
Campus Image © Nils Eisfeld
Company info
Location
Dresden
01069 Dresden
Germany