Prospective members

My group designs systems to extract, process, and act on information using tools from optimization, signal processing, control, learning, and probability (not always all of them, not necessarily all at once). If this is something you're interested in, consider joining us in one of the following ways:

Postdoc
PhD student
Master thesis
Student assistant

The University of Stuttgart, the Cluster of Excellence EXC 2075, and myself are committed to promoting diversity. Applications from people with international backgrounds are strongly encouraged. Women who apply will be given preferential consideration provided they have the same aptitude, qualifications and professional performance. Severely disabled applicants with equal qualifications will be given priority.

Information in accordance with Article 13 GDPR on the processing of applicant data can be found here.

Postdoc

I do not have postdoc position calls open at the moment. But feel free to reach out to discuss potential opportunities if you are interested in working with me. Include [App Postdoc] the subject line.

PhD student

I do not have any PhD position calls open at the moment. But feel free to reach out to discuss if you are interested in working with me. I am always willing to consider outstanding students to join my group.

Requirements

Consider applying if you

have obtained or will soon obtain a master degree* in electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field (applied math, operations research, etc.)
*If you have a 5-year bachelor degree (as is the case, e.g., in South America) and an amazing CV, you should still apply! We'll find a way to make it work.
have reading, writing, and oral proficiency in technical English
(Do you need to speak German? No, the official and working language of the group is English)
have experience with at least one of the usual suspects: Python, MATLAB, Python, Julia, R, Python
(I'm not a Python fanboy and you don't have to be a master programmer, but the official programming language of the group is Python)
are familiar with at least one "deep learning" (autodiff) framework, e.g., PyTorch, Tensorflow, PyTorch, Jax, PyTorch
(again, not a fanboy, but the coin flip did land on PyTorch so...)

If in addition you

are creative and able to come up with fresh solutions to technical challenges;
are collaborative and appreciate working with peers and junior (undergraduate) students;
enjoy presenting and discussing your work to academic and non-academic audiences; and
are motivated to do high-level research in a demanding, but supportive environment,

then you should not only consider, but make sure to apply!

How to apply

Interested candidate should submit their applications via email starting the subject line with [App PhD] and including:

Motivation letter describing background and research interests (1-2 pages)
Your letter must outline your prior work and the kind of research you are excited to conduct in the future. Make sure to relate your interests and goals to the publications and research topics of the group. Also, point to papers, reports, personal projects, anything that showcases your English writing, mathematical, and/or coding proficiency.
CV (including a list of publications and research/coding projects, if you have any)
Full transcripts of completed academic degrees
Name and contact of (up to three) references

Prior to applying, candidates are expected to review the requirements and my recent publications.

Additional information

Why pursue your PhD here?

At the University of Stuttgart and SimTech, you have access to a world-class research infrastructure and support, including high performance computing clusters and scientific data infrastructures. You also have the opportunity (and means) to interact with leading scientists from a variety of fields; sit on seminars from noteworthy researchers from around the world; and attend major conferences.

On the (not-less-important) logistic side, while Germany is known for its bureaucracy, the requirements for PhD positions here are actually quite straightforward. In particular,

you are not required to take German language exams, TOEFL, GRE, or pay application fees;
there are no starting date restrictions: you can begin your PhD year-round;
you have the opportunity to take courses, but are not required to do so;
there are no teaching requirements;
PhD programs tend to be shorter (3-4 years), though this is not a rule.

Additionally, you enjoy several benefits, such as

competitive compensation;
full-time employment by the university that entitles you to social benefits, including healthcare, family assistance, and 30 days of paid time-off (holidays);
fully-funded opportunities to attend conferences.

If you have any questions about the positions, the PhD in general, and/or life in Germany, do not hesitate to reach out.

So how much is E13 exactly?

PhD student salaries are negotiated nationally by the worker's association. You can easily find gross values on this government website. Net salaries are harder to determine as they depend on things like years within the PhD, marital status, whether you have kids, what kind of health insurance you choose... In an informal poll of net salaries among PhD students, I got to an average of 2300 € (which is consistent with this tier). You can compare that with whatever you find when typing cost of living stuttgart on Google (with the typical caveat on internet sources).

It is worth noting that PhD students in Germany are full-time employees of the university entitled to social benefits (healthcare, pension plans, family assistance, etc.), sick days, and 30 days of paid time-off (holidays) per year.

Again, if you have any questions about the positions, the PhD in general, and/or life in Germany, do not hesitate to reach out.

Do I need to speak German?

The answer is a resounding NO. The official and working language of the group is English (the same holds for ELLIS and SimTech). Additionally, the majority of graduate course are offered in English and most of the university staff speaks English. I myself do not currently speak German and I'm surviving.

Now, should you speak German? Probably eventually. Even if Stuttgart is a highly international city (more than 25% of its population has a foreign passport), speaking German will definitely make your life easier and more fun outside of the university. And if you are going to spend multiple years in a country, you might as well learn the local language. If you do decide to give German a try, the university and the city offer a variety of German language courses and resources, many of them free of charge.

Master thesis

My group does not have Master project calls open at the moment. However, feel free to get in touch if you are interested in writing your Master thesis with us (include [App Master] in your subject line). We work on a variety of exciting topics upon which your Master project can be based.

Master projects typically combine the use of a novel optimization, control, or statistics tool with a practical machine learning or signal processing application. We expect interested students to have a strong theoretical background and/or be good programmers as well as being able to come up with fresh ideas for challenging research problems. Thesis topics are primarily for students currently enrolled at University of Stuttgart.

Student assistant

My group does not currently have student assistants calls open. However, we are always looking for motivated students interested in collaborating in our projects. Feel free to reach out to discuss if you are interested in working with us (include [App SA] in your subject line). Student assistant positions are primarily for students currently enrolled at University of Stuttgart.

Luiz Chamon