Research Assistant/PhD Position – Computer Architecture

Heidelberg University is a comprehensive university with a strong focus on research and an international standards. With around 31,300 students and 8,400 employees, including numerous top researchers, it is a globally respected institution that also has outstanding economic significance for the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region.

Research Assistant/PhD Position – Computer Architecture (f/m/d)

The Institute of Computer Engineering (ZITI) at Heidelberg University invites applications for one research assistant position with the possibility to do a PhD in parallel at the chair of computer architecture (ECLECTX team). This person occupying this position is planned to work on modeling computing elements, established and emerging, at different levels of abstraction, design and development simulation tools and a heterogeneous emerging computer architecture, collaborate regarding compiler and other tools as well as modeling their hardware for integration into the emerging computer architecture framework and simulation tool that will be developed in this project. Previous knowledge and experience in some of all of the following are desired and advantageous: high-level simulation tools (such as Gem5, NVsim, and others), RISC-V ISA, Programming models, multi- and many-processor systems on chip, approximate computing, and memory-centric computing, circuits & systems based on emerging memory technologies (esp. ReRAM), and chip fabrication (tape-out).

The expected start period is March 2026 – May 2026. The position is open and applications will be evaluated on a rolling base until it is filled (upon which the post will be removed from the team website). However, we strongly recommend to submit your applications by The initial contract is for one year, which can be extended, up to a total of three years. The position provides an exceptional insight a broad range of research and education themes. The skills gained in this position are excellent preparations for a career in academia as well as dynamic industrial environments such as start-ups.

• Your tasks:
• Conduct research and publish in high-quality venues
• Interact with project stakeholders, manage and/or help in the execution of funded projects
• Assistance/collaboration in organizational, administrative, and (team) management tasks
• Cooperation with, guiding, and helping in supervising MSc/BSc students and other researchers in the team
• Help in preparation/teaching of courses
• Help in writing funding proposals

Your profile:

• Completed a MSc degree in one of these fields: Computer Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Computer Science or similar (e.g., Physics, provided the necessary background & skills)
• Experience and skills in one or more of the scientific fields of (general topics:) computer architecture, CAD tool design, simulation tools, VLSI, SoC, RISC-V, compilers approximate computing, memory-centric computing, and embedded systems, (specific topics:) experience with assembly, RISC and other Instruction Set Architectures, processor/system simulators (Gem5, NVSim), SystemC, HLS tools, abstractions and intermediate representations, Programming models, MLIR, LLVM, experience in code optimization, programming expertise in C, C++, Python, and JavaScript languages, multi- and many-core SoC, RISC-V, hardware synthesis, hardware-software co-design, (meta-heuristic) optimization algorithms, machine learning frameworks, (bonus topics:) Knowledge of chip design and fabrication (tape-out), computing hardware and paradigms such as memristive circuits and systems for in-memory computing, GPGPUs, machine learning accelerators and neuromorphic computing, stochastic computing, and other emerging computing paradigms, stochastic computing, quantum computing and other emerging computing paradigms
• Very good skills in English speaking and writing. German skills are not mandatory but advantageous (willingness to learn German would be a bonus for non-German speakers).
• Very good communication and interpersonal skills
• Skilled and capable of working in teams as well as independently
• Experience in developing and testing a system simulator (e.g., for Gem5, or independent simulators similar to NVsim etc.) would be a bonus, especially if in conjunction with emerging computing paradigms and technologies
  Experience in leading student teams would be a bonus

We offer:

• A dynamic growth environment for your professional and personal advancement
• Access to top-notch resources and infrastructure as well as flexible working hours
• Networking opportunity and visibility in a wide-spread national and international network with highest quality
• Access to many university-offers such as job-ticket and sport center
• A creative and vibrant environment in an international, science-oriented, and one of the most beautiful cities in Germany, immortalized in the works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich Heine, and Mark Twain
• An internationally highly competitive salary (monthly 2'700€-3'300€)
• Negligible tuition fees for PhD students, leaving almost the entire salary for your personal use

Please submit your application to Nima Taherinejad via applications-). Application documents must be emailed with a title following this example [DT-eCAT-2026] {Applicant's Name} and as a single PDF file containing (in this order):

1. Cover Letter/Letter of Interest/Motivation Letter (recomm. length: 1 page)

2. Curriculum Vitae: Free form but must include at least the details of your educational background, list of publications, research and teaching experiences, previous work experience, as well as hard (technical) and soft (people) skills

3. Online form copy (3 pages): Please fill this form ( ). Once you fill each section of the form, print it as a single page PDF file before clicking on the next/submit button. Combine all three sections in the respective order and include it in your application

4. Key publications, if applicable (recomm. length: 1-2 pages): If you have published scientific articles, a list of one to three most important publications. Each publication should be accompanied by a short explanation of its importance (key contributions), relevance, and your role in preparing and publishing it as well as a download link (ideally on the published website). If a public link is not available yet, please append them in the "other documents" section immediately after this document. Please provide the asked information and do NOT copy-paste the abstract of your article

5. Other documents: Papers from #4 that are not publicly available, plus any other/voluntary additional documents that you believe will strengthen your application and increase your chances. Please bear in mind that these additional documents may or may not be considered during the review process.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to send an email to the same address with a title following this example: [QU-DT-eCAT-2026] {Applicant's Name}.

Heidelberg University stands for equal opportunities and diversity. Qualified female candidates are especially invited to apply. Disabled persons will be given preference if they are equally qualified. Information on the job advertisements and the collection of personal data is available