What would make life-like robotic systems perform better than biological systems powered by natural muscles? The MPI-IS Robotic Materials Department, led by Prof. Christoph Keplinger, is developing artificial muscles to enable robots to interact with their environment. The department is exploring innovative materials and fabrication technologies for the creation of artificial muscles.

We are looking for:

Intern or Student Assistant (HiWi) f/m/div

Starting as soon as possible.

Roles & Responsibilities

We are looking for a student who is pursuing a Bachelor or a Master of Science in mechanical engineering (Maschinenbau), material science (Materialwissenschaften), electrical engineering (Elektrotechnik), mechatronics (Mechatronik), engineering cybernetics (Technische Kybernetik), or related fields to support our research.

The position will allow you to gain hands-on experience with hardware systems, as well as to be exposed to ongoing robotics research. The selected candidate can start working immediately after being hired.

Possible tasks include:

Fabrication of materials for soft actuators
Preparation of samples for materials characterization
Performing materials characterization tests
Fabrication and assembly of soft actuators
Assisting actuator’s performance measurements

Education & Experience

Applicants should:

Have high motivation
Be pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree
Be currently enrolled in a German university (only for HiWis)
Have strong academic performance in relevant bachelor’s and master’s courses
Want to work in an international and interdisciplinary research group
Have good oral and written communication skills in English
Be able to work on site at the Max-Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany

We are especially interested in applicants who have:

Experience in materials science laboratory skills
Interest and/or experience in:
- Soft robotics
- Soft functional materials
- Physical vapor deposition
- Thin films fabrication
- Micro-/nano-fabrication

Our offer:

For an Internship: Students will be paid 2105€ (gross) per month for a full-time internship if the internship is voluntary, i.e., not required by the study program of the student.

For Student Assistants (HiWis): Students without a bachelor degree will be paid 13.03€ per hour. Students with a bachelor degree will be paid 13.65€ per hour. Working time: up to 20 hours per week. The contract is given per semester.

The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in its workforce in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply.

Application:

Please upload your application files including:

a CV / resumé in English or German
and a cover letter in

via our application portal.

For any questions please contact Alona Shagan Shomron (shagan@is.mpg.de) or Daniela Macari (macari@is.mpg.de).

Closing date for applications:

January 15th 2025