Student/ Research Assistent (m/f/d) | Computational methods in systems and control theory

 The Computational Methods in Systems and Control Theory group at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems in Magdeburg is inviting applications for two Students / Research Assistents (m/f/d).

Background

A common theme in scientific computing is the race for the most efficient and accurate algorithm for a class of problems. However, this principally healthy competition is only beneficial if the research output is fairly comparable to prior results, which is a complex endeavor, as the implementation, configuration, compute environment, and test problems need to be well defined. Due to the increase in computer-based experiments in mathematics and scientific computing, research communities need infrastructure for exchange, comparison, and progress-tracking in their fields.
To this end, we are developing a benchmark framework for comparing implementations of algorithms using benchmark problems and data sets native to a community. As a demonstrator of this framework, and given the long-term focus on model order reduction (MOR) in the CSC group, we are developing a MOR Benchmarker (MORB) and Ontology (MORBO) based on the MOR-Wiki. The work on MORB and MORBO are funded by the ambitious Mathematical Research Data Initiative (MaRDI) a consortium of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI).

Job description

We are seeking two student assistants. The first will work with MORBO and knowledge graphs to help

• create an attractive, simple user interface for searching the ontology and integrate it directly into the MORWiki;
• finish populating the knowledge graph with the rest of the benchmark data (in particular, more complicated, nonlinear problems); and
• write a script or tool to facilitate updating the knowledge graph as further metadata for particular benchmarks is discovered or computed.

The second will work on a companion initiative to compile a database of mathematical benchmark collections by helping to

• catalogue all known mathematical benchmark collections and their metadata;
• analyze trends in these collections and thereby extract best practices and recommendations to improve existing collections and to guide the development of new ones; and
• integrate the end product into the MaRDI portal and thereby improve the findability and accessibility of benchmarking data across mathematical fields.

Type of position

2 student assistants (max. 50 hours / month)

Starting date

As soon as possible, but not before 1 April 2023

Runtime

300 hours per student

Working area

Computer Science, Complex Systems, Mathematics, Scientific and Technical Assistance

Expected requirements

Both student assistents are expected to have

• a strong background in mathematics, computer science, or related fields;
• a passion for research data management;
• experience writing scripts in MATLAB or Python, as well as working with markup languages;
• careful attention to detail; and
• a strong command of English.

We offer

A warm working atmosphere in an international and interdisciplinary team with challenging research questions and access to high quality software and hardware resources.

Payment

Payment is made in accordance with the guidelines of the Max Planck Society.

Application

Interested students are invited to send their application documents, using the code MARDI-TA2-M3, including a short CV, a recent course transcript, and a short description, by e-mail to Dr. Kathryn Lund lund@mpi-magdeburg.mpg.de.

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. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply.

Please note the information regarding the storage of personal data.