Research Associates (m/f/d) for RISC-V & Real-Time Embedded Computing Architectures

Do you want to do more than just develop software for existing processors—do you want to explore how future embedded computing systems should be designed? Are you interested in RISC-V, heterogeneous processor architectures, and hardware-software co-design, and do you want to develop systems that efficiently and predictably execute demanding AI, control, and real-time workloads?

In the Embedded Systems and Sensors Engineering division at FZI, you’ll research and develop future embedded and edge computing architectures. In doing so, you’ll focus on the interaction between processors, specialized accelerators, memory and communication architectures, and low-level software. A particular focus is on RISC-V-based heterogeneous systems and their real-time properties.

Your research will take place within the framework of national and European research projects in collaboration with leading industry and research partners. Depending on the research question, you will work on everything from architectural design and FPGA prototypes to the implementation and evaluation of your own hardware. This position offers you the opportunity to develop your own scientific research profile and pursue a Ph.D. at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). In this environment, a wide range of research questions arise, which you can immediately address as a doctoral candidate under the supervision of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h. c. Jürgen Becker.

Responsibilities

• You will research and develop heterogeneous embedded and edge computing architectures based on RISC-V.

• You will investigate the interaction between processor cores, hardware accelerators, memory hierarchies, and interconnects, and further develop these to meet various application requirements.

• You will develop methods and architectures for predictable and real-time-capable execution on modern heterogeneous computing systems.

• You will investigate trade-offs between performance, latency, predictability, energy efficiency, and hardware resources, and derive new architectural and system concepts from these findings.

• Depending on your research focus, you will work on topics such as RISC-V instruction set extensions, AI accelerators, multicore systems, memory architectures, networks-on-chip, scheduling, or hardware support for real-time systems.

• You will develop and evaluate your concepts using simulations, virtual platforms, and FPGA-based prototypes.

• You validate your research using real-world applications, for example in industrial edge AI, automotive technology, or energy technology.

• You will present your scientific findings at international conferences and use them to develop a doctoral research topic at KIT.

• You will work closely with industrial companies, universities, and other research partners on national and European research projects.

Requirements

• You have successfully completed a master’s degree with high honors in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, Embedded Systems, Computer Engineering, or a related degree program.

• You have a strong foundation in at least one of the following divisions: computer architecture, embedded systems, digital design, or real-time systems.

• You have experience with low-level programming, for example in C/C++, and prefer to view hardware and software not in isolation but as an integrated system.

• You are interested in how processor and system architectures are structured and how their performance and temporal behavior can be systematically analyzed and optimized.

• You enjoy scientific work and would like to pursue a Ph.D. as part of your employment.

• You work independently and in a structured manner, contribute your own ideas, and want to tackle challenging technical problems both conceptually and practically.

• You can communicate confidently in English. Good German skills are an advantage for collaborating with our industry partners, but are not a mandatory requirement if you have a very strong technical profile.

Ideally, you also have experience in one or more of the following divisions:

• RISC-V or other processor architectures

• Real-time systems or real-time computing

• Multicore and heterogeneous computing systems

• Verilog, SystemVerilog, VHDL, or Chisel

• FPGA development and hardware prototyping

• System-on-chip or network-on-chip architectures

• Memory hierarchies, scratchpad memories, or DMA

• Hardware accelerators or AI accelerators

• Instruction set extensions

• Scheduling and mapping on heterogeneous platforms

• RTOS or Real-Time Linux

• Deterministic communication, TSN, or distributed real-time systems

• ASIC development or EDA tools

Application

Have we piqued your interest? Then apply to join our team.
We look forward to getting to know you!

If you have any questions, please email your application materials to Dr.-Ing. Victor Pazmino Betancourt (pazmino∂fzi.de)