PhD Position (100%, E13, m/f/d) in Graph Machine Learning at Data Science Center (DSC) - ScaDS.AI

Topics

The position is not bound to a specific project, which will allow us some freedom to find a project that is interesting to everyone involved.

The overarching topic of my research is graph machine learning in which I am broadly interested: questions raise from generating graphs, over applications to databases and hypergraphs, or the use of learned heuristics to solve combinatorial problems, to better benchmarks and experimental design that show whether we are really making progress.

In the short term, my main goal is to work on graph generation, especially in combination with 3D information, for example for generating the shapes of (botanical) trees or brain neurons. The core challenge here is the combination of discrete decisions for the structure together with continuous positions in 3D space – in contrast to molecules, proximity does not imply connections in this setting. In the long term, such generative models could be used to tackle all kinds of questions about neuronal cell types and how the morphology of neurons comes to be. Another key aspect are metrics for such data structures as simply using pointcloud-based methods completely ignores the underlying graph structure.

More information on my research can be found on Google Scholar.

About ScaDS.AI & Leipzig University

The DSC - ScaDS.AI (Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence) Dresden/Leipzig is one of the permanently established national center for artificial intelligence at Leipzig University and TU Dresden, which is financed by the federal government and the Free State of Saxony. The Leipzig sub-center will be established as a central facility of Leipzig University and in the medium term will bring together more than 200 staff members at the Leipzig site alone. In ScaDS.AI, various research topics will be worked on within the framework of a graduate school on the fundamentals and applications of data science and artificial intelligence. In addition, service-oriented solutions are developed and there is close cooperation with numerous partner organizations from science and industry. The center offers an excellent working environment with access to state-of-the-art technologies and an outstanding high-performance computing infrastructure.

PhD students will be affiliated with the Leipzig Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence ScaDS.AI, a national AI Competence Center funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the Free State of Saxony. This means that students will be integrated into the ScaDS.AI Graduate School which organizes a yearly retreat, a biweekly seminar, a public scientific lecture series and offers other support and networking opportunities. Scads.AI also generously provides access to its significant compute resources.

About Leipzig University

Leipzig University is the second-oldest university in Germany. It looks back on over 600 years of tradition and is a comprehensive university with 14 faculties, 465 professorships, around 31,000 students and a variety of subjects in 158 degree programs. Leipzig has a well-connected research landscape: the university is part of a local network that includes Max Planck, Helmholtz, Fraunhofer, and Leibniz institutes, providing opportunities for collaboration across different areas of science.

ScaDS.AI is located just north of the city center in a modern office building. Leipzig offers a high quality of life, a vibrant cultural scene, and excellent transport connections — Berlin is only an hour away.

The position

Ideal PhD candidates have a master's degree in computer science or a related discipline, a strong interest in both graphs and machine learning, excellent mathematical and programming skills and are team players. Knowledge of German is a plus, but not required. However, strong written and spoken English skills are essential.

PhD students will have teaching obligations of two hours per week during the semester.

What We Offer & How to Apply

- Flexible working hours, self-directed work, and diverse and challenging research responsibilities
- Work as part of a young, (still) small and interdisciplinary team within a national research center
- Payment according to TV-L 13 (100%) for 2,5  years with possible extension
- A fully-equipped on-site workspace and integration into the ScaDS.AI community, as well as access to the computing infrastructure and all related events, training, and courses.

To apply, please upload the following documents to the talenstorm platform:
- CV & Transcript of records
- Research Statement (max. one page) including why you want to start a PhD in this research area

Starting Date: 01.06.2026

Application deadline: 28.02.2026

We especially welcome applications from (multiple) discriminated persons and encourage applications from people of all races, religions, national origins, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and ages, as well as individuals with disabilities. Unfortunately, the list of possible forms of discrimination is long and incomplete but we want you to know that we look forward to meeting you! 

Kontaktdaten

Universität Leipzig
Dr. Martin Ritzert
Humboldtstraße 25
04105 Leipzig

Tel. 0341 97 39520