Work environment

Would you like to actively shape the cybersecurity of future electric vehicles and explore innovative methods at the intersection of artificial intelligence, simulation, and vehicle development? Then join our team. Our Electric Drives, Power Electronics & Transmissions Development department within Volkswagen Group Components at the Kassel, Wolfsburg, and Gaimersheim locations is actively driving the mobility transformation and is responsible for developing key components of future electric drive systems. Together, we are creating innovative and cost-effective solutions for the mobility of tomorrow. As part of your thesis project, you will work on current challenges in automotive cybersecurity and contribute to the advancement of modern penetration testing methodologies.

Possible tasks within this role

• Developing a proof of concept for optimized penetration testing by comparing AI-based simulations with physical attack scenarios
• Designing a simulation-based penetration testing framework to model real-world attacker capabilities and behavior in virtualized automotive environments
• Integrating simulation results into structured cybersecurity risk analyses to improve the consistency, reproducibility, and accuracy of risk assessments
• Analyzing existing ISO 21434-aligned TARA implementations and identifying deviations as well as opportunities for improvement
• Collaborating with cybersecurity engineering teams while documenting and presenting project results

Qualification requirements

• Students (including those in a gap year) pursuing a master's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a comparable field of study
• Strong knowledge of or a strong interest in cybersecurity and penetration testing
• Experience with simulation tools or virtualized testing environments; knowledge of MATLAB/Simulink
• Familiarity with formal methods, simulation-based testing, or Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is desirable
• Programming skills in Python, C/C++ or similar programming languages
• Knowledge of electric drive systems or power electronics is advantageous
• Strong analytical and structured working style as well as teamwork and communication skills
• German and English language level B2

The following documents must be submitted with your application

• Curriculum Vitae
• Current certificate of enrolment (except during the gap year)
• Current transcript of records
• In case of a compulsory internship, a certificate from the university

Keywords

IT Security, Information Security, Automotive Security, Vehicle Security, Embedded Systems, Ethical Hacking, Threat Modeling, Security Engineering, Model-Based Design, Systems Engineering