Work environment

As a PhD candidate in our program, you will have the unique opportunity to join a highly innovative team within the Corporate Industrial Engineering division of the Volkswagen Group. Our department plays a key role in the development and implementation of advanced methodologies applied across the entire product lifecycle. You will be actively involved in the networking and methodological support of over 15,000 industrial engineers, planners, and production optimization experts at more than 120 production sites worldwide. The methods we develop are integral to various stages of the product development process - from ideation in 3P workshops and continuous improvement (CIP) in the series production phase to comprehensive productivity management. This provides you with an excellent platform to research and develop innovative solutions in the field of autonomous process planning using artificial intelligence. As a member of our team, you will work in an inspiring, interdisciplinary environment that fosters not only your technical development but also your personal growth through collaboration with leading experts across various domains. We place great value on creativity and the exchange of ideas to continuously push the boundaries of what is possible.

Possible Tasks within this Role

• Developing and training a generative AI model for automated process planning, including the mathematical modeling of requirements in assembly line balancing problems and linking with mathematical optimization methods
• Creating AI algorithms: Designing and programming advanced algorithms to optimize manufacturing processes in close coordination with the IT department
• Implementing pilot projects: Executing and evaluating pilot projects at selected production sites to validate the developed methods
• Collaborating with industry experts: Regular exchange and collaboration with industrial engineers and process planners to tailor solutions to specific needs
• Documenting and presenting results: Preparing research findings for internal stakeholders and for presentation at scientific conferences

The final doctoral topic is defined together with the professor. The prerequisite for the cooperation is the confirmation of supervision as well as a confirmed delimitation of topics by the professor of a university or research institution entitled to confer a doctorate.

Qualification requirements

• Good to very good university degree qualifying for doctoral studies in Computer Science, Information Systems, Industrial Engineering, or a related field
• Solid expertise in data analysis, statistics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence
• In-depth knowledge in the field of operations research and mathematical optimization
• Practical experience with programming languages such as Python, R, MATLAB, or similar tools for implementing AI models and optimization algorithms
• English language level B2 and German language level C1
• Strong team spirit, commitment, and initiative