Sebastian U. Stich

Highlighted Position: Postdoctoral Reseracher

Fully-funded Postdoctoral Reseracher

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher with a strong background in optimization and machine learning. You will have the opportunity to develop your own research agenda while collaborating closely with PhD students students in our group.
Our research focuses on distributed, collaborative, and federated learning, aiming to develop efficient algorithms that enable independent models to work together effectively. The position offers the opportunity to contribute to the ERC project CollectiveMinds (focused on decentralized collaboration between models) or a DFG-funded project on deep learning optimization and transformer training.
We strongly encourage international collaborations and offer support for travel and exchanges.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and strongly encourage applications from underrepresented groups.
Application Deadline: August 1, 2025. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

fully-funded 4-year PhD position [CollectiveMinds]

We are looking for a highly motivated PhD researcher to join our group, working on collaborative and distributed machine learning as part of the ERC project CollectiveMinds.
Research topics include (but are not limited to):
- collaborative learning
- continual learning
- deep learning optimization & theory
- fairness, robustness, personalization
- federated (or decentralized) learning
- knowledge distillation
- privacy preserving machine learning
Students may choose to focus on either foundational theory or applications with societal impact. We actively support and encourage both directions.
The position is fully funded (100%, E13 scale) and comes with excellent working conditions: social security benefits, 30 days of vacation, generous travel support, and a collaborative, international research environment.
Requirements: Candidates are expected to have an excellent MSc degree in mathematics, statistics, computer science or a related discipline. A solid mathematical foundation (e.g. probability theory, statistics, calculus, and linear algebra) is a must, experience in optimization, machine learning, data science or with a ML framework such as e.g. PyTorch, is a plus.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and strongly encourage applications from underrepresented groups.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

I have multiple open positions for Ph.D. students, postdocs, master theses, interns, and other collaborations on
- optimization
- theory of machine learning
- federated learning
- fairness, security, privacy, robustness
I am growing my group, so please feel free to reach out even if there is no specific opening advertised.
Requirements
- A bachelor/master degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics (or related fields)
- Excellent English (knowledge of German is not required)
- Strong background in either (or multiple): machine learning/optimization/programming
What we offer
- Full-time work contract* with a competitive salary (100% on the E13 scale, see also this blog post about life as a PhD student in Germany by a CISPA colleague).
- Excellent research environment
- Strong supervision
- World-class collaborations
- (*) The initial contract duration is 1 year, which will be extended upon passing the qualification exam and meeting the admission criteria for the graduate school.
Please send me and email with your CV, mentioning the position you apply for, a research statement and motivation.
If you apply for a [PhD], a [Postdoc], a [HiWi], or [Intern] position, please fill our the corrsponding form.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis (I might not respond to generic requests).

If you are a student at UdS (or elsewhere in Germany) prior to completion of your masters, you can apply for (paid) reserach work (up to 19hrs a week). Please use this form: [HiWi].
- As a HiWi, you will assist the research in our group by working on a project.
- You are expected to participate in the activities of the group and to collaborate with other members.
- The HiWi position aims to help you identify if pursuing a PhD in our group is a suitable path for you.
If you are a international student you can apply for a reserach internship. Please check the CISPA website for the terms and conditions, and the yearly call.
For exceptional candidates, we can also offer other forms of collaboration or provide financial support for internship visits, whether you are a PhD student or a researcher.. Please use this form to contact me directly: [Intern].
- If you need a visa, please apply at least 6 months prior to the desired starting date.