Research Scientist - Human-AI Interaction (all genders

Research Scientist - Human-AI Interaction

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is one of the world's leading organizations for applied research. 74 institutes develop groundbreaking technologies for our economy and society – specifically, 30,000 people from technology, science, administration, and IT. The team "Automated Service Interactions" at the Fraunhofer Institute for Work Economics and Organization IAO in Heilbronn works on national and international research and consulting projects with the goal of designing the interaction of human-AI service systems in the best possible way.

The focus is on the analysis and redesign of service processes with the help of artificial intelligence, especially generative AI, to develop human-centered, future-oriented AI service systems. We are looking for an entrepreneurial personality with enthusiasm for generative AI and human-AI interaction. You want to combine innovative research with concrete application cases, develop new research topics, and together with companies design intelligent AI solutions with real added value.

Here you will make a difference. You will work in an interdisciplinary team on innovative research and development projects at the interface of generative AI, human-AI interaction, and intelligent service systems. In particular, you will take over the following tasks:

• Conception, design, and prototyping of innovative AI-based services and intelligent service processes
• Scientific evaluation and further development of developed solution approaches, for example through statistical analyses, user studies, and other empirical methods
• Design and optimization of the human-AI interaction as well as the user experience of AI-based service systems within iterative development processes
• Conception, planning, and conducting workshops with companies to identify, develop, and implement innovative AI application cases
• Acquisition of new research and industry projects, in particular through the development of research ideas as well as the conception and elaboration of grant applications and offers
• Communication and transfer of scientific findings through specialist lectures, publications, and participation in scientific public relations

You bring in:

• Completed scientific university degree in Cognitive Science, (Economic) Informatics, Artificial Intelligence or a comparable field
• Several years of practical experience in the use of LLM technologies, machine learning methods or the development of AI-based applications as well as good programming skills, ideally in Python
• Proven experience in software development, ideally also in production use, as well as knowledge of containerized environments and modern software or infrastructure architectures
• Experience with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), Prompt Engineering, Conversational AI, Multi-Agent Systems or comparable technologies
• First practical experience in the evaluation of user experience, human-AI interaction or digital service interactions using scientific methods
• Interest in application-oriented research, collaboration with companies, and the development of innovative AI solutions in interdisciplinary project teams
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, team orientation, and enjoyment of conceptual, scientific, and customer-oriented project work

What we offer you:

• Exciting future topics in an interdisciplinary, highly motivated team
• A fair and transparent remuneration system with individual performance-related components and success participation
• A comprehensive training and qualification offer with the possibility of a doctorate
• Flexible working hours, the possibility of mobile working as well as support offers for the compatibility of family and work (e.g. emergency care and home & eldercare via our pme family service, mobile co-working with children)
• An interesting combination of strategic, conceptual, and operational tasks at a renowned institution for applied research
• A pleasant and modern workplace in the ecosystem of Heilbronn
• Further benefits (e.g. discounted Germany ticket, company mobile phone - also for private use - and company pension scheme)

We value and promote the diversity of our employees' competencies and therefore welcome all applications - regardless of age, gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, beliefs, disability as well as sexual orientation and identity. Disabled persons will be given preference in case of equal suitability. Our tasks are diverse and adaptable - for applicants with disabilities we will find solutions together that optimally promote their abilities.

The position is initially limited to 2 years. Long-term employment is intended. The weekly working time is 39 hours. The position can also be filled part-time.

Employment, remuneration, and social benefits are based on the Collective Agreement for the Public Service (TVöD). In addition, Fraunhofer can grant performance- and success-dependent variable components of remuneration.

With its focus on future-relevant key…