PhD position: Virtual Engineering within Guidance & Automation

Welcome to John Deere, the leading manufacturer of agricultural, forestry, construction, lawn and grounds care equipment supported by comprehensive parts and financial services solutions. With around 73,500 employees worldwide, we generate total sales of $39 billion. Join us and be key in managing the biggest global challenge: supplying 7 billion people with food, clothing and infrastructure.

The Intelligent Solutions Group (ISG) of John Deere in Kaiserslautern develops future trends and technologies in the area of mobile agricultural and construction machinery in cooperation with different research centers. In addition, ISG develops and sells products and services in the area of precision farming using global satellite based navigation systems (GNSS), automated steering systems, machine automation, sensor technologies, telematic system solutions, web applications as well as apps for mobile devices to optimize farming processes and to support decision making.

The John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group in Kaiserslautern, Germany is offering as soon as possible a

PhD position in the area of Virtual Engineering within Guidance and Automation“ (m/f/d)

In this position, you will work with current agricultural technology and drive future technology development. You will research Virtual Engineering methods such as Digital Twins to enhance developments for guidance and automation systems which will be deployed on highly automated machines and systems. Your research will contribute to the application of Machine Learning Technology for commercial vehicles.

Already at an early stage, you will take over responsibility in cooperation with internal and external partners and research institutes and will contribute significantly to the success of the project.

The assigned tasks will give you the opportunity to perform your PhD on the job. You will be given the

opportunity to adapt the focus and the depth of your studies to your interests and the subject area of your university studies.

Your Responsibilities:

• Build a solid understanding of current engineering methods and tools
• Play a lead role in coordinating an international development project
• Analyze current virtual modelling and simulation approaches and develop solutions to optimize and automate development steps where possible
• Define, create and support virtual prototypes and demonstrators
• Incorporate industry trends and gather stakeholder feedback and needs
• Report project progress to engineering stakeholders on a regularly basis

What Skills You Need:

• Above average graduate of computer sciences, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or comparable area w/ right to pursue a PhD
• Practical experience with virtual environments and simulation
• Experience with programming and ideally robot frameworks
• Willingness to do scientific work
• Openness and interest in agricultural technology
• Good command of English both written and spoken – German is a benefit
• Solid communication skills
• Strong ability to work well in teams
• Willingness to travel to a limited extent
• Experience in computer vision, machine learning and artificial intelligence is of benefit

You can look forward to:

• An attractive compensation package and bonus program
• Flexible worktime solutions to facilitate an easier combination of family and career
• Multiple development and learning opportunities within a global player
• Flat hierarchies and an appreciative and respectful social interaction

This position will be offered with a temporary contract for three years (“Sachzweckbefristung”) and an employment percentage of 75% (26,25h/week).

We look forward to your online application via our application portal!

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