Count on us to make it count.
The Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) is a non-university research institute under public law of the state of Berlin, dedicated to interdisciplinary research in applied mathematics and data-driven science. Within the research group Interactive Optimization and Learning (IOL), we are offering a position, starting on October 1st, 2025, for a
Researcher (f/m/d)
on a full-time basis (39,4 hours per week), limited until September 30th, 2027. If the applicant meets the relevant wage requirements and personal qualifications, the salary will be based on remuneration group 13 TV-L of the pay scale for the German public sector.
Your tasks
We are seeking a dedicated researcher to join our team and focus on the intersection of artificial intelligence and psychology as well as social sciences, specifically in the areas of Human-AI interaction, Agentic AI and the usage of VR/AR.
The role involves the design, implementation, and empirical evaluation of AI-driven assistance and learning systems, including agentic AI systems and the analysis of their impact on users. You will be responsible for building and testing prototypes, running controlled studies, analyzing quantitative/qualitative data (including eye-tracking data), and advancing the theoretical foundations of human-centered, agentic AI. A key part of this position is ensuring our methodologies meet high standards of scientific rigor.
This goal-oriented, scientific role is ideal for an individual who is passionate about advancing the fields of Agentic AI and Human-AI-Interaction.
Your profile
- Outstanding university degree (Master’s/Diploma) in psychology, information management, information systems or computer science
- Expertise in Human–AI interaction and/or XR-supported learning and work systems, preferably demonstrated by first-author pulications at relevant venues (e.g., ICIS, Journal of Multimodal User Interfaces)
- Programming experience, including AR/VR development with Unity and robot programming
- Strong methodological background in experimental design, statistics, data analysis, and eye-tracking studies
- Interest in exploring new research questions and driving their solutions toward practical implementation
- Interest in interdisciplinary collaboration (e.g., HCI, psychology, learning sciences)
- Very good English language skills
We offer a friendly work environment with flexible work and meeting times, excellent equipment and a challenging professional environment
as well as
- an active onboarding process to provide new employees with the skills and knowledge that are important to their success in our institute and their careers,
- a varied, future-oriented and responsible field of activity,
- professional training opportunities and support in professional development,
- an additional pension scheme (VBL),
- 30 days annual leave, flexible working hours (flexitime),
- a salary based on TV-L (collective agreement for the public service of the federal states) in accordance with qualifications and professional experience with annual bonus payment,
- capital allowance of up to € 150 per month, or alternatively a BVG job ticket plus the remaining balance,
- the use of canteens and sports programs of the Freie Universität Berlin (FUB) at reduced rates.
Applicants with disabilities will be given preference if equally qualified. Female applicants are highly encouraged to apply, since women are under-represented in natural sciences and ZIB seeks to increase the proportion of women in this field.
Please send your complete application including a curriculum vitae in tabular form with a description of previous research/thesis, list of scientific publications and references by September 4th, 2025 (date of receipt), quoting the Reference Number IWA 19/25 as one PDF file to: jobs@zib.de.
For further information about the position, please refer to our website www.zib.de or contact Max Zimmer (zimmer@zib.de).
Our private policy statement regarding application data is available at www.zib.de/impressum.
For further job offers please visit our website at www.zib.de/jobadvertisement.