The research assistant will support the conceptualization and development of a proposal for the establishment of a Research Training Group (RTG) on "Technology and Data Intelligence for Sustainable Water Infrastructure”, to be submitted for funding to third-party public institutions. The research assistant will also be responsible to perform scientific research related to the topic planned for the Research Training Group. This position will involve a blend of research, project management, and collaboration with stakeholders to ensure the successful design and submission of the proposal.
The Research Training Group "Technology and Data Intelligence for Sustainable Water Infrastructure" will be conceived as a pioneering and multidisciplinary research initiative that aims to address the pressing global challenges related to water resource management and infrastructure sustainability with a focus on physics informed machine learning (ML). The RTG will be developed with a two-fold objective: (i) TRAINING: an interdisciplinary training program for the training of three cohorts of doctoral students on topics related to water management, data mining and machine learning; (ii) RESEARCH: various subtopics within the graduate school will have the common research goal of understanding which machine learning techniques can be used to make engineered water systems more sustainable in combination with field/laboratory experiments.
The research associate will be part of the Smart Water Networks research group (https://www.swn.tu-berlin.de/) at TU Berlin and has access to the facilities of TU Berlin and the Einstein Center Digital Future. The Smart Water Networks research group (https://www.tu.berlin/en/swn/) investigates how digital technologies can support urban water management and sustainable human-water systems. Our research mission is developing data-informed and transferrable algorithms and sensor-based technologies that support sustainable, cost-effective, and just decision making (for utilities and municipalities), and awareness & sustainable behaviors (for citizens). All project development and research activities are developed in a joint effort with other research groups across four different faculties and other non-university research institutes in Berlin and Potsdam.
The candidate is responsible for coordinating all activities related to the development of the RTG proposal in collaboration with the entire project team. She/He will work closely with the principal investigators of the project and the project partners. She/He will also be responsible for interactions with the third-party funding institution.

Responsibilities:

• Coordination and development of a project proposal for a Research Training Group (RTG) on "Technology and Data Intelligence for Sustainable Water Infrastructure”
• Collaborate with faculty members and other stakeholders to ensure alignment with institutional goals and priorities
• Conduct in-depth research and analysis on the current state of research and technology in the context of physics informed machine learning (PIML) for water resources management and infrastructure sustainability
• Project management, including the preparation of recurrent project reports for monitoring the project progress
• Organization of consortium meetings within the various TU departments involved and reporting to the project managers
• Contribution to and preparation of project deliverables, meetings, and workshops/conferences
• Publication of the research outcomes in scientific publication

• Successfully completed university degree (Master, Diplom or equivalent) in civil and environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, science management, or a related field
• Experience in project management, including coordinating multiple tasks and meeting deadlines
• Good knowledge of German and/or English required; Ready to acquire the language skills that are missing
• Good knowledge in water systems/infrastructure modelling and management
• Good knowledge and experience of mathematical modelling, statistics, and machine learning
• Strong research and analytical skills, with a track record of publishing in peer-reviewed journals

desirable:

• Excellent communication & teamwork skills, proactive behavior, and commitment
• Familiarity with grant writing and proposal development processes is preferred
• Experience reporting to and communicating with public funders
• Experience in third-party funding acquisition for research projects

Please send your application in English with the reference number and the usual documents (cover letter, CV with final grades, certificate of Master´s degree) in one PDF by e-mail to Prof. Dr. Cominola (office-k2@fsd.tu-berlin.de).

By submitting your application via email you consent to having your data electronically processed and saved. Please note that we do not provide a guaranty for the protection of your personal data when submitted as unprotected file. Please find our data protection notice acc. DSGVO (General Data Protection Regulation) at the TU staff department homepage: https://www.abt2-t.tu-berlin.de/menue/themen_a_z/datenschutzerklaerung.

To ensure equal opportunities between women and men, applications by women with the required qualifications are explicitly desired. Qualified individuals with disabilities will be favored. The TU Berlin values the diversity of its members and is committed to the goals of equal opportunities.

Technische Universität Berlin - Die Präsidentin - Fakultät V, Institut für Strömungsmechanik und Technische Akustik, FG Smart Water Networks, Prof. Dr. Cominola, Sekr. FSD, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin