Research Student Assistant - VR development (Unity)

05.02.2026, Studentische Hilfskräfte, Praktikantenstellen, Studienarbeiten

Location: TUM Main Campus Start Date: March or later Working Hours: up to 20 hours/week At the Chair of Research and Science Management of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), our focus lies on leadership and leadership development in the digital age, the management of research organizations, and the attraction and development of diverse talents. Within this scope, we pursue several interrelated projects. The ACE project aims to develop an immersive virtual reality-based training for management communication, while a complementary line of research examines the assessment of destructive leadership to better understand how such behaviors emerge in workplace contexts. In these projects, we integrate research methods from the social sciences, neuroscience, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. We are currently developing a virtual reality-based assessment in which leaders interact in real time with AI-powered subordinates displaying different behavioral characteristics. During these interactions, we collect behavioral and neurophysiological data (e.g., verbal responses, heart rate variability, eye tracking). This is where you come in! We are looking for motivated students to support us primarily in the technical development of these projects. You will work on an existing VR prototype and contribute to its further refinement, with a strong focus on Unity development and data collection. Your responsibilities: • Enhancing realism in VR environments (e.g., avatar movement, lip-sync, asset integration) • Implementing experimental designs (e.g., scenario randomization, AI-driven avatars, prompt engineering) • Developing and integrating a data pipeline for the Meta Quest eye tracker • Supporting data collection and technical testing of experimental setups Your qualifications: • Enrolled in a Master’s program or advanced Bachelor’s studies in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Games Engineering, Robotics, or related disciplines) • Experience with Unity and confidence in programming with C# • Structured, independent, and reliable working style • Strong interest in interdisciplinary research Application process: We look forward to receiving your application, including your CV and current transcript of records, as soon as possible. Please send your application to Ms. Arij Briki (arij.briki@tum.de).

At the Chair of Research and Science Management of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), our focus lies on leadership and leadership development in the digital age, the management of research organizations, and the attraction and development of diverse talents. Within this scope, we pursue several interrelated projects. The ACE project aims to develop an immersive virtual reality-based training for management communication, while a complementary line of research examines the assessment of destructive leadership to better understand how such behaviors emerge in workplace contexts. In these projects, we integrate research methods from the social sciences, neuroscience, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.

We are currently developing a virtual reality-based assessment in which leaders interact in real time with AI-powered subordinates displaying different behavioral characteristics. During these interactions, we collect behavioral and neurophysiological data (e.g., verbal responses, heart rate variability, eye tracking).

This is where you come in! We are looking for motivated students to support us primarily in the technical development of these projects. You will work on an existing VR prototype and contribute to its further refinement, with a strong focus on Unity development and data collection.

Your responsibilities: • Enhancing realism in VR environments (e.g., avatar movement, lip-sync, asset integration) • Implementing experimental designs (e.g., scenario randomization, AI-driven avatars, prompt engineering) • Developing and integrating a data pipeline for the Meta Quest eye tracker • Supporting data collection and technical testing of experimental setups

Your qualifications: • Enrolled in a Master’s program or advanced Bachelor’s studies in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Games Engineering, Robotics, or related disciplines) • Experience with Unity and confidence in programming with C# • Structured, independent, and reliable working style • Strong interest in interdisciplinary research

Application process: We look forward to receiving your application, including your CV and current transcript of records, as soon as possible. Please send your application to Ms. Arij Briki (arij.briki@tum.de).

Chair of Research and Science Management (Prof. Dr. Claudia Peus), Technical University of Munich, Arcisstr. 21, 80333 München, www.msl.mgt.tum.de/rm

Kontakt: arij.briki@tum.de