Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Potsdam

The Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) is a pioneer and a driver of bioeconomy research. We create the scientific foundation to transform agricultural, food, industrial and energy systems into a sustainable bio-based circular economy. We develop and integrate techniques, processes and management strategies, effectively converging technologies to intelligently crosslink highly diverse bioeconomic production systems and to control them in a knowledge-based, adaptive and largely automated manner. We conduct research in dialogue with society, policymakers, industry and other stakeholders - knowledge-driven and application-inspired.

To strengthen theDepartment Data Science in Bioeconomywe are offering the following position to be filled on 15.06.2026:

Two Student Research Assistants (m/f/d) (40-80h per month) Focus on Large Language Models and Explainable AI

We are looking for a motivated student to join our research team as a Student Research Assistant in the field of Explainable and Reliable Artificial Intelligence, with a strong focus on applications in agriculture. The position focus on developing and evaluating large language model (LLM) approaches designed to support farmers in decision-making processes. The project explores how conversational LLMs can be adapted to agricultural context, such as crop management, sustainability practices, and advisory systems, while ensuring that their outputs are transparent, interpretable, and trustworthy for end users in farming environments.

Your tasks

• Design and implement conversational LLM-based pipelines and workflows
• Integrate explainability methods into LLM-based pipelines
• Develop and evaluate prompt engineering strategies (zero-shot, few-shot)
• Support experimental setup, data generation, and evaluation of model behavior
• Write, test, and maintain research code; prepare documentation and reports.

Your qualifications

• Enrolled student (MSc or advanced BSc) in computer science, data science, physics, engineering, mathematics, or a related field
• Solid understanding of machine learning, especially deep learning and transformer models
• Practical experience with Python and ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, HuggingFace, NumPy, sklearn)
• Basic knowledge of large language models and prompt engineering is a plus
• Interest in explainable AI and interpretability of modern ML systems
• Domain knowledge in agriculture is optional but beneficial
• Ability to work independently and reliably.

We offer

• Exciting research tasks in the field of trustworthy AI with applications in sustainable agriculture
• Opportunity to contribute to scientific publications and open-source frameworks
• Supervision by experienced scientists
• An attractive, research-intensive, and interdisciplinary working environment
• A highly motivated, international team
• Excellent infrastructure for scientific work
• Flexible working hours and excellent equipment
• Family-friendly working conditions that promote work-life balance
• A workplace at the edge of a picturesquare landscape, easily aaccessible by bike or public transport.

The position is to be filled with 40 to 80 hours per month and is limited to one year. The salary is depending on your degree (15,81 Euros per hour with Bachelor’s degree, 15,20 Euros per hour without degree).

For further information, please contact Prof Dr. Marina Höhne (E-Mail: MHoehne(at)atb-potsdam.de) and visit our website at www.atb-potsdam.de.

Have we piqued your interest? Please apply online by 26 April 2026, including a strong motivation letter demonstrating your suitability for the advertised student research assistant position, a detailed CV, all certificates with grades (A levels and the current transcript of Bachelor and/or Master courses and grades), and any recommendation letters via our application portal (reference number 2026-DS-3): https://www.atb-potsdam.de/en/career/vacancies. Applications received after the application deadline cannot be considered.

The Interviews are expected to take place from 04 to 08 May 2026.

We are committed to equal opportunities. Applications from severely disabled candidates will be given preference if equally qualified.

By submitting your application, you agree that your documents may be stored for up to six months even in the case of an unsuccessful application. Further information on data protection can be found here: https://www.atb-potsdam.de/en/data-protection-declaration-for-the-application-process.