Your Mission:

Understanding ride quality and suspension performance is a crucial part of race car development. The Vehicle Science department in our Motorsports division is dedicated to developing and applying cutting-edge methods in order to improve the performance of our cars and teams. In this thesis, you will focus on the application of driver models based on reinforcement learning, to carry out data driven setup investigations. Examples would be use cases for ride optimization, improving the existing workflow for suspension setup, or control system tuning.  By bridging vehicle simulation models and data-driven digital twins, your work will contribute to a deeper understanding of race car setup sensitivities, vehicle dynamics, and performance in the context of racing. This topic offers the opportunity to apply cutting-edge, scientifically relevant methods in a competitive environment.

Content of the Thesis:

• Investigation of novel reinforcement learning driver models for ride and suspension-related use cases
• Extension of the existing workflow for use case analysis with machine learning methods
• Analysis of the interaction between suspension setup changes and lap time / driver performance, developing novel data driven analysis methods
• Proposals for improvements to the evaluation pipeline, focusing on robustness and interpretability
• Validation of results by comparison against engineering judgement and existing methods

• Ongoing master studies in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Data Science, Control Engineering or related fields
• Knowledge in the field of vehicle dynamics
• Experience with reinforcement learning and ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch)
• Good programming skills in Python or similar
• Analytical mindset with interest in linking physical models and ML approaches
• Passion for motorsport and willingness to work in a highly dynamic environment

Our application hotline, on 0711/911-22 911, is open Monday to Friday from 13.00 to 16.00 for any questions you may have about applications to Porsche.

"In the beginning, I looked around and could not find quite the car I dreamed of. So I decided to build it myself.”

This quote from Ferdinand Porsche sums up what Porsche is as a brand, as a company, as a car manufacturer and as an employer. The "Porsche idea” has produced unique sports cars, such as the Porsche 356 and the 911. With the combination of tradition, innovation and our employees` Porsche typical – sometimes unconventional – ways of thinking, we make automobile dreams come true and always have that "little bit more” in our sights. But Porsche is more than "just” an exclusive sports car producer. Because Porsche has a lot to offer as an employer as well: numerous entry and career opportunities, measures for combining work and family, and flexible working hours.