Database Systems and Information Management

Employment Opportunities

General Remarks

DIMA regularly accepts job applications for Postdoctoral Researchers, Research Associates (PhD Students), and (Student) Research Assistant positions throughout the year.

Ideal Postdoctoral Researchers and Research Associates (PhD Students) seek to challenge themselves, are passionate about data science and computer systems engineering, and possess expertise in several technical areas, including big data analytics (including machine learning), benchmarking, data science, scalable data management, scalable processing technologies that leverage hardware-based solutions, stream processing, or visual analytics. Besides strong programming skills (e.g., C/C++, Java, Python, Scala), candidates must also have hands-on implementation experience in big data systems (e.g., Apache Flink, Apache Spark), database systems (e.g., SQL, NoSQL), or machine learning systems. Furthermore, good knowledge of both German and English are strongly desired. However, at a minimum, candidates must be able to communicate in English.

DIMA also regularly accepts job applications for Research Assistants (RAs) to support the Agora and NebulaStream programs as well as Software Campus-funded projects. RAs have the opportunity to join a diverse team of scientists and engineers (representing people from around the world), learn from experienced professionals, further develop their technical and communication skills, and work in a dynamic environment. RAs are hired on fixed-term contracts ranging between 41 and 80 working hours each month. In order to be considered, students must be currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s Program in the Berlin Metropolitan Area and possess technical skills in such areas as programming, software engineering, and database systems.

Candidates interested in applying for a Postdoctoral Researcher, a Research Associate (PhD Student), or a (Student) Research Assistant position should direct their job application to jobs[at]dima.tu-berlin.de. In general, applications must include a cover letter (specifying target position, including the job reference number, when available), a CV, academic transcripts, and letters of recommendation. Note: Postdoctoral Researcher applicants must also provide examples of past publications.

Teaching Assistants

Teaching Assistants (i.e., Tutor*innen) are sought out for our Informationssysteme & Datenanalyse (ISDA) course, which is offered in each summer semester. To be considered, students must have successfully completed the ISDA course previously. The hiring process is handled by Faculty IV (the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science). For a summer semester teaching assistant position, applications are accepted through January 31st. Students who are offered a position would then start their job on April 1st. If accepted, students interested in serving as a teaching assistant for a DIMA course, should indicate their preference every semester before teaching assistants are assigned to courses. For more information about the hiring process (in German only) visit:

https://www.eecs.tuberlin.de/zielgruppen/beschaeftigte/beschaeftigtefakultaet_iv/tutorinnen_und_studentische_beschaeftigte/bewerbung_als_tutorin/.

Job Postings

Note: We welcome unsolicited applications year-around independent of our official job postings.

Alumni Testimonials

© Sebastian Breß

An Interview with Dr. Sebastian Breẞ(Snowflake)

"The DIMA group has a high international visibility thanks to its member’s ambitious spirit and aims to publish papers in Core A* conferences and journals. Additionally, DIMA is a systems group, focusing on prototyping new ways of architecting data processing systems."

Sebastian Breß held a postdoctoral researcher postion at DIMA from November 2015 until October 2020. Afterwards, he joined Snowflake as a Senior Software Engineer.

© Asterios Katsifodimos

An Interview with Prof. Asterios Katsifodimos (TU Delft)

"My first impression about DIMA was that they were working on high impact research and that they placed great value in the development and engineering of real-world systems."

Asterios Katsifodimos held a senior researcher position at DIMA from 2013 to 2016. After his time at DIMA, Asterios first took a position at the SAP Innovation Center in Berlin and then joined TU Delft as an Assistant Professor.

© Sebastian Schelter

An Interview with Dr. Sebastian Schelter (Amazon)

"The DIMA staff members I met were very approachable. They took the time to explain their research, particularly, the system they were building in detail."

Sebastian Schelter was a PhD student at DIMA from 2011 to 2015 and held a senior researcher part time position until 2017. Afterwards, he joined Amazon as an Applied Scientist.

Ein Interview mit Dr. Jonas Traub (SAP) (Englisch)

"I first learned about DIMA in 2012 when I met Volker Markl at the IBM Almaden Research Center. During my Master’s studies, I focused on data stream processing in Apache Flink, given my passion for database technologies and contributed to Flink's Streaming API. Subsequently I was hired as a research associate."

Jonas Traub was a research associate at the DIMA Group from 2015 to 2020. Afterwards, he joined SAP as a Senior Developer.

Ein Interview mit Martin Kiefer (DIMA) (Englisch)

"During my Bachelor’s studies at DHBW Stuttgart, Prof. Markl invited a few of my fellow students and me to visit DIMA and learn about their research activities. The visit not only peaked my interest, it motivated me to subsequently join DIMA as a student assistant."

Martin Kiefer was a research associate at the DIMA Group until 2023. He left us to join Keebo, where he said he would be contributing his expertise in data summarization and help save them some money on cloud data warehouses. He is working from Berlin.

© Rudi Poepsel Lemaitre

Ein Interview mit Rudi Poepsel Lemaitre (DIMA) (Englisch)

"Since joining DIMA my way of thinking has changed. In particular, I am better able to organize my time. Furthermore, my professional ambition has grown. I have set new goals, have big dreams, and feel aptly prepared to realize them."

Rudi is a research associate at the DIMA Group since 2021. Before that, he worked as a student research assistant and managed his own Software Campus project.

Ein Interview mit Eleni Tzirita Zacharatou (IT University of Copenhagen) (Englisch)

"DIMA is a very large data systems group, much larger than most others. As a result, it offers a stimulating environment with plenty of opportunities for growth through the interaction with fellow group members and undertaking different roles within the group. Furthermore, DIMA focuses on building full-fledged data processing systems that address real-world demands, which is challenging to achieve in smaller groups. Finally, the group has a strong presence in the international database community, publishing in top-tier venues every year."

Eleni Tzirita Zacharatou is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department at the IT University of Copenhagen (ITU).