"Specialist (m/f/d) in life cycle analysis of data center infrastructures"

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – The University in the Helmholtz Association

In close partnership with society, KIT develops solutions for urgent challenges – from climate change, energy transition and sustainable use of natural resources to artificial intelligence, sovereignty and an aging population. As The University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT unites scientific excellence from insight to application-driven research under one roof – and is thus in a unique position to drive this transformation. As a University of Excellence, KIT offers its more than 10,000 employees and 22,800 students outstanding opportunities to shape a sustainable and resilient future.

KIT – Science for Impact.

We are looking for Scientific Computing Center (SCC) as soon as possible, limited up to 3 years, for a

Specialist (m/f/d) in life cycle analysis of data center infrastructures

The Scientific Computing Center is the Information Technology Center of KIT.

The Scientific Computing and Simulation (SCS) department provides scientists at KIT and beyond with a wide range of infrastructures and services related to high-performance computing (HPC).

Job description

The HoreKa research supercomputer operated by SCS is available nationwide for research projects as a Tier-2 performance class system. In addition, SCS provides services for all universities in the state of Baden-Württemberg as part of the Baden-Württemberg HPC Strategy (bwHPC) and operates, among other things, the bwUniCluster 3.0 as a basic Tier-3 performance class system.

As part of the project “Breathing Data Center – Life Cycle Analysis for Data Center Infrastructures,” a comprehensive approach to the ecological, economic, and social evaluation of data center infrastructures is being developed. The aim is to apply suitable life cycle assessment (LCA) methods to HPC and big data storage systems, develop a digital twin, and derive measures for decarbonization and efficiency improvement in the context of the KIT sustainability strategy.

Job requirements:

• Completed university degree (master's or equivalent) or doctorate in environmental sciences, computer science, engineering, or related fields
• In-depth knowledge of life cycle assessment (ISO 14040/44 compliant)
• Technical understanding of IT infrastructures and data centers
• Experience in project management and interdisciplinary communication
• Ability to communicate complex technical content in an understandable way
• Interest in sustainability, digitalization, and cross-disciplinary research
• Very good German and English skills

Curious about an exciting and versatile role in an agile team? Discover more about SCC as your professional place to be: https://www.scc.kit.edu/en/aboutus/working-at-scc.php

Become a member of staff of the only German University of Excellence that conducts large-scale research on the national level. Work under excellent working conditions in an international environment and be active in research and academic education for our future. Benefit from specific training when starting your job and from a wide range of further qualification offers. Use our flexible working time models (flexitime, work from home), our sports and leisure offers, as well as our child and holiday care services. We also pay a share of EUR 25/month in the Job Ticket Baden-Württemberg. Enjoy a large variety of dishes, snacks, and beverages at our canteens.

Salary category 13 TV-L, depending on the fulfillment of professional and personal requirements.

We prefer to balance the number of employees (f/m/d). Therefore we kindly ask female applicants to apply for this job. Recognized severely disabled persons will be preferred if they are equally qualified.

Please apply online until February 9, 2026 using the vacancy number 550/2025 to Mr Meschar, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Human Resources, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany. For further information, please contact Dr. Samuel Braun, phone +49 721 608-25651, E-Mail: samuel.braun@kit.edu