▾R&D: Natural sciences & mathematics

„A new compact sensor that will use entangled atoms in microgravity for the first time“

FIELD OF STUDY: Physics | NOW: Institute for Satellite Geodesy and Inertial Sensing

R&D: Natural sciences & mathematics

Your mission: break new ground – every day

And give your work a purpose. Our future needs talented minds like yours. It needs new ways of generating and storing energy, new concepts and improved materials for aerospace, sophisticated automation and networking in key areas, and the development of quantum computers in Germany. What expertise can you contribute?

As a researcher at DLR, you will have access to a unique research infrastructure consisting of laboratories, simulators, test stands and other large-scale research facilities. You will also work on topics that are highly relevant for society. With enough freedom for your ideas, you will work with motivated colleagues to devise solutions to the pressing scientific and technical challenges of tomorrow’s world.

Shape the future with us. Yours and that of us all.

Take Alexander Fieguth, for example. The experimental physicist is delighted to be working in the Institute for Satellite Geodesy and Inertial Sensing at the cutting edge of technological developments at DLR. In the INTENTAS project, he is working on improving the sensitivity of atom interferometers and atomic clocks. What can be achieved? “Already today, atomic clocks in space and on Earth deliver highly precise time signals to support navigation systems such as Galileo. But improved atom interferometers can also enable extremely precise navigation without satellites,” Alexander explains. Or high-precision measurements of Earth’s gravitational field: “This can be used to improve climate models or our understanding of the composition of the Earth, among other things.”

• The unique infrastructure of a research organisation
• Space for high-quality scientific work
• A well-equipped workplace
• An open and motivating working environment
• Home office and remote working
• Socially relevant projects and goals
• Personalised further training opportunities
• A stable and secure workplace
• Security, company pension scheme and other benefits of a public organisation

Nadine Laska from the DLR Institute of Materials Research is also helping to shape the future. The graduate chemist is improving the air transport industry’s carbon footprint with her work on protective coatings for high-temperature applications: “The use of lighter materials or new fuels in aircraft contributes to more sustainable aviation and ultimately reduces the contribution to climate change. Protective coatings are necessary to enable use at higher temperatures and/or to extend the service life of components such as turbine blades. This leads to a more sustainable use of resources and raw materials.”

These are some of the questions that we pursue:

• How can renewable energy carriers and resources enable the production of fuels and raw materials?
• What are the interactions between space weather and the technological infrastructure on Earth and in space?
• How can we efficiently collect, analyse and process data?
• How do we develop highly porous carbon aerogels?
• How do we automatically detect traffic objects in aerial and satellite images?
• How do we develop efficient electrochemical batteries, fuel cells and electrolysers for future energy systems in both stationary energy supply and electromobility?
• How do we build the first operational quantum computer in Germany that can process huge amounts of data in complex calculations or simulations?
• What conditions do we need to create to enable the cultivation of food beyond Earth?

As a physicist, you can take on extraordinary tasks at DLR. These include, for example:

• Developing the concept for a quantum sensor to be used in a new type of flight gravimeter and designing and constructing a sensor head for it
• Building a highly complex cloud computing research platform for digital twins
• Coordinating and scientifically supporting the operation of the Columbus laboratory module

Take a look around – the range of our research work is wide.

As a chemist at DLR, you will be involved in developing the materials and energy sources of the future. Some possible tasks:

• Producing and characterising nanolaminate materials
• Investigating the chemical composition of new synthetic fuels
• Leading scientific and technical projects in the field of photoelectrochemical syntheses of energy carriers and fuels

Take a look around – the range of our research work is wide.

Many challenging projects await you in the field of Earth Sciences. These include, for example:

• Developing database applications for the long-term archiving of Earth observation data
• Automatically detecting traffic objects in aerial and satellite images and using the results for traffic research
• Carrying out water vapour measurements to improve the prediction of contrails

Take a look around – the range of our research work is wide.

As a mathematician at DLR, you can expect to be assigned extraordinary tasks. These include, for example:

• Developing secure software systems and architectures
• Researching innovative approaches to securing and validating AI algorithms
• Developing a source of single photons and entangled photon pairs that is compatible with quantum memory systems

Take a look around – the range of our research work is wide.

Biologists at DLR can also take on challenging tasks – for example:

• Computing structures in supercooled water
• Investigating the biological effects of space radiation and other environmental hazards
• Developing solutions for plant cultivation on Mars

Take a look around – the range of our research work is wide.

Many exciting projects await you in the field of medicine. These include, for example:

• Providing medical care to ESA astronauts
• Researching the effects of microgravity on the human body during extended stays in space
• Investigating performance under the conditions of a mobile 24-hour society

Take a look around – the range of our research work is wide.