If you are looking for a fully funded PhD opportunity in Germany with a strong monthly salary, world-class research environment, and English-speaking lab culture, the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security and the University of Stuttgart are now inviting applications for PhD students to join their highly respected Software Lab.
This is not just a standard doctoral admission call — it is a paid PhD research position offering international applicants the chance to work at the cutting edge of software engineering, artificial intelligence, programming languages, and cybersecurity, while living in one of Germany’s most advanced academic cities.
With competitive funding, top-level mentorship, and global career outcomes, this PhD opportunity is one of the strongest research-based scholarships in Europe for 2026 applicants.
A Fully Supported PhD in Germany with Salary and Research Excellence
The CISPA Software Lab is hiring PhD researchers for a 1–2 year funded research stay leading into a full PhD track, where candidates will be employed at CISPA and receive their doctoral degree from the University of Stuttgart.
Research areas include highly in-demand topics such as:
- AI-based bug detection and repair using LLM agents
- Static and dynamic program analysis
- Differential software testing and reliability engineering
- Secure systems development for real-world applications
Past work from the lab has contributed to improving major global software systems including Chrome, Python libraries, Java standard tools, and large-scale web platforms.
Benefits and Offerings of Winning This CISPA PhD Scholarship
Winning this opportunity means entering one of Europe’s most competitive security and AI research environments with full professional employment benefits. Selected PhD students receive:
- Competitive salary of approximately €4,600 per month (Bund E13 pay scale, first year)
- Fully funded PhD employment at CISPA Helmholtz Center
- Opportunity to earn a doctorate from the University of Stuttgart
- 30 days of paid leave per year with regular 40-hour work weeks
- English as the official working language (German not required)
- Access to a world-leading research ecosystem in privacy, AI, and security
- Strong career pathways into top companies like Google, Microsoft, IBM, and elite academic roles
- High quality of life in Stuttgart, one of Germany’s most culturally rich and livable cities
This is a rare PhD position where you receive both financial stability and global research recognition from day one.
Eligibility Requirements (Who Should Apply)
Applicants are encouraged to apply if they have a strong academic foundation and a passion for advanced software research.
Eligible candidates should meet the following:
- Hold (or soon complete) a Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related field
- Be interested in pursuing a full PhD within 4–5 years
- Have creativity and motivation to solve technical research challenges
- Enjoy writing code and working on large-scale software systems
- Be confident in reading and writing technical English
- Be comfortable presenting research at conferences and academic forums
- Show persistence and long-term commitment to research work
CISPA also strongly encourages applications from:
- Female researchers
- Applicants with disabilities (50% or more, preference given if equally qualified)
- Candidates interested in part-time PhD arrangements.
Apply: https://software-lab.org/jobs/PhD_opening.html
Application Deadline (Last Date to Apply)
The last date to apply for the CISPA Helmholtz Center Software Lab PhD Scholarship at the University of Stuttgart is 20 February 2026, and applicants are strongly advised to submit all required documents well before the deadline to maximize their chances of selection.