Frequently asked questions
Here are some answers to questions we've received. If there's anything left unanswered, just write an email to career@cispa.de.
CISPA is a great place to be. At our research center, everyone is on a first-name basis, and (almost) everyone likes to play table soccer after work. And, needless to say, we all enjoy a little chitchat in the hallway.
And because nothing connects people like food and fun, we often come together for lunch, an after-work drink, and leisure activities.
Perhaps you! Everyone who wants to take on this ambitious climb with us and can convince us they can help us on this journey is more than welcome. We are looking for tenured Faculty and tenure-track Faculty in all areas related to cybersecurity, privacy, cryptography, and machine learning. We also regularly look for PhD students and research assistants.
We also look for colleagues who can make a difference in our administration and science support.
For many reasons, we do not accept applications via email. While some of our researchers may accept applications via email (e.g., for student/research assistant positions), we ask you to submit applications directly through our job portal (https://career.cispa.de/jobs).
Please do not submit application documents to applications[at]cispa.de, other CISPA email addresses, or via postal mail. Applications received outside the job portal cannot be processed. We will not return postal applications; instead, we will professionally destroy all submitted documents in compliance with applicable data protection regulations.
We accept applications only in German and English, but prefer English for research positions.
As a rule of thumb: If the job ad is in English, go for English; if it is in German, go for German.
Applications usually take up to a month to process but, depending on circumstances, can take two months or more.
German isn't essential for working at universities or research centers in computer science. At CISPA, English is virtually the default language for everything. In university cities such as Saarbrücken, many people speak English well enough to communicate with you.
In German schools, English is often the main second language. And seeing as Germany is at the very heart of Europe, Germans are quite accustomed to foreign languages. Nevertheless, people generally appreciate you taking the time to learn a little of the local language, and we are happy to support anyone who still wants to learn German; we organize German lessons both in-house and remotely, individually and in groups.
German universities generally offer good working conditions. The differences between the individual universities are not as big as in the USA, for example. Top research institutions like CISPA can easily compete with the best universities in the world.
Well, there’s German beer, and German bread. We probably don’t need to tell you about those. Just try it; you’ll see that their good reputation isn’t exaggerated. The Saarlandish fare is especially influenced by our close neighbor France. A large Italian community has also shaped our food culture.
On top of that, there are Croatian, Indian, Thai, Japanese, regional, and international experiences to be had – from traditional restaurants to the latest food trucks. The Saarland people sure love their food. And the best thing about it: The prices are entirely reasonable.
Most of Germany lies in a temperate climate zone with four seasons, all of which are relatively mild (summers tend to get hotter and hotter, though). So around here, it’s sometimes warm, sometimes cold, sometimes dry, sometimes wet. There’s snow and ice, thunderstorms and T-shirt weather. It’s best you talk to the locals about the weather, as it’s always a favorite topic around here.
The city forest of Saarbrücken lies directly behind the CISPA main building. That’s convenient, for example, for clearing your head with a nice run, so you can keep on doing awesome cybersecurity research. Nature tourism is a big thing in the Saarland. You shouldn’t miss the obligatory visit to the “Saarschleife” under any circumstances. But there’s plenty more to see, from parks to bathing lakes.
There’s lots to experience: The crazy traditions of the German carnival. Five different colors for garbage bins. Germans who will wait at a red pedestrian light, even though there’s no car in sight. And so much more. But the best thing about it: You won’t discover these things alone. You will do it together, with other talented people, here at CISPA, here in the Saarland. Saarländers are very welcoming people. Trust us, you’ll see.