Young Researcher Internship Program

Saarbrücken, Germany

CISPA is looking for highly qualified, highly motivated students with a strong interest in research questions related to the cybersecurity, machine learning, privacy, cryptography, data protection, and related topics.

Who can apply?

To apply for a voluntary internship at CISPA you must have student status and be enrolled at an eligible institution for the entire duration of the internship. Your courde of study should be in the field of Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Machine learning, or similar.


The CISPA Ecosystem
What we offer:

  • A monthly remuneration between €2.028 - €2.230 (gross / month) depending on the number of work days in the respective internship period.
  • Cybersecurity is embedded in all current and future key digital technologies and processes. The CISPA internship and traineeship program provides international students with opportunities to perform an early-stage research experience in order to get involved in information security research projects while receiving scientific and technical training
  • An international, multicultural, highly professional and friendly working environment.
  • Support in finding a room
  • Possibility to attend CISPA’s research seminars and courses
* Student interns are responsible for their own health insurance, travel expenses and housing. Foreign student interns may be required to have accident insurance when applying for a visa.

We offer
What we expect:

  • You are in the 5th or 6th academic semester of a 4-year Bachelor’s program or in your 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th academic semester of a 5-year integrated or dual degree (Bachelor-Master) program (i.e., at least 4 semesters completed when visiting CISPA).
  • Fluent English skills. German is beneficial but not required.
  • Motivation and the ability to work autonomously as well as in a team
  • Interest in a typically 3 months internship.

We expect you
How to apply:

  • Motivation letter: the motivation letter should be about one page long and show your interest and motivation for a specific topic. Even better, your motivation statement could also show that you have read 1-3 relevant papers of the person with whom you would like to work here at CISPA.
  • Academic CV: Your CV should follow a similar structure like Example 1 or Example 2 and contain all relevant information on your academic and industry achievements.
  • Recommendation letter (if possible)
  • Recent Academic Transcripts (e.g., a degree certificate; in English)
  • Certificate of Enrollment (in English)
  • A working permit (if necessary)



Interested? We look forward to your application!

This program will be returning soon.


About CISPA

CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security is a German national Science Institution within the Helmholtz Association and provides a unique work environment that offers the advantage of a university department and a research laboratory alike. CISPA has the mission to rethink the digitized world of the future from the ground on up an make it safer through innovative cutting-edge research. CISPA is committed to the highest international academic standards. We offer a world-class research environment that grants extensive resources to a wide range of researchers and constitutes an attractive destination for the best talents and scientists from all countries.

CISPA is located in Saarbrücken, in the tri-border area of Germany, France and Luxembourg. The CISPA campus is located close to Saarland University, which is known for its excellence in Computer Science, the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)

CISPA provides a highly international and diverse working environment, currently hosting researchers of 40 nationalities.

For more information about CISPA, see https://cispa.de/en

All information on the processing of your personal data, your statements in the application process and your data privacy rights can be found in our data privacy policy.