Doctoral Thesis: Safety argumentation for automated driving systems across their complete lifecycle (f/m/div)

The industrial doctorate at Infineon: Pursue a doctoral degree at a university and gain professional experience simultaneously – an ideal start for your career. Advance your research with us and profit from our vast network of doctoral candidates and the expertise of a university. Mentorship is handled by both professors and dedicated Infineon employees.
We are offering a doctoral thesis on \“Safety argumentation for automated driving systems across their complete lifecycle.\“ Automated mobility – not only in the automotive industry but also in domains such as the rail sector – is expected to have significant benefits for the overall public. However, as the real world can be considered complex, dynamic, and, most importantly, open, methods for validating these systems are a relevant research question. For these reasons, deploying automated vehicles is particularly challenging – especially in a safe manner. Currently, automated driving systems (ADS) are only deployed in restricted operational design domains (ODDs) with a limited set of behavior competencies (BCs). Especially handling unexpected events (\“long-tail\“ events) that are unknown at the time of development becomes increasingly problematic for higher automation levels with an increased ODD. In addition, these systems increasingly rely on artificial intelligence (AI) for tasks such as perception and path planning, adding complexity regarding validation – not only for the initial deployment but throughout the entire lifecycle. In this sense, the PhD thesis will focus on methodologies, concepts, and approaches related to safety guarantees for ADS across the entire lifecycle. A particular focus should be on the structure and overall requirements for an evidence-based safety argumentation as part of the overall certification and homologation of such systems. This includes aspects of safety management systems which are already in use in the railway domain. For the mentioned evidence, respective metrics should be formulated – utilizing the already mentioned ODD and BC concepts as a starting point. The research will be performed in the Enablers & Emerging Trends group within the Research and Technology Funding department at Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg.
The research is carried out in cooperation with the University of Granada for the PhD degree, under the supervision of Diego Pedro Morales Santos, Full Professor, Ph.D., Department of Electronic and Computer Technology.

Job Description
The tasks within the thesis will consist of:

• Exploration of safety argumentation and assurance concepts for ADS, including the state of the art regarding safety validation frameworks and safety management systems.
• Investigation and development of safety assurance concepts, methods and approaches, for example, regarding the consideration of residual risks across the ADS lifecycle.
• Development of a safety argumentation structure considering the entire ADS lifecycle.
• Design of respective metrics for generating safety-relevant evidence using emerging concepts, e.g. operational design domain and behavior competencies:

The learnings out of the thesis will lead to:

• Scientific research studies on concepts, methods, and approaches required to deploy automated mobility solutions compliant with relevant standards and regulations (such as ISO 26262, ISO 21448, ISO 8800).
• Collaboration with University researchers and PhDs at Infineon performing their research in AI and its related applications, e.g., environment perception, and cooperation in European and German-funded projects with industrial and academic partners.
• Set up demonstration solutions to showcase and validate safety assurance concepts.

Your Profile
You are best equipped for this task if you have:
A doctoral student is a research enthusiast,
…whose interests are scientific research combined with the passion for Infineon’s innovative products and applications.
…who enjoys working in an industrial environment in combination with an Infineon partner university.
…who appreciates open communication and the contribution of an international environment.
…and is thus an excellent candidate for a further academic or industrial career after completion of their thesis.

As the ideal candidate you:

• Are eligible for full-time PhD studies.
• Must have a university master\’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or equivalent, focusing on embedded systems, data mining, and machine learning for smart systems.
• Basic knowledge about safety and trustworthy concepts (e.g. for automated vehicles).
• Experience with AI algorithms, approaches and concepts within different applications.
• Basic knowledge of system theory, statistics and probability theory.
• Experience in demo system set-up, e.g. lab demonstrators at university.
• Relevant industry experience, fluent English and basic German skills.

Know-how in following topics is preferable – but not mandatory:

• Knowledge of functional safety (ISO 26262), SOTIF (ISO 21448), and ISO 8800 (Road vehicles – Safety and artificial intelligence)
• Basic systems engineering knowledge
• Basic knowledge of safety management systems including safety cases
• Basic knowledge of the operational design domain (ODD) concept
• Basic knowledge about fault diagnosis and scenario design
• Basic knowledge about simulation frameworks used for virtual validation approaches

Contact:
Britta Johansson

#WeAreIn for driving decarbonization and digitalization.
As a global leader in semiconductor solutions in power systems and IoT, Infineon enables game-changing solutions for green and efficient energy, clean and safe mobility, as well as smart and secure IoT. Together, we drive innovation and customer success, while caring for our people and empowering them to reach ambitious goals. Be a part of making life easier, safer and greener.
Are you in?

– You can find the headquarters of Infineon Technologies AG in Neubiberg –
In Campeon, besides working towards our goal of being one of the most sustainable companies in the world, we are improving everyone\’s future by making the technology of tomorrow.

At Infineon, we take work-life balance very seriously. You will be a step away from the center of Munich with its infinite possibilities. Whether you\’re a history buff, a foodie, or simply looking for relaxation in the city. Munich has something for everyone. Come and discover the warmth and charm of this city, where Bavarian hospitality meets modern urban living.

We are on a journey to create the best Infineon for everyone.
This means we embrace diversity and inclusion and welcome everyone for who they are. At Infineon, we offer a working environment characterized by trust, openness, respect and tolerance and are committed to give all applicants and employees equal opportunities. We base our recruiting decisions on the applicant´s experience and skills. Learn more about our various contact channels.
We look forward to receiving your resume, even if you do not entirely meet all the requirements of the job posting.
Please let your recruiter know if they need to pay special attention to something in order to enable your participation in the interview process.
Click here for more information about Diversity & Inclusion at Infineon.