Call for "Journalist in Residence" (m/f/x) in 2026

Freelancer, Full or part-time · Heidelberg

Das sind Ihre Aufgaben

Are you an experienced science journalist? Would you like to delve into new areas of research and deepen your technical knowledge? Or learn more about machine learning and the methods of data-driven science in Germany? The “Journalist in Residence” program at the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) offers a stay of three to six months.

Compensation: € 6,000 per month.
Deadline for the 2026 applications: 5 October 2025

The program
The HITS “Journalist in Residence” program is geared towards freelance and staff science journalists with at least five years of experience and a focus on sciences and technology. It is open to all media (print, online, radio, TV), one of its goals is to encourage dialogue between journalists and researchers, thus providing journalists with a better understanding of the way research works and how researchers think. A good command of spoken and written English is mandatory. At least basic knowledge of German is recommended, but not mandatory.
Journalists are not expected to publish anything related to HITS in return. Instead, the program supports free and independent journalism.

More information of the program in our press release
FAQ see here

Ihr Profil

Application requirements:
Applications should include the following documents:

Cover letter
CV
Proof of journalistic work in the area of science and technology: Maximum of 5 work samples. Please send your articles in PDF format. If none of the texts is in German or English, please attach a translation of at least one work sample in German or English. If you have sound and/or video files, please collect the links to the files in a PDF document.
Letter of motivation: How will your time at HITS be spent? Which research groups or projects are particularly interesting to you and why? What projects would you like to work on during the time of your stay?
For staff journalists: A letter of recommendation from the chief editor or a head of section is required.

Warum wir?

For any additional information, please contact Dr. Peter Saueressig

Apply for this job

Über uns

Das HITS (Heidelberger Institut für Theoretische Studien) wurde 2010 von dem Physiker und SAP-Mitbegründer Klaus Tschira (1940-2015) und der Klaus Tschira Stiftung als privates, gemeinnütziges Forschungsinstitut gegründet. Es betreibt Grundlagenforschung in den Naturwissenschaften, der Mathematik und der Informatik. Zu den Hauptforschungsrichtungen zählen komplexe Simulationen auf verschiedenen Skalen, Datenwissenschaft und -analyse sowie die Entwicklung rechnergestützter Tools für die Forschung. Die Anwendungsfelder reichen von der Molekularbiologie bis zur Astrophysik. Ein wesentliches Merkmal des Instituts ist die Interdisziplinarität, die in zahlreichen gruppen- und disziplinübergreifenden Projekten umgesetzt wird. Die Grundfinanzierung des HITS wird von der Klaus Tschira Stiftung bereitgestellt.

Your mission

Your profile

Application requirements:
Applications should include the following documents:

Cover letter
CV
Proof of journalistic work in the area of science and technology: Maximum of 5 work samples. Please send your articles in PDF format. If none of the texts is in German or English, please attach a translation of at least one work sample in German or English. If you have sound and/or video files, please collect the links to the files in a PDF document.
Letter of motivation: How will your time at HITS be spent? Which research groups or projects are particularly interesting to you and why? What projects would you like to work on during the time of your stay?
For staff journalists: A letter of recommendation from the chief editor or a head of section is required.

Why us?

For any additional information, please contact Dr. Peter Saueressig

Apply for this job

About us

HITS, the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, was established in 2010 by physicist and SAP co-founder Klaus Tschira (1940-2015) and the Klaus Tschira Foundation as a private, non-profit research institute. HITS conducts basic research in the natural, mathematical, and computer sciences. Major research directions include complex simulations across scales, making sense of data, and enabling science via computational research. Application areas range from molecular biology to astrophysics. An essential characteristic of the Institute is interdisciplinarity, implemented in numerous cross-group and cross-disciplinary projects. The base funding of HITS is provided by the Klaus Tschira Foundation.

Apply for this job

We look forward to receiving your application for this position.

We appreciate your interest in our institute. Please fill in the following short form. You also have the possibility to upload your documents. Contact details of referees can be uploaded in a separate document under "Other". Should you have any difficulties uploading your files, please contact us by mail at jobs@h-its.org.