What I studied:
- Bachelor’s degree – Automotive Engineering
- Master’s degree – Fahrzeugtechnik / Automotive Engineering
🏎️ My job: Senior System Designer Racing at AVL List GmbH in Graz, Austria.
Portrait
Ready, study, go!
Start your studies top informed.
Study your dream!
All information about studying.
Stay in touch!
Stay connected with the university.
Study with Purpose!
Discover our study programmes.
Advance with Purpose!
Lifelong learning and thinking ahead.
Research with Purpose!
Research from idea to application.
Better together!
As a university we create new opportunities.
‘What I particularly like is the variety: in my job, there are new challenges every day.’
From Formula Student to an internship and then a permanent position: Maximilian Jauk now develops test bench concepts for motorsport applications and specialised test benches in the non-automotive sector.
My Friendship Book Entry
Me in three emojis: 🚴🏻😸🏎️
In my free time: mostly on my bike, sometimes at the pub quiz.
The coolest internship was: The work placement that led to my Master’s thesis and my current job.
If I hadn’t studied Automotive Engineering I would probably have started working straight after graduating from HTL.
Here is where I spent my time after the lectures: at the Racing Team workshop or at ‘Das Eggenberg’
The best food on campus:‘Das Eggenberg’
My favorite spot on campus: The Racing Team workshop, home of the Weasels.
Tell us what your job is, without telling us what your job is: I help race cars go faster.
About my studies
If my studies were an animal, it would be: a weasel. Why? Here’s why: Joanneum Racing Graz
What you definitely learn in my study programme: If you’re allowed to use a calculator in an exam, it doesn’t usually make the exam any easier.
The best course was: Thermodynamics with Prof. Grogger
This course was a challenge for me: Strength of Materials – after two months of studying, I managed to get a passing grade.
My advice for you
Try to keep up with your studies throughout the term, rather than leaving it all until the exam (even if it’s hard). There’s nothing wrong with being a bit of a nerd.
In conversation with Education Minister Martin Polaschek in my role as Head of Engineering Design at Formula Student Austria 2024. Through my involvement with Formula Student Austria, I am able to use my professional expertise to prepare students for their future careers. (©FSA Partenfelder)
Joanneum Racing Graz’s first and, to date, only victory in the Engineering Design category at Formula Student Germany in 2017 (©FSG – Schulz).
About my job
As a Senior System Designer Racing, I develop test bench concepts for motorsport and specialised applications, prepare software integrations in collaboration with clients, and analyse data during commissioning. My focus is on measurement technology, control engineering and signal processing – subjects that have fascinated me ever since my university days.
I came to this job through a colleague from my Formula Student days, who told me about an internship leading to a Master’s thesis. What began as a fixed-term project developed into a permanent position after I graduated.
My degree gave me one thing above all else: a comprehensive understanding of the vehicle as a whole system and how its various components interact. Added to this was intercultural communication, which is indispensable in my day-to-day work with international clients.
What do I particularly value? The variety of projects – no two test benches are the same, whether it’s a Formula 1 powertrain or an air taxi propeller. My team, which works together perfectly despite our very different personalities. And the fact that I can live out my passion, which I discovered whilst studying, every single day. However, there is also a downside: to this day, I haven’t been able to explain to my grandmother in a way she can understand exactly what I actually do.
This job requires analytical thinking, a willingness to travel, and the ability to think and communicate across disciplinary boundaries. An unforgettable moment for me was when, straight after graduating, I was given the opportunity to spend four months working on a Formula 1 programme for a German manufacturer – including an invitation to the pre-season tests in Barcelona.
In the long term, I can well imagine doing a PhD if the opportunity arises.
Our Graduates
Would you like to get to know other FH JOANNEUM graduates and find out more about their studies and career paths? You can find all the portraits here.