Junior Professor for Global Change Biology

We are a young, innovative university located in the heart of the Ruhr metropolis. We pride ourselves on outstanding research and teaching, think in terms of opportunities rather than limitations and develop ideas with a view to the future. Diversity is an integral part of our culture as we promote potential and are committed to upholding genuine equity in education.

The following position is to be filled as soon as possible within the Faculty of Biology at the University of Duisburg-Essen:

Junior Professor for Global Change Biology

(W1 salary band as defined in the North-Rhine-Westphalian regulations for the W salary range (Landesbesoldungsordnung W) with tenure track to W2)

We are seeking an excellent early career researcher with an area of expertise in any field of global change biology, preferably with a strong interest in aquatic ecosystems. The successful candidate’s research focus can be organismic, molecular, computational or mathematical modelling, machine learning or similar. The successful candidate’s research projects must complement the existing fields of research within the Faculty of Biology and the Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU, https://www.uni-due.de/zwu/start.php) as part of the University’s strategic research area Water Research and large collaborative projects such as the Collaborative Research Centre RESIST (DFG SFB 1439, https://sfb-resist.de/)  in particular. The laboratories for this professorship will be located at the Essen campus, where state-of-the-art infrastructure for research in this area is provided. The applicant will also teach in the study programmes offered by the Faculty of Biology.

The candidate is to lead a working group and establish innovative research concepts and/or methods at the Faculty of Biology to examine the consequences of global change on ecosystems (e.g. rivers, lakes, wetlands, groundwater) and/or organisms. Possible research foci of the professorship can be in the fields of ecological modelling, eco-evolutionary dynamics, evolutionary genomics, food web dynamics, ecological physiology, environmental microbiology, environmental chemical biology, multiple stressor research or socio-ecology. Correlative field studies, experimental or theoretical approaches are possible, as is an organismic focus ranging from viruses to fish. Applications from candidates with a focus on applied research (e.g. relating to water quality, land-use impact on freshwater systems) are welcome. Willingness to collaborate with Faculty of Biology and ZWU research groups, particularly in the context of the application for the REASONS Cluster of Excellence, is required.

Publications in leading international journals and experience in conducting externally funded projects are expected.

The required teaching load is four hours per week during the first employment phase and five in the second employment phase of the junior professorship. If the legal requirements for civil servants are met, the Junior Professor will be appointed as a temporary civil servant for the duration of three years. It is intended to extend the civil servant status for another three years upon positive assessment. In addition, this position includes a tenure track option for a university professorship in the salary band W2 as defined in the North Rhine-Westphalian salary regulations for the W salary range (Landesbesoldungsordnung W, LBesO W).

The University of Duisburg-Essen places particular emphasis on teaching quality. Therefore, candidates must outline their didactic concepts, also taking the profile of the University of Duisburg-Essen into consideration.

Criteria for appointment are based on Section 36 of the NRW Higher Education Act (HG). According to these provisions, candidates must possess a university degree and a particular aptitude for research work, which can generally be demonstrated by outstanding results in doctoral studies in a relevant field.

The University of Duisburg-Essen strives to promote the diversity of its members (https://www.uni-due.de/diversity/en/). The University also aims to increase the ratio of women in its academic staff and therefore strongly encourages women with relevant qualifications to apply. If two candidates are equally qualified, women will be given preference as stipulated in the Equal Opportunities Act of North Rhine-Westphalia (LGG NRW). Applications from qualified candidates with disabilities or equivalent status as defined in Section°2 (3) of Book IX of the German Social Code (SGB IX) are encouraged.

Applications should include the usual documents (CV including information on both your academic and professional experience, a list of academic publications, copies of relevant certificates, a description of your research profile and the resulting perspectives for the University of Duisburg-Essen, a teaching and learning concept that takes the University of Duisburg-Essen’s profile into account, information on your teaching activities, your involvement in academic self-governance and external funds that you have obtained to date). Please submit your application in electronic form to the Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Florian Leese (dekan-biologie@uni-due.de) by 21 September 2024.

For subject-specific information, please contact Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernd Sures (bernd.sures@uni-due.de).

Please find further information on the position, its affiliations within the University of Duisburg-Essen and the faculty at: https://www.uni-due.de/biologie/index_en.php

www.uni-due.de