W1 Junior Professorship (W3 tenure track position) in Data Driven Materials Design (m/f/x)

The Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science at Saarland University is inviting applications for the following position to commence at the earliest opportunity: W1 Junior Professorship (W3 tenure track position) in Data Driven Materials Design (m/f/x; Reference no.: W2571) The successful candidate will also be appointed as Head of a research group at INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials and at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). This position will initially be a fixed-term public sector position (Beamtenverhältnis auf Zeit) for a period of three years. The duration of the appointment may be extended up to a maximum of six years in total if this is supported by a positive teaching appraisal and a positive external assessment of the appointee's research work. If performance continues to meet the required standards and if the tenure evaluation procedure is positive, the junior professor will be promoted to a permanent professorship (lifetime tenure) at the German academic salary scale W3. We are looking to appoint a scientist who will conduct innovative interdisciplinary research at the interface of materials research and computer science. The role will involve researching and developing new AI-based approaches to the design and development of new materials. Hybrid materials with potential applications in digital environments and in biomedicine are of particular interest. Recruitment will be in accordance with the 'Berlin model' of professorial appointments to ensure that the appointment is merit-based and that the procedures used are transparent and align with academic best practice. The research group will be based at INM and the head of the research group will be co-opted to DFKI. This cross-institutional appointment offers optimal conditions for research excellence in Saarbrücken's highly international research environment. The appointment will be made in accordance with the general provisions of German public sector employment law. Candidates must be university graduates with experience in and an aptitude for academic teaching who have demonstrated a particular capacity for independent academic research, usually evidenced by the outstanding quality of their PhD or doctoral thesis. If the applicant was employed as a research associate before or after their PhD/doctorate, the combined period of doctoral research and employment in Germany should not exceed six years. For additional information on employment requirements, please refer to Sec. 1.3 of the Framework Regulations Governing the Approval, Recruitment and Evaluation Procedures for Junior Professorships at Saarland University (Rahmenordnung zur Freigabe, Besetzung und Evaluation von Juniorprofessuren an der Universität des Saarlandes) of 12 December 2018 (). You will have completed an outstanding doctorate or PhD in materials science, computer science or a related field. Ideally, your doctoral thesis and your scientific publications should address issues relevant to the professorial position advertised. In addition, you will typically have completed a period of postdoctoral research and have some teaching experience at university level. You will have outstanding research skills and the potential to build and lead a successful research team. You will be expected to actively contribute to both research and teaching. Most teaching is done in English. We expect the person appointed to acquire an adequate understanding of German within a reasonable time. At Saarland University, we view internationalization as a process spanning all aspects of university life. We therefore expect members of our professorial staff to engage in activities that promote and foster further internationalization. Special support will be provided for projects that maintain collaborative interactions within existing international cooperative networks, e.g. projects with partners in the European University Alliance Transform4Europe () or the University of the Greater Region (). In accordance with the objectives of its gender equality plan, Saarland University is actively seeking to increase the proportion of women in this field. Qualified women candidates are therefore strongly encouraged to apply. Preferential consideration will be given to applications from disabled candidates of equal eligibility. Furthermore, we welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of nationality, ethnic heritage or social background, religious beliefs, personal beliefs or values, age, sexual orientation or identity. To apply for this position, please submit your application by no later than 16 January 2025 via Saarland University's online professorial appointments platform: We look forward to receiving your application in PDF format. Application documents must be uploaded as a single PDF file (max. size 10 MB) and should include the following documents: Letter of application and CV (including telephone number and email address) A complete list of your publications Your proposed future research plan (2-5 pages) Copies of relevant academic records and certificates Full copies of your five most important publications A list of three to five persons (including their email addresses) who can provide professional references; at least one of the referees must not be a current or former manager, supervisor or colleague Proof of disability if you declared a disability in your application If you hold a university degree from a non-German university, please provide proof of equivalence from Germany's Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) if available. If you have not yet requested proof of equivalence from ZAB, you must submit proof at a later date if so requested. The completed recruitment questionnaire for junior professorships (link provided in the application portal). When you submit a job application to Saarland University you will be transmitting personal data. Please refer to our privacy notice for information on how we collect and process personal data in accordance with Art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (). By submitting your application, you confirm that you have taken note of the information in the Saarland University privacy notice. Further information can be found at: