In publica commoda

W3 Professorship in Plant Ecology and Biological Climate Impact Research


Institution: Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences
Date of Announcement: 12.12.2024
Application Deadline: 07.02.2025


The Faculty of Biology and Psychology at the University of Göttingen invites applications for a permanent professorship with civil servant status (grade W3 NBesO) at the Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences starting at the earliest possible date:

W3 Professorship in Plant Ecology and Biological Climate Impact Research (f/m/d)

For this professorship, we are looking for a team-oriented and committed internationally renowned person who is active in the field of experimental and empirical plant ecology in research and teaching. The professorship should work on the experimental investigation of responses of vascular, preferably woody, plants and ecosystems to changing climatic factors and the analysis of abiotic (especially thermal and hygric) limits of plant vitality. Preferred research priorities are investigations of water, carbon and nutrient turnover of plants using modern plant ecological techniques and the analysis of plant responses to multiple stress factors, for example climate-growth relationships, functional root ecology and experimental trait-based biodiversity research. In addition, experience in the analysis of ecosystem processes in forests regarding global change (climate and land use changes) is desired. The combination of field and greenhouse/climate chamber/laboratory research and an interdisciplinary orientation of research are particularly desirable.

The professorship should participate in teaching the courses offered in the Bachelor's and Master's programmes in the field of biology and biological diversity and ecology and offer both the basics of (plant) ecology and subject-specific courses in the Master's and doctoral programmes. Participation in the further development of the modules in the Master’s programme “Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution” is expected. The University of Göttingen attaches importance to research-oriented teaching.

The Göttingen campus offers excellent opportunities for cooperation in the Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL) and in the facilities for environmental research in the faculties of Biology and Psychology, Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology and Agricultural Sciences. Participation in interdisciplinary cooperation project initiatives (Collaborative Research Centres, Research Training Groups, BMBF and EU projects) in the fields of biological climate impact research, functional biodiversity research and sustainable land use concepts is expressly desired. The tasks of the post-holder include the management of the experimental botanical garden.

Appointment requirements are stipulated by Article 25 of the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act in the most current version of that law. As a rule, junior professors and other members of the University of Göttingen can only be considered for a professorial appointment if after the completion of the doctoral thesis they have transferred to another university or worked for a minimum of two years in research elsewhere. The University of Göttingen is a Public Law Foundation and thereby entitled to award professorships. Details will be provided upon request.

Applications from abroad are explicitly welcome. The University of Göttingen strives to increase the proportion of women in areas where women are underrepresented and therefore explicitly invites qualified female scholars to apply. The University has committed itself to being a family-friendly institution and supports its employees in balancing work and family life. The University is particularly committed to the professional participation of disabled employees and therefore welcomes applications from persons with disabilities. In the case of equivalent qualifications, applications from disabled persons will be given preference. In order for the University to be able to protect the interests of the applicant, information about a disability or equal status should be included in the application.

Applications should include the usual documents (curriculum vitae, certificates, a list of publications, a list of acquired third-party funding, a record of teaching experience, as well as a future research and teaching concept and a concept for the experimental botanical garden). Please send your application in PDF format to the Dean’s Office (dekanbio@uni-goettingen.de) by February 7, 2025.

If you have further questions, please contact Prof. Dr. Hermann Behling (hbehlin@gwdg.de).

The submission of the application constitutes consent under the data protection law and allows us to process your application data. For more details on the legal basis and data use, please refer to the information sheet on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Please note that only the German version of this job announcement is legally binding.