Executive Scientific Director combined with a Professorship in Prehistory and Early History/Medieval and Modern Archaeology

Institution: Lower Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research (NIhK) and Faculty of Humanities of the University of Göttingen, Seminar for Prehistory and Early History
Date of Announcement: 17.07.2025
Application Deadline: 28.08.2025


The Lower Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research (NIhK) and the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Göttingen, Department of Prehistory and Early History, invite applications for the following position (BesGr. A 16 or AT A 16) effective on June 1, 2026 to be filled in a joint appointment procedure:

Executive Scientific Director
combined with a
Professorship in Prehistory and Early History/Medieval and Modern Archaeology (f/m/d)

The appointment to the professorship at the University of Göttingen will take place according to the Thuringian Model (“Thüringer Modell”). The Lower Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research is a non-university research institution of the State of Lower Saxony in the portfolio of the Ministry of Science and Culture. The Institute undertakes research in the closely interwoven developments of settlement, landscape and vegetation in the coastal zones of Northern Germany and neighbouring landscapes from the end of the last Ice Age to the modern era. At the NIhK, natural and cultural sciences work closely together on an interdisciplinary basis, particularly in the disciplines of coastal and quaternary geology, soil science, geophysics, landscape, settlement and burial ground archaeology, historical geography, archaeobotany and vegetation history.

The post holder will take over the management of the Department for Cultural Sciences. The Head of the Department of Natural Sciences and the Head Department for Cultural Sciences regularly rotate in the role of the Managing Director of the Institute (every two years so far). The post holder must have experience in research conception and in the acquisition of third-party funding. In addition, experience in interdisciplinary research and the willingness to participate in respective research networks are a prerequisite. The ability to develop and implement research concepts in open communication is therefore required. A research focus on diachronic maritime archaeology, settlement research or burial ground archaeology, particularly in the north German coastal regions, would be an advantage.

For the management of the department and of the institute, in addition to the above-mentioned professional qualifications, the post holder must have various years of knowledge and experience in employee management as well as in the areas of budget management, cultural mediation, organisation and administration. Proof of these requirements must be provided in the form of completed projects and committee work. Very good knowledge of German is expected.

In teaching the professor must represent the subjects of Prehistory and Early History or Archaeology or Medieval and Modern Archaeology. The teaching load amounts to 2 teaching hours a week during term time. A focus should lie on the archaeological heritage and its specific characteristics in coastal areas of the Northern Central Europe. The Faculty of Humanities explicitly welcomes teaching approaches that include considerations of gender. Appointment requirement is the German ”Habilitation“, a junior professorship or habilitation-equivalent achievements in the area of Prehistory and Early History or Medieval/Modern Archaeology. The University of Göttingen attaches important to research-oriented teaching.

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.

Please address you convincing application to the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Göttingen, Humboldtallee 17, 37073 Göttingen. Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a description of your scientific career including teaching activities, and a list of publications. Please send your documents in PDF format to the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Humanities at bewerbungen.philfak@phil.uni-goettingen.de using the keyword ”Head of the Department for Cultural Sciences NIhK“ by August 28, 2025.

If you have further questions, please contact the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Humanities at dekanat@phil.uni-goettingen.de or Prof. Dr. Felix Bittmann (Executive Scientific Director at NIhK)
at bittmann@nihk.de.

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