As part of a joint appointment procedure by Geisenheim University (HGU) and the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e.V., the following professorship is to be filled at the new ZALF campus in Geisenheim based on the Jülich model:
The position involves leading an interdisciplinary working group at ZALF within the newly established "Innovation Centre for Agricultural System Transformation (IAT)". The IAT is a permanent extension of ZALF with a total of 15 new research working groups located in Hesse (Giessen, Kassel and Geisenheim) and Brandenburg (Müncheberg), which are primarily intended to contribute to the sustainability-oriented transformation of agricultural and food systems through their research in five living labs in Germany. One of the living labs is located in the Rheingau wine-growing region. The professorship and its working group will be based at the ZALF-IAT campus in Geisenheim together with a second IAT working group. The professorship and its working group will be funded by ZALF. Close cooperation with institutes and working groups at Geisenheim University is a prerequisite. For further information, see https://www.zalf.de/de/struktur/iat.
Tasks:
We are looking for an internationally renowned scientist with strong integration and communication skills who will represent the subject area of "Co-developed Innovative Viticulture Systems" in research and teaching, thereby contributing to the strengthening of Geisenheim University's profile-building and interdisciplinary research focus on "Sustainable cultivation of special crops" in a national and international context.
Wine-growing regions are facing considerable pressure to change. The necessary transformation of wine-growing regions focuses on questions of how to design sustainable viticulture systems in the context of climate change and the changing market situation. The research focus of the interdisciplinary working group to be led by the professorship is on questions of analysing complex innovation processes and stakeholder structures, as well as integrating different bodies of experience and knowledge that are necessary for the sustainable transformation of wine-growing systems in the context of entire wine-growing landscapes.
Innovative solutions and their interaction are needed, for example, to increase added value in viticulture, adapt to climate change, integrate measures that increase biodiversity and promote other landscape functions, or combine mixed cropping systems. The working group of the professorship will use co-design formats in a living lab context. Researching with a co-design approach means working together with actors in the production and value chain as well as other actors in the region to find solutions to the challenges faced by businesses and production chains and to develop, test and scientifically support innovative, multifunctional cultivation systems and business models in viticulture in a real-world context.
Research topics in this context are:
- analysis and co-design of innovations in viticulture (open innovation approach);
- analysis and evaluation (retrospective and prospective) of the interaction of various innovations in viticultural landscapes;
- analysis of innovation ecosystems as a prerequisite for transformation.
Research methodological approaches could include:
- data science, including heterogeneous data sources, to analyse innovation processes;
- participatory approaches, using innovative methods to develop scenarios for innovative, sustainable cultivation systems, new business models and products, or political and social framework conditions with various stakeholders, for example;
- experimental approaches, in particular behavioural economic approaches, to assess risk behaviour and issues of acceptance;
- modelling approaches, in particular system dynamics modelling, including participatory methods where appropriate, to develop area-wide assessments and future scenarios.
The activities of the professorship and the working group at ZALF and Geisenheim University are to be integrated into national, European and international research contexts. Active acquisition of third-party funded projects and joint projects is required in order to establish a dynamic interdisciplinary working group in this field.
You will be responsible for teaching courses in the bachelor's and master's programmes at Geisenheim University for two hours per week in English or German. Geisenheim University has its own right to award doctorates, and a keen interest and active participation in the training of young scientists is expected.
In order to address the diverse issues in the living lab context, close cooperation with various departments at Geisenheim University (e.g. General and Organic Viticulture, Applied Ecology, Landscape Planning and Nature Conservation, Wine and Beverage Business, Enology, Beverage Research) and a high interest in interdisciplinary cooperation within the IAT are expected. In addition, willingness to participate in university self-administration, in particular in organising cooperation between the IAT and Geisenheim University, is expected.
Requirements:
Applicants must hold a university degree in agricultural, economic or environmental sciences, an outstanding doctorate, additional excellent scientific achievements and a habilitation or habilitation-equivalent achievements in the form of relevant peer-reviewed publications in the field of innovation research, ideally in the context of agricultural science issues. Pedagogical aptitude and experience combined with a keen interest in transdisciplinary research processes are expected. In particular, competence in the use and implementation of transdisciplinary and participatory research methods is expected.
The appointment requirements and performance requirements of §§ 67 and 68 of the Hessian Higher Education Act (HessHG) apply to this appointment procedure. The position is available on a permanent basis. For the first appointment to a professorship, the position will initially be offered on a fixed-term contract for three years. After a probationary period, it is possible to be transferred to a permanent employment contract. Transfer to civil servant status is possible if the relevant civil service requirements are met. Further duties and requirements are set out in §§ 67–69, 75 and 76 of the HessHG.
Please send your application, quoting the above reference number, by March 27, 2026 with your detailed application documents (CV, list of publications, proof of teaching experience and teaching evaluations, as well as experience in acquiring and/or implementing third-party funded projects (indicating your own contribution) and a method-oriented research concept (max. 3 pages) for co-developed viticulture systems) by email to Bewerbung@hs-gm.de (as a single PDF file no larger than 10 MB). Please address any questions to Prof. Dr. Annette Reineke, vice president for research at Geisenheim University (tel.: 06722/502-413, email: Annette.Reineke@hs-gm.de) or Prof. Dr. Bettina Matzdorf, co-head of the IAT at ZALF (email matzdorf@zalf.de).
