Based on a cooperation agreement and in a joint appointment procedure, the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Nutritional Sciences and Environmental Management of Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) and the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e. V. in Müncheberg, invite applications for a
W2 Professorship in Mobile Agro-Environmental Sensing
according to the Jülich model (leave of absence model) as of now. Reference is made to § 67 Para. 7 Hessian Higher Education Act (HessHG) and to the conditions of employment based on § 68 HessHG. Proficient knowledge of German is expected.
Basically, the appointment shall be under a non-tariff employment contract. In justified exceptional cases and if the personal requirements are met, a permanent civil servant appointment may be granted. In case the candidate exceeds the basic age limit of 50 years, a civil servant appointment under § 66 Para. 3 sentences 2 and 3 HessHG in conjunction with § 11 Hessian Career Regulation (HLVO) requires a specific functional interest.
You will be appointed as a professor (m/f/d) at JLU and granted leave from this position in order to lead the working group “mobile agro-environmental sensing” at the newly established ZALF's Innovation Center for Agricultural System Transformation in Giessen.
The Innovation Center for Agricultural System Transformation (IAT) is a comprehensive strategic expansion of ZALF to include living lab research and is accompanied by the establishment of three new campuses in Hesse (Giessen, Kassel and Geisenheim). Further new working groups are being established at ZALF's campus in Brandenburg. In total, the planned expansion involves the establishment of 19 new working groups. The working groups will contribute expertise in the natural sciences, agricultural sciences, social sciences, and data science and further develop this expertise in the context of living lab research. The new organizational unit will also cooperate closely with ZALF's existing research areas and service platforms and contribute to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research on agricultural landscapes that will help to transform agricultural and food systems toward greater sustainability.
Duties:
You will develop the research area of mobile agro-environmental sensing with a special focus on living lab research and contribute to its international visibility. Furthermore, you will lead the working group “development of mobile agro-environmental sensing” within the IAT and advance the research in this domain with particular emphasis on research in the five IAT living labs.
A central aspect of your research lies in the development, integration, and use of mobile and autonomous sensors for monitoring environmental changes in agricultural landscapes. The sensor systems are intended to provide data on parameters for research and practice in the field of agriculture and the environment. Relevant parameters in this context include e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, carbon storage, soil quality, water balance, and biodiversity. The aim is to develop and investigate the interconnection of different carrier platforms, including agricultural machinery. Quality-assured processing of data from different sources is therefore expected, as is its integration into future research work. Focusing your activities on research in living labs requires and at the same time facilitates close cooperation with various actors within the living labs as well as with other scientific disciplines at the IAT.
You should get involved in national and international research contexts. Central to this is the planning and implementation of joint projects and the (further) development of the relevant scientific community.
At JLU, the professorship contributes to teaching at a rate of two semester hours per week. You will be responsible for teaching courses in the bachelor's and master's degree programs in the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Nutritional Sciences and Environmental Management, which are also attended by students from other faculties and study degree programs. In addition, you will participate in the training of young scientists in agricultural and environmental sciences. In particular, engagement in the further development of international degree programs and the provision of opportunities for graduates is desired. Intensive exchange with the area of potential “Agricultural Systems and Resources” at JLU is also desirable.
Requirements:
Applicants must have a university degree, an outstanding doctorate, and excellent additional academic achievements (proven, for example, by a habilitation or in the form of relevant peer-reviewed publications) in the field of agricultural or environmental data collection.
Your ability to collaborate across disciplines and to develop and refine methods in the field of environmental and agricultural sensor technology and in the field of monitoring is also required. Therefore, information on relevant experience must be included in your application.
Relevant experience in leading scientific working groups and consortia is also required. You should also demonstrate success in the independent acquisition of external funding.
Through close exchange and cooperation with JLU, committees, authorities, and political institutions, you will contribute to the co-design of innovations for a sustainable transformation of the agricultural and food system in collaboration with non-scientific actors. Interest in and experience with transdisciplinary research at the interface between science and society are therefore desirable.
The ability to publish and teach in German and English, as well as in a disciplinary and interdisciplinary manner, is mandatory.
Relevant teaching experience and experience in supervising theses and doctoral dissertations are also required.
Proven activities in science transfer as well as a commitment to science communication and policy advice are desirable.
The JLU welcomes qualified applications regardless of biological and social gender (m/f/d), disability, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, ideology, age as well as sexual orientation and identity. The JLU aims for a higher proportion of women in accordance with the women's promotion plan. We therefore particularly encourage qualified female candidates to apply. JLU is certified as a family-friendly university. Applications from disabled people of equal aptitude will be given preference.
We strongly recommend candidates to refer to our fact sheet on application procedures.
Please send your application with the required documents via online form to the President of Justus Liebig University Giessen by April 2nd, 2026, quoting the reference number 9-03/26. In addition to members of JLU, representatives (m/f/d) of ZALF also participate in the appointment committee. The application documents will be made available to the appointment committee as well as to the ZALF's executive board.