International Call
livMatS Junior Research Group Program
Cluster of Excellence Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials
Systems (livMatS), University of Freiburg
The Cluster of Excellence Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials
Systems (livMatS) strives to promote early scientific independence within an
interdisciplinary setting. The livMatS Junior Research Group Program is an
essential building block of the Cluster's early career advancement objectives.
Aims
The Cluster's Junior Research Group Program aims to provide excellent early career
researchers with the means and room to establish their own group in a highly
interdisciplinary environment at the University of Freiburg.
The Cluster of
Excellence Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials Systems
(livMatS) at the University of Freiburg develops completely novel, bioinspired materials
systems that adapt autonomously to various environments and harvest clean energy
from their surroundings. The research program of
livMatS is characterized by highly
interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers from engineering, chemistry,
physics, biology, psychology, philosophy, and sustainability sciences. Research in
four interlinked research areas targets Concepts for
Energy Autonomy and Integration,
Concepts for Adaptive and Active Materials Systems, Concepts for the Longevity of Systems
Functions, and Societal Challenges – Sustainability Assessment and Investigation of
Psychological, Philosophical, and Ethical Implications of Living Materials Systems. Research
in these areas is integrated through the development of technology demonstrators.
The chosen candidate will become a Principal Investigator of livMatS. They are
expected to establish a vigorous and independent research program and build up
an internationally visible research group that makes central contributions to at least
one the four Research Areas in livMatS. The candidate is expected to publish in highranking
journals, attract additional funding for their own group, and integrate and
strengthen the interdisciplinary and collaborative environment of the Cluster.
Duration, Funding and Starting Date
Funding within the program is up to 1 Mio. € for the duration of five years from the
Cluster's budget for gender and equality measures. The funding can be used for the
candidate's position and the establishment of a Junior Research Group. The candidate
will be employed at the University of Freiburg. The position is a full-time position
(100%) for a period of five years. The salary will be determined in accordance with TV-L
E 14. The funding includes a doctoral researcher position (36 months, 65%, TV-L 13),
consumables and an initial investment package of 80,000 €.
We offer access to institutional infrastructure, including modern laboratory space and
state-of-the-art facilities at the
Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired
Technologies (FIT) and opportunities to collaborate with the application-oriented
Fraunhofer-Institutes ISE and IWM, who are partner institutions of the Cluster, as
well as career advancement training and mentoring opportunities at the University.
Funding can only be used for activities at the University of Freiburg.
We envisage candidates to start their group by Fall 2020.
Target Group and Funding Criteria
The call targets researchers within three to five years of their postdoctoral experience
in one or more of the disciplines contributing to
livMatS: engineering, chemistry,
physics, biology, psychology, philosophy, and sustainability sciences. Candidates
are expected to establish a Junior Research Group within the Cluster.
Applicants must have a track record of outstanding academic work in their field, with
first and/or corresponding author publications ideally within three to five years of
postdoctoral research experience. Additional criteria include prizes and awards, a
proven record of obtaining extramural funding, and international mobility. Excellent
interpersonal and leadership skills are essential. We expect fluency in English.
The proposed concept for a Junior Research Group will be judged according to its
academic and methodological quality, prospects of success, originality, and relevance
to the
livMatS research program.
Application
Applications need to be submitted by March 20
th 2020 to
positions@livmats.unifreiburg.de. The use of the
livMatS Junior Research Group Leader Program
template is mandatory and a formal prerequisite for the submission of your
application. All parts of your application need to be in English. The template
that also contains an overview of the documents that need to be submitted
can be found on the
livMatS Homepage at
www.livmats.uni-freiburg.de/en/career/livmats-jrg-program.