Job vacancy to be filled from: 19.08.2025

Description

We are seeking a highly qualified candidate who will work together with interdisciplinary teams from civil engineering, architecture, regional science, geography, geoecology, and climate sciences to advance the design and adaptation of the built environment to the challenges of climate change. The focus will be on strategies for sustainable climate mitigation at different scales – from individual buildings to neighborhoods and entire cities. The tenure-track professorship will serve as an interface between the participating disciplines.

The research focus is on developing practical solutions to make cities climate-resilient and future-ready. Of particular importance is a holistic perspective that considers interrelationships across all scales. Central aspects include sustainable and resilient infrastructure (land, energy, blue, green, etc.), the protection of critical infrastructure, adjustments in buildings and urban design, and the responsible use of built and natural resources. This tenure-track professorship will make a significant contribution to sustainable (ecological, economic, and socially just) neighborhood and urban development, working closely with municipalities as well as regional and state authorities to develop viable concepts for practical application.

In teaching, you will work with colleagues from the abovementioned disciplines to offer courses for various Bachelor’s and Master’s programs. Interdisciplinary student projects in cooperation with cities and municipalities are intended to strengthen practical relevance. You will contribute to existing and new study programs in both English and German. Your teaching load will be 6 semester hours per week following a positive evaluation, otherwise 4 semester hours per week.

You will represent the field of this tenure-track professorship in research and teaching and will develop it conceptually, content-wise, and methodologically. You will actively contribute your research to interdisciplinary urban and climate research projects at KIT. Your methodological skills include a variety of research approaches in the respective fields of action for sustainable climate adaptation. You have experience with diverse perspectives in critical and participatory research as well as with digital research methods.

We expect relevant scholarly achievements, demonstrated by appropriate publications as well as expertise in sustainable climate adaptation in urban environments—ranging from the scale of buildings to neighborhoods and entire cities. We require willingness to collaborate closely with the faculty of Civil, Geo, and Environmental Sciences at KIT, Division IV, the Urban Research group at KIT, and the KIT Centers "Humans and Technology” and "Climate and Environment”, with the aim of developing innovative research and teaching formats.

Active participation in KIT’s academic institutions is expected, as is the acquisition of third-party funding to strengthen research and innovation. The successful candidate will be expected to secure a competitively funded junior research group (e.g., DFG Emmy Noether Junior Research Group, Helmholtz Young Investigator Groups, ERC Starting Grants, junior research groups funded by ministries—especially the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)—or from the Sofia Kovalevskaja Program of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation), of which the funding period is less than halfway completed at the time of application.

Persönliche Qualifikation

Employment is subject to Art. 14, par. (2) of the KIT Act in conjunction with Art. 51 LHG Baden-Württemberg (Act of Baden-Württemberg on Universities and Colleges) as well as to the Quality Assurance Concept for Junior Professorships and Tenure-track Professorships at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT ). A completed university degree, pedagogical aptitude, and special aptitude for academic work are required; the latter is demonstrated by the outstanding quality of a doctoral degree. Experience in acquiring and managing third-party funding is desirable.

Organisationseinheit

Bereich IV - Natürliche und gebaute Umwelt, KIT-Fakultät für Bauingenieur-, Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften (BGU)

Contract duration

Employment is limited to six years as a civil servant for a fixed term or as a salaried employee. Before the expiry of the third year of work, an interim evaluation will take place. The evaluation procedure and evaluation criteria are outlined in the Quality Assurance Concept for Junior Professorships and Tenure-track Professorships at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT ). Specific interim and final evaluation criteria will include. In case of a positive final evaluation, you will be offered a full professorship (W3). The evaluation process and criteria follow the KIT quality assurance concept for junior and tenure-track professorships.

Particular importance is placed on the subject-specific criteria outlined above, including individual contributions to research and teaching, internal and external collaborations, and the acquisition of third-party funding.

For further information, please contact Prof. Dr. Caroline Kramer, E-Mail: caroline.kramer@kit.edu .

Canditature

We invite qualified candidates to submit their applications in German or English , including the relevant documents (curriculum vitae, list of publications, diplomas/certificates, description of previous research and teaching activities, research and teaching concept for the abovementioned tenure-track professorship, statement on scientific integrity), preferably as a single PDF file in digital form by October 31, 2025 , to Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Division IV – Natural and Built Environment, Kaiserstr. 12, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany. Email: dekanat@bgu.kit.edu .

vacancy number: 1240/2025

KIT prefers to balance the number of employees (f/m/d). Therefore, we kindly ask female applicants to apply for this job.

Recognized severely disabled persons will be preferred if they are equally qualified.

As a family-friendly university, KIT offers part-time employment, leaves of absence, a dual career service, and coaching to support the work-life balance.

Your personal data will be processed by KIT in accordance with this privacy policy .

Zur offiziellen Anzeige

Job type/category

• Fixed-term position

Favored career stage

• Job experience > 2 years

Location/region

• Karlsruhe city, Karlsruhe region

Sector

• Other

Language at workplace

• German

Type of company

• Scientific institution