Junior Research Group Leader on Robustness and Decision Making in Cells and Tissues

For the Cluster of Excellence “Physics of Life” (PoL) the Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB) at TU Dresden seeks to fill the position of a Junior Research Group Leader on Robustness and Decision Making in Cells and Tissues

(subject to personal qualification employees are remunerated according to salary group E 15 TV-L with Tenure Track to W2)

as soon as possible, initially for a limited five-year contract. At the end of the fourth year, a tenure evaluation will be carried out by a cross-faculty and cross-departmental commission. Following a positive evaluation, a permanent Chair (W2) of Robustness and Decision Making in Cells and Tissues will be granted without a renewed call for applications. Criteria for the tenure evaluation procedure will be mutually agreed upon when the position is accepted. Essential components of the tenure evaluation will be scientific success, the originality and creativity of the research, the quality and quantity of the publications, success in obtaining third-party funding as well as a positively evaluated teaching performance. During the tenure track period, you will have to show the ability to represent the field both in research and teaching.

The central aim of the Cluster of Excellence “Physics of Life” (DFG EXC 2068) is to identify the physical principles that govern the organization of living matter (https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/en). The Cluster of Excellence is embedded in a synergistic and interdisciplinary network, comprising multiple DRESDEN-concept research institutes besides TU Dresden, including the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (IPF), the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), the Max-Planck-Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS) and the Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG). The Junior Research Group Leader will benefit from generous core funding and support structures (e.g., through various state-of-the-art core facilities, both at PoL and surrounding institutes).

We are specifically looking for applications from early career researchers (m/f/x) to lead a strong and internationally visible experimental research program focused on identifying fundamental principles of information transfer, robustness and decision making in cells and tissues. Research activities can comprise: (1) identifying principles of information transfer and/or signal processing, (2) studying the precision and robustness of positional and temporal information, (3) characterizing mechanisms of robust and reliable information processing by subcellular structures, (4) determining the physical principles that underlie cell competition in multicellular systems, and (5) decoding the physical rules that control spatiotemporal decision making in cell and tissue patterning. Of particular interest, but not limited to, are the study of information transfer, robustness and decision making in the context of morphogen gradients, cell signaling, metabolism, intracellular organelles, cell differentiation and patterning, nuclear structure and gene expression dynamics. The candidate is expected to be committed to interdisciplinary collaborations, by working closely with other “Physics of Life” research groups as well as other institutions in the broader Dresden scientific community. Participation in academic self-administration is required.

We welcome applications from outstanding junior researchers with a university and doctoral degree as well as postdoctoral research experience relevant to this call. The primary selection criteria will be a strong record of innovative research and academic performance, an original and promising vision for the future work program, as well as a high potential for establishing an independent research group with fruitful interdisciplinary collaborations. Teaching experience in the areas mentioned above is highly desirable. The prerequisites for appointment to the unlimited chair (W2) after the successful tenure track evaluation are based on § 58 SächsHSFG (Act on the Autonomy of Institutions of Higher Education in the Free State of Saxony).

For further information please contact the speaker of the Cluster of Excellence, Prof. Dr. Otger Campàs, tel. +49 351 210 1460; e-mail: recruiting.pol@tu-dresden.de.

TU Dresden supports tenure track professors with a program specifically tailored to their needs (YOU PROF program). Mentoring, coaching sessions, continuing education programs provide active professional guidance throughout the duration of the tenure track period and beyond.

TU Dresden seeks to employ more female researchers in leadership positions. Hence, we particularly encourage qualified women to apply. Applications from candidates with disabilities or those with additional support needs are very welcome. The University is a certified family-friendly university and offers a Dual Career Service. If you have questions about these topics, please feel free to contact the Equal Opportunities Officer of PoL (Dr. Angela Berg-Jacobi, +49 351 463-41245) or the Representative of Employees with Disabilities (Mr. Roberto Lemmrich, Tel.: +49 351 463-33175).

Please submit your application including the following documents: (i) a cover letter explaining your motivation to apply for this position, (ii) a description of past scientific achievements and future research interests (3-5 pages in total), (iii) a CV with a full publication list, (iv) a list of past and present third party funding, (v) an overview of your experience in teaching and research supervision, including teaching evaluations for the past three years if available, and (vi) copies of up to three of your most important publications, and (vii) a certified copy of your highest academic degree certificate. All documents should be sent to TU Dresden, Exzellenzcluster “Physik des Lebens”, Sprecher, Herrn Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Otger Campàs, Arnoldstraße 18, 01307 Dresden until May 20, 2022 (stamped arrival date applies) and also as a single PDF file via the TU Dresden SecureMail Portal https://securemail.tu-dresden.de to recruiting.pol@tu-dresden.de (subject line “Robustness and Decision Making in Cells and Tissues”). Your application documents will not be returned to you.

Reference to data protection: Your data protection rights, the purpose for which your data will be processed, as well as further information about data protection is available to you on the website: https://tu-dresden.de/karriere/datenschutzhinweis.

Please find the German version under:

https://tu-dresden.de/stellenausschreibung/9324