International Call

Agnes Pockels Junior Research Group Program
Technology Assessment, Sustainability Research

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 and the advancement of excellent female researchers. Female researchers are severely underrepresented at higher career levels, particularly at the Junior Research Group level. The Agnes Pockels Junior Research Group Program targets female researchers within three to five years of their postdoctoral experience and is an essential building block of the Cluster’s early career advancement and gender equality objectives.


Aims
The Cluster’s Agnes Pockels Junior Research Group Program aims to increase the number of female researchers at the Junior Research Group level and provide excellent female re-searchers with the means and room to establish their own group in a highly interdisciplinary research environment at the University of Freiburg. The intended focus of this Junior Research Group includes the areas of technology assessment and / or sustainability research with a focus on life cycle assessment of materials and modelling and assessing the circular economy of materials. Method competence for the evaluation of process upscaling and transforming materials systems is desirable.

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 research. 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 devel-opment of technology demonstrators..

The chosen candidate will become a Principal Investigator of livMatS. She is expected to establish a vigorous and independent research program and build up an internationally visible research group that makes central contributions to the research area Sustainability Assessment and Investigation of Psychological, Philosophical, and Ethical Implications of Living Materials Systems in livMatS. The candidate is expected to publish in high-ranking journals, attract additional funding for her 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 500.000 € 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 up to 3.25 years. The salary will be determined in accordance with the salary category TV-L E 14. The funding includes a doctoral researcher position (36 months, 65%, TV-L 13) and consumables. Funding is granted for a period of up to 3.25 years, but can only be granted until the end of the Cluster’s first funding period in December 2025.

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 and the Ökoinstitut e.V., 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 between October 2022 and January 2023.

Target Group and Funding Criteria
The call targets female researchers within three to five years of their postdoctoral experience in the areas of technology assessment and / or sustainability research with a focus on life cycle assessment of materials and modelling and assessing the circular economy of materials.

Applicants must have a track record of outstanding academic work in their field, with first and/or corresponding author publications. 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 July 4th, 2022 to positions@livmats.uni-freiburg.de. The use of the Agnes Pockels 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
https://www.livmats.uni-freiburg.de/career/agnes-pockels-jrg