Physics Department - Physics EducationJunior Professor of Physics Education Salary grade: Initially W1; after evaluation W2 with tenure Reference code: W1TTW2-DDP Bewerbungsende: 07.10.2021

This tenure-track professor position is supported financially through the German federal and state governments’ tenure-track program to promote the careers of researchers early on. Applications from researchers who have recently completed their doctoral degree and are in the early phase of their career are strongly encouraged. 

The successful applicant will assume research and teaching responsibilities in the field of physics education.

Appointment requirements are governed by Section 102a of the Berlin Higher Education Act (Berliner Hochschulgesetz – BerlHG).

Candidates must hold a teaching degree from an institution of higher education qualifying them to teach physics, or have completed the second state examination in teaching physics, in combination with relevant teaching experience in physics in a school context. They must also hold a doctoral degree and demonstrate outstanding research achievements in the field of physics education. The successful candidate should have relevant teaching experience at the university level and be able to teach in German. They should also have experience with projects financed through third-party funding, and be willing to participate in the department’s current and planned (joint) research projects.

Along with the regular official duties of professors listed in Section 99 of the Berlin Higher Education Act, we expect the appointee to engage in the following activities:

The new professor will be expected to establish projects in the area of physics education. The scope of the professorship should include working closely with the Dahlem School of Education as well as other departments and divisions that offer teacher training programs at Freie Universität Berlin. The appointee will engage in interdisciplinary cooperation with different working groups, particularly those related to science education, physics, and educational research, and participate in existing and future research associations in the State of Berlin. They will also contribute to the promotion of gender, diversity, and inclusion as a core component of the department’s degree programs.

The position entails a three-year appointment as a civil servant for a fixed period (“Beamter/Beamtin auf Zeit”). Following a successful midterm review (“Zwischenevaluation”), the position can be extended for another three years. If the appointee then successfully passes their tenure review, they will be appointed to a permanent professorship through a streamlined appointment procedure (i.e., the permanent appointment will not be advertised as a separate position). As part of this process, performance goals will be negotiated at the time the junior professor is hired. The fulfillment of those goals will be assessed as part of the tenure review (Section 102c of the Berlin Higher Education Act, BerlHG).

The performance goals will cover (but are not limited to) the following areas:

• Research

• Teaching
• Promoting early-career researchers
• Academic committee work
• Leadership and management

At the time of appointment to the permanent professorship, all general regulations and conditions regarding public sector employment must be fulfilled.

In addition, any candidates who completed their doctoral degree at Freie Universität Berlin and/or are employed at Freie Universität Berlin must comply with the regulations stipulated by the Berlin Higher Education Act, Section 102.c., paragraph 3.

Pursuant to Section 102.a, paragraph 1.4 of the Berlin Higher Education Act (Berliner Hochschulgesetz), applications should include a CV, copies of all certificates of academic qualification in German or English; a list of publications, a list of courses previously taught and evidence of teaching aptitude. Please include information on involvement in ongoing and future research endeavors, joint research projects, and externally funded projects. If necessary, please include language certificates. If applicable, please give information on experience in primary and secondary education.

Please submit all application materials electronically as one PDF file (maximum 5 MB) by October 7th, 2021. Be sure to include a personal postal address and email, as well as the reference code for the position: W1TTW2-DDP. For formal purposes, (i.e., for formatting application documents), you may use the following postal address, but please send your application to the e-mail address below it:

Freie Universität Berlin

Physics Department

Dean’s Office


Attn: Sylvia Theodos

Arnimallee 14

14195 Berlin


[email protected]

Application documents will be deleted from our servers after the legal retention period has lapsed.

The regulations defined by the Berlin Higher Education Act that are relevant to professorships (Sections 99, 100, 101, 102a, 102c BerlHG) can be found online: www.fu-berlin.de/bbs .

On the given occasion and for the duration of the essential on-site operations by Freie Universität Berlin, we kindly ask you to apply electronically by e-mail. The processing of a postal application cannot be guaranteed.

With an electronic application, you acknowledge that FU Berlin saves and processes your data. FU Berlin cannot guarantee the security of your personal data if you send your application over an unencrypted connection.

Freie Universität Berlin is an equal opportunity employer.