Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Abteilung Haushalt und Personal

Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences

The Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, invites applications for a

Full Professorship for ‘Soil Science’ (W3) 

starting 1 April 2026.

We are looking for an excellent and ambitious researcher who will comprehensively represent the field of "Soil Science" in research and academic teaching at the Thaer Institute with a particular focus on the development of sustainable agricultural systems for securing food production in a socio-ecological context.

Research and teaching will address the following topics sustainable and regenerative soil management; improvement of soil functions under conflicting goals of intensive agricultural production and environmental protection; soil potentials for the transformation of agricultural and food systems; site-specific strategies of soil use and soil protection under the aspects of climate adaptation and requirements.of metropolitan areas; adaption of the soil-plant-system on environmental and land-use changes; complex interactions in the soil-microbiome-plant system and of soil with adjacent ecosystem compartments. We also expect contributions to the development of modern methods of soil investigation, soil data analysis and quantification of short- and long-term soil processes.

The internationally recognized researcher personality has a track record for competitive and successfully completed research grants with problem-oriented and innovative research, and has published regularly in internationally relevant peer-reviewed journals. Experience with supervising dissertation projects and collaborations with other disciplines within and outside the life sciences is appreciated, as well as experience in science transfer with agricultural practice, consultancies and politics.

The successful candidate has didactic competence and relevant teaching experience, in particular in the field of soil science and sustainable soil management; soil protection; sustainability and regeneration of soil systems; methods of soil research; current topics of transdisciplinary research. Willingness· to teach in English and German (if necessary after a period of time to learn the language sufficiently) is required, as well as to participate in the university's self-governance. Willingness for continuous improvement of teaching and for intensive collaboration within the Thaer-lnstitute, at the Faculty of Life Sciences and beyond, and in the Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environment Systems (IRI THESys) is expected.

The main office of the professorship is located in Berlin Dahlem.

The applicants must meet the legal requirements for professorial appointments in accordance with § 100 of the `Berliner Hochschulgesetz’.

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin is seeking to increase the proportion of women in research and teaching, and specifically encourages qualified female scholars to apply. Scholars from abroad are welcome to apply. Severely disabled applicants with equivalent qualifications will be given preferential consideration. Qualified candidates with an immigration history are explicitly encouraged to apply.

Your application must include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, research statement including summaries of past, present, and prospective projects, teaching philosophy and experience, list of teaching assignments, a statement identifying previous and future contributions to equity, diversity and inclusion, and the candidates ability to work in culturally diverse groups, copies of certificates and documents (including transcripts), and a list of publications with full copies of up to five selected articles. Please also take note of the instructions concerning application documents on our website: https://hu.berlin/lewi_berufung. Since we will not return your documents, please submit copies in the application only.

Please send your application and quoting the job ID PR/015/24 preferably in electronic form in one single pdf file to: berufungen.lewi@hu-berlin.de or to Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences, Dean, Prof. Dr. Dr. Christian Ulrichs, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin.

Data protection information regarding the processing of your personal data in the context of the advertisement and selection procedure can be found on the homepage of HU Berlin: https://hu.berlin/DSGVO.

Please visit our website www.hu-berlin.de/stellenangebote, which gives you access to the legally binding German version.