Innovation for Planetary Health Hertz Chair

The University of Bonn is inviting applications for the

“Innovation for Planetary Health” Hertz Chair

(W3, full professorship)

Setting up high-profile Hertz Chairs at the interface between outstanding research areas at the University of Bonn is a key step in the wake of the University’s success as part of the German Excellence Strategy, a funding program by the federal and state government to support cutting-edge research at universities. Under this scheme, the University of Bonn is establishing an “Innovation for Planetary Health” Hertz Chair in its Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA) “Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Futures” (https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/research-and-teaching/research-profile/transdisciplinary-research-areas/tra-6-sustainable-futures), which will enjoy an exceptionally high level of endowment. The successful candidate will be able to set up their own center, affiliated with one or more of the institutes participating in the TRA as they so wish.

Understanding Planetary Health as a broad concept, the ideal candidate for this Hertz Chair will have demonstrated an outstanding capacity to integrate research in shared frameworks spanning some of the diverse disciplines in the seven faculties that make up the TRA Sustainable Futures, including: agricultural, environmental and climate sciences, nutrition and health, mathematics, social sciences, and philosophy. Building on their strength in one or more of these disciplines, the future holder of the chair will be expected to leverage basic and applied research capacities across disciplines and several of the five themes of the TRA (https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/research-and-teaching/research-profile/transdisciplinary-research-areas/tra-6-sustainable-futures/research/research).

The core methodological competencies required in order to make innovative contributions to these topics may include but are not limited to: quantitative analysis, big data and artificial intelligence, numerical modeling, remote sensing, or causal inference.  

Besides making outstanding contributions to planetary health science, the Hertz Chair will also help to develop new interdisciplinary teaching programs, lead on cross-faculty collaborative grant applications with international partners and engage in outreach at the interface between science and policymaking.

The Hertz Chair will form part of a vibrant research environment at the University of Bonn. This includes flagship programs such as the PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence (EXC 2070) (Robotics and Phenotyping for Sustainable Crop Production), which pools expertise in technology development, sensing and robotics, and artificial intelligence as well as the Collaborative Research Centers entitled “Future Rural Africa” (CRC-TRR 228), “Regional Climate Change: The Role of Land Use and Water Management” (CRC 1502), and “Metaflammation and Cellular Programming” (CRC 1454). A diverse institutional setup for sustainability research is provided by the Bonn Alliance for Sustainability Research, whose members are the Center for Development Research (ZEF), the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies (BICC), the German Development Institute (DIE), the University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (H-BRS), the Institute for Environment and Human Security of the United Nations University (UNU-EHS), and the Bonn Sustainable AI Lab. Bonn’s unique institutional infrastructure also allows for direct cooperation with numerous UN agencies and international organizations dedicated to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

The formal requirements are governed by § 36 of the Higher Education Act of North Rhine-Westphalia (Hochschulgesetz NRW).

The University of Bonn is committed to diversity and equal opportunities. It is certified as a family-friendly university and offers a dual career service. Increasing the proportion of women among the scientific staff and promoting women’s careers in particular remain priorities of the University. We therefore strongly encourage women with relevant qualifications to apply. The University also encourages suitable candidates with severe disabilities to apply. Applications will be processed in accordance with the Equal Opportunities Act of North Rhine-Westphalia (Landesgleichstellungsgesetz NRW).

You can find further information on the University of Bonn’s Transdisciplinary Research Areas and the Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Futures Transdisciplinary Research Area here:

https://www.uni-bonn.de/research/research-profile

For further information on this Hertz Chair, please contact the spokespersons for the TRA Sustainable Futures: Prof. Dr. Jan Börner (jborner@uni-bonn.de, +49 228 73-1873) or Prof. Dr. Joachim von Braun (jvonbraun@uni-bonn.de, +49 228 73-1800).

Applications received by July 10, 2022 will be guaranteed full consideration. The appointment committee reserves the right to also consider applications submitted after this date.

Applicants are expected to submit the usual documents (cover letter, CV including teaching experience, research interests and research plan, copies of university degrees and certificates, list of publications) in English.

Please apply via our online portal via the APPLY button