The University of Klagenfurt strives to appoint a greater number of qualified women to professorships.
The University of Klagenfurt is pleased to announce the open position of a
Professor of Modular Robot Systems
at the Department of Smart Systems Technology, Faculty of Technical Sciences, in compliance with the provisions of § 99 Austrian Universities Act. This is a part-time position (20%), commencing at the earliest opportunity with a fixed term not exceeding five years.
The University of Klagenfurt is a young, vibrant, and innovative university with more than 10,000 students, and is located at the intersection of Alpine and Mediterranean culture that offers exceptionally high quality of life. As public university pursuant to § 6 of the Universities Act, the university receives federal funding. The university operates under the motto “Beyond Boundaries!”. The QS Top 50 Under 50 University Ranking 2020 ranks it among the 150 best youngest universities worldwide.
At the time of the faculty’s launch in 2007, the existing departments in this field were grouped together to form the Faculty of Technical Sciences. As a result of synergies, the faculty has since expanded to encompass the three specialist fields of computer science, information and communications technology, and mathematics (see https://www.aau.at/tewi). Thematically related to this position, a doctoral school in Networked Autonomous Aerial Vehicles has been established and encompasses four research groups and three departments. The topic of the doctoral school is a key research strength of the university (for more information visit https://uav.aau.at).
In accordance with its strategic road map, the university’s primary guiding principles and objectives include the pursuit of scientific excellence in relation to the appointment of professors, favorable research conditions, a good faculty-student ratio, and the promotion of the development of young scientists. In particular at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, the university focuses on strengthening these aspects through closer connections to internationally leading industry. As a strategic consequence, this part-time position is specifically targeting high-profile individuals with a strong track record in academia but also strong connections to or a track record in industry at the international level. Thus, we are looking for a highly qualified and internationally recognized scientist who is capable of representing the subject and its interlinkage to industry in teaching and research, with high engagement in developing an ambitious and innovative research program with close ties to local and international industry and research partners.
The duties of the position include
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Representing the academic field of Modular Robot Systems through research with a focus on at least one of the following areas: Advanced control theory for robotics, modular robot manufacturing, modular robot design, heterogeneous robots, multi-robot systems, motion/path planning and decision making, mobile robotics, biologically-inspired robotics and swarm robotics, aspects of self-configuration, organization and self-assembly
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Teaching in the degree programs Informationstechnik (Bachelor) and Information and Communications Engineering (Master level esp. in the „Autonomous Systems and Robotics“ branch), as well as in other relevant degree programs
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Advising and mentoring of students and junior academic colleagues
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Competitive research grant acquisition and management
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Contribution to public relations activities of the department and faculty
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Maintaining and expanding co-operations with (inter-)national industry partners
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Participation in university management
Prerequisites
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Habilitation or equivalent qualification in engineering, robotics, or a related field
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Relevant doctoral degree
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Excellent research and publication record in the robotic community
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Embeddedness in the international research community
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Excellent English language skills
Preferred Qualifications
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Relevant university level teaching experience and tertiary level didactic skills
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Experience in the supervision of academic theses at all graduation levels
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Experience in the acquisition, implementation, and management of third-party funded research projects
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International experience
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Willingness to cooperate with the other research groups at the Departments of Smart Systems Technologies and Networked and Embedded Systems
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Excellent scientific dissemination skills
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Capability for interdisciplinary cooperation
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Competence in the organization and leadership of teams
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Competence in the field of gender mainstreaming and diversity management
German language skills are not a formal prerequisite, but proficiency at level B2 is expected within two years. Whether Klagenfurt should be established as a central work location and how the 20% time is distributed is subject to negotiation. In any case, the active connections to industry, their linkages to research and education, as well as the plans for further intensification of these connections need to be clearly presented within the proposed time spending at the proposed place.
The university is committed to increasing the number of women among the academic staff, particularly in high-level positions, and therefore specifically invites applications from qualified women. Among equally qualified candidates, women will receive preferential consideration.
People with disabilities or chronic diseases who meet the qualification criteria are explicitly invited to apply.
The salary is subject to negotiation. The minimum gross salary for a position at this level (salary group A1 for University Staff according to the Austrian Universities’ Collective Bargaining Agreement) is currently € 14.750 (2020) per year for a part-time position of 20 %.
For appointments to professorships in Austria, in accordance with the Austrian Income Tax Act, an attractive relocation tax allowance can be granted for the first five years. The eligibility is subject to examination on a case by case basis.
Please submit your application by e-mail, consisting of a mandatory principal part not exceeding five pages (for more detailed information please refer to https://www.aau.at/jobs), a list of publications and lectures and of all courses taught in the last five years, a research statement, as well as any supplementary documents where applicable (e.g. course evaluations), to application_professorship@aau.at no later than March 31th, 2020. Submission of the mandatory principal part mentioned above constitutes a necessary condition for the validity of your application.
For general information please refer to the information leaflet provided at https://jobs.aau.at/arbeitgeber-universitaet-klagenfurt/, for specific information about the position please contact Univ.-Prof. Dr. Stephan Weiss (Tel.: +43 463 2700 3571; Stephan.Weiss@aau.at).
We regret that the University of Klagenfurt cannot reimburse applicants’ travel and lodging expenses incurred as part of the selection and/or hiring process.