"University Professorship for Virology (salary grade W3 or salary grade W2 (with tenure track to W3))"

At the Medical Faculty of the Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg a University Professorship for Virology (salary grade W3 or salary grade W2 (limited to 6 years with tenure track to W3)) is to be filled as soon as possible.

The position holder will represent the field of virology in research and teaching and head the Institute of Virology and Immunobiology.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate internationally outstanding scientific achievements in line with their career level. Their research profile should be on medically relevant viral pathogens and must complement and expand the scientific focus of the University of Würzburg in the field of infection research. We expect participation in existing research networks, such as the Collaborative Research Center 1538 “Decisions in Infectious Diseases,” the Cluster of Excellence NUCLEATE, and collaboration with researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI).

The Institute of Virology and Immunobiology, together with the Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, is responsible for infection diagnostics. These activities will be merged into an integrated diagnostic unit (legally “Betrieb gewerblicher Art”). The person holding this position is expected to have the necessary qualifications to supervise virological diagnostics or to enable high-quality virological diagnostics through appropriate organizational measures. If the candidate meets the professional requirements (medical specialization [Facharzt] in microbiology, virology, and infectious disease epidemiology or recognition as a specialist virologist by the Gesellschaft für Virologie) to take responsibility as head of viral diagnostics, a private-law employment relationship with the University of Würzburg will be established for research and teaching activities and an additional contract will be concluded for activities in virus diagnostics. If no activities in virus diagnostics are performed, the appointment shall be made as a civil servant.

Recruitment requirements are a completed university degree in human medicine, veterinary medicine or natural sciences, pedagogical aptitude and a particular ability for academic work, which is generally demonstrated by the quality of a doctoral thesis, as well as additional scientific achievements, as explained in more detail in Art. 57 para. 1 sentences 3 and 4 BayHIG. The additional scientific achievements should have been made in the field of virology.

The appointment to the professorship will depend on the qualifications of the candidate (m/f/d) and may be made either at salary grade W3 or, initially, at salary grade W2 for a fixed term of six years with a tenure track option leading to a permanent W3 university professorship. In the case of an appointment at salary grade W2 with tenure track, the transition to a permanent W3 professorship—either through civil servant status or a permanent private-law employment contract—will only be granted if the candidate has demonstrated academic excellence in accordance with the university’s internal quality assurance framework. The tenure track evaluation process may be initiated no earlier than after two years and six months of employment as a university professor.

For a W3 professorship, initial career advancement requires demonstrable success in national or international third-party research funding, an extensive publication activity, and integration into an international research environment.

According to Article 60 (3) BayHIG, appointment to a civil servant position as a professor is only permissible until the completion of the 52nd year of life. Exceptions may be granted in urgent cases.

The University of Würzburg attaches great importance to the intensive support of students and doctoral candidates and expects a corresponding commitment from applicants.

The University of Würzburg strives to increase the proportion of women in research and teaching and therefore expressly invites qualified women scientists to apply.

Applicants with disabilities will be given preferential treatment if their qualifications are otherwise essentially the same.

Applications should be submitted by 02.11.2025, preferably electronically in the form of a PDF file to berufungen@ukw.de, together with the required documents.

This text is an English translation; only the original German version of this announcement is the legally binding version, which is published in DIE ZEIT (41/2025) and Forschung & Lehre (10/25). The advertisement is also available at Zeit jobs and www.academics.de.

Dean of the Medical Faculty of the Julius-Maximilians-University Prof. Dr. M. Frosch, Josef-Schneider-Straße 2, Haus D7, D-97080 Würzburg