W2-Professorship of Road Construction

starting September 1st, 2026 | campus Detmold | permanent position | full-time

We are OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts. In Lemgo, Detmold and Höxter we develop around 5,700 students: personally, professionally and future-orientated. We foster interdisciplinary exchange and benefit from cooperative structures. This is how we actively shape our appreciative working and educational environment at all locations. Strong institutes and international networks bring our innovations from application-oriented research to the dynamic economic region of East Westphalia-Lippe – and far beyond.

Your responsibilities

You will teach at the Department of Civil Engineering in the Bachelor's degree program of the same name as well as in the "Infrastructure Management – Water and Traffic" Master's degree program and represent, together with the professorship of "Traffic Planning and Traffic Engineering", the contents of the specialization area of traffic engineering. These contents have their specialist focus on the dimensioning of resource-conserving traffic area surfacing, the layers and material properties of the superstructure and roadbed/substructure in addition to the subject area of maintaining the surfacing of sustainable traffic routes. Apart from this, you will also represent the essential planning content in rail- and road-based public transport within the framework of innovative mobility concepts.

A well-equipped road construction laboratory is available for your investigations of layer and material properties.

You have a strong desire to be on campus and present for your students. Up to 25% of your teaching can be provided as digital teaching, if required, to enable cross-location lectures.

You are prepared to conduct courses in German as well as in English.

You will promote interdisciplinary study formats, e.g., through practical student projects.

You will conduct research in an interdisciplinary network with other specialist areas on current topics concerning traffic route construction and the maintenance of traffic routes.

In doing so, you will address questions from science, industry and construction management regarding efficient and sustainable transportation routes.

You have strong interest in innovative communication formats which encourage the dialog between science and society.

You will shape the teaching and research profile of the faculty, as well as the technical code via active participation in the specialist committees, as a committed and team-oriented person.

In addition, you will further develop the content you represent, for example digitalization in the construction sector (cooperation with the “Digital Construction” specialist area - topic BIM), the content and tools of road maintenance and/or asset management of transport infrastructure.

You will contribute to the university’s internal committee work in a collegial manner and participate actively in expanding cooperation relationships with domestic and foreign universities.

Your Profile

You have the ability to represent the subject area with the required thematic breadth and depth and to manage the road construction laboratory, didactic competence, a high degree of sensitivity and a sense of responsibility with regard to topics of sustainability and climate change. In addition, you fulfil the requirements of § 36 Hochschulgesetz NRW and have: a completed university degree, a successfully completed, relevant specialist doctorate degree, preferably in the specialist field of transportation engineering, relevant professional experience (at least five years, at least three of which gained outside the university sector) in the field of transportation infrastructure engineering. Furthermore, you should also have experience in the management of a road construction laboratory, experience in integrated international and national research in the field of traffic route construction and in the acquisition of third-party funds.

We Offer

a lively, interdisciplinary and future-oriented environment for your ideas in teaching, research and transfer, supportive balance between your career and your personal life, personalised onboarding and support for new appointees at the start of their university career, ongoing comprehensive further training opportunities – professional, didactic and personal, a strong network of external partners in the down-to-earth and economically strong region of East Westphalia-Lippe, a high quality of life thanks to a wide range of cultural, sporting and recreational activities in the region of Teutoburg Forest. OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts represents the principle of quality through diversity and wishes to increase the proportion of women among its scientific staff. In case of equal qualification, severely handicapped applicants will be given priority.

We look forward to hearing from you! We will gladly accept your complete application (incl. cover letter, CV, certificates and, if any, teaching evaluations and publication overview) until November 15th, 2025. Please only use our online application form to send your documents and address your cover letter to the President of the University, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Krahl, quoting reference number 3.1. Do you have any questions? Detailed information on your career option professorship at OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts can be found here. If you have individual questions about the application process, our HR officer, Ines Henning, will be happy to help you: +49 5261 702-5124. If you have any questions regarding the advertised professorship please contact Prof. Dr. Rainer Stephan from the Department of Civil Engineering: +49 5231 769-6559.