Tenure Track scientist as working group head (m/f/d) on “Participatory resilience assessment of[...]

Organisation/Company: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)

Research Field: Agricultural sciences, Sociology » Socio-economic research

Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2), Established Researcher (R3)

Positions: Postdoc Positions

Country: Germany

Application Deadline: 8 Apr 2025 - 23:59 (Europe/Berlin)

Type of Contract: Temporary

Job Status: Full-time

Hours Per Week: 40

Offer Starting Date: 1 Jan 2026

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The mission of the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) as a nationally and internationally active research institute is to deliver knowledge and solutions for ecologically, economically and socially sustainable agriculture. ZALF aims for excellent and integrated research with societal impact. The institute is a member of the Leibniz Association and is located in Müncheberg (approx. 35 minutes by regional train from Berlin-Lichtenberg). ZALF is currently establishing its Innovation Centre for Agricultural System Transformation (IAT). Beginning in 2026, the IAT will operate as a new and permanent structural unit within ZALF with 19 working groups conducting research in the context of agricultural living labs. The IAT working groups will collaborate with diverse actors in the co-design and shared assessment of cultivation systems, value networks and joint innovations in support of a larger transformation towards more sustainable and equitable agriculture. The research is focused on five agricultural landscape living labs in Hesse and Brandenburg. The IAT working groups are in Giessen, Kassel, Geisenheim, and Müncheberg.

With its Tenure Track System, ZALF aims to recruit excellent scientists with expertise aligned with the IAT by guaranteeing a permanent contract upon successful evaluation.

We are offering at our IAT location in Müncheberg a full-time position as

Tenure Track scientist as working group head (m/f/d) on “Participatory resilience assessment of farming systems” [Reference No. IAT-T02-2025]

This Classic Tenure Track Call invites applications of scientists with qualifications to lead a new working group focusing on the development and implementation of participatory methods for the assessment of farming system resilience considering diverse changes within and beyond the system. Such changes may include new management practices or value chains as well as external socio-demographic, economic, technological and environmental driving forces. The ambition is to ensure that agricultural innovations co-developed in living labs build resilience under future conditions. All research should be embedded in a living lab context, primarily in Germany, but also in other world regions.

The successful candidate will:

• Advance operationalization of the resilience concept, specifically for assessing farming systems together with a range of relevant actors by combining qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Develop and apply participatory assessment methods, for example, a combination of scenario studies with multicriteria analyses, life-cycle assessments and cost benefit analyses.
• Take a forward looking (ex-ante) perspective and implement research at a range of farming systems, including crop, livestock, mixed, and agroforestry systems.
• Have active collaboration with IAT researchers conducting integrated impact assessment modelling and co-designing agricultural innovations in living labs as well as with other impact assessment research groups within and beyond ZALF and the IAT university partners.
• Have responsibilities as a working group head to supervise early career researchers and acquire research funding.

Qualifications

The selected candidate will have a Ph.D. in agricultural sciences or similar, with a focus on interdisciplinary assessment methods contributing to impact. They will have significant experience in participatory research as well as an openness to transdisciplinary research. The candidate will have a comprehensive understanding of the concept of resilience in the context of farming systems, also in relation to sustainability concepts. Expertise in European agricultural systems and scientific leadership is desirable, and knowledge of German is an advantage. The selected candidate is required to have demonstrated their capacity to independently carry out research, including an excellent publication record, successfully acquired competitive third-party funding, and visibility in their respective field of research.

We offer

The successful candidate will receive a Regular Tenure Track position (2 x 3 years) with transition to a permanent position, subject to successful evaluations (midterm and final tenure evaluation). If candidates are not legally eligible for two consecutive fixed-term contracts (according to the German academic employment law – WissZeitVG), they may enter a Fast Tenure Track (1 x 3 years) if the required scientific achievements are fulfilled.

Further:

• Full-time contract, with part-time option to allow for the reconciliation of family and career.
• Salary will follow the guidelines for public employees according to the German TV-L, E14.
• Individual options for career support such as a mentoring tandem, courses & trainings.
• A transdisciplinary working environment that encourages independence and self-reliance.
• Service groups and support for stakeholder management and living lab coordination, as well as for data management and computation.
• Access to a network of national and international scientific partners in the field of research.
• A collegial and open-minded working atmosphere in a dynamic research institution.
• Relocation within commuting distance of the IAT location is welcome; remote work is permitted up to 40% per month.
• Company ticket for public transport.

Application and candidate selection

ZALF is an equal opportunities employer (audit berufundfamilie certificate) and specifically encourages female scientists to apply. Applications of disabled applicants with equal qualifications will be favored.

Application documents must follow the specifications given in the respective guideline available at the ZALF website (www.zalf.de/en/karriere/tenure-track) and include two standardized letters of recommendation of scientists who are familiar with your research accomplishments and academic credentials (template available at Reference_Letter). This call has reference to the special conditions of IAT Tenure Track positions.

Candidate selection is based on scientific achievements, strategic aspects, and personal suitability. Details on criteria, minimum requirements and evaluation processes can be obtained from the ZALF Tenure Track System guideline, which is an official annex to this call: Tenure_Track_Guideline. Please send your application preferably online (see link below). For e-mail application, create a single PDF file and send it to tenuretrack@zalf.de stating the reference number IAT-T02-2025.

The deadline for applications is 08 April 2025.

If you have any questions regarding the research profile of this position, please contact Prof. Dr. Katharina Helming (Phone +49(0)33432/82-155; helming@zalf.de). For questions regarding the Tenure Track System, please contact Dr. Andrea Kern (Phone +49(0)33432/82-589; andrea.kern@zalf.de).

The filling of the position is subject to the final decision on the provision of institutional funding. If you apply, we collect and process your personal data in accordance with Articles 5 and 6 of the EU GDPR only for the processing of your application and for purposes that result from possible future employment with ZALF. Your data will be deleted after six months. You can find further information here.