W2 Professorship (with a tenure track leading to W2) for Chromatin Biology in Chronic Inflammation

Kiel University (CAU) wishes to encourage a larger number of qualified women to take up professorships.

The Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology in the Faculty of Medicine at Kiel University (CAU) is seeking to fill the following position within the scope of the “Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation” (PMI) Cluster of Excellence:

W2 Professorship (with a tenure track leading to W2) for Chromatin Biology in Chronic Inflammation

to start as soon as possible and for an initial period of five years.

The successful candidate will represent the field of chromatin biology, focusing on the molecular regulation of gene expression through chromatin-based mechanisms, in both research and teaching.

Willingness to play an active part in the Faculty of Medicine’s overarching research focus of "Precision Medicine – Research, Treatment, Understanding", with its specialist areas of inflammation, oncology and neuroscience, as well as digital medical technology (biomaterials research and robot-assisted medicine), is a prerequisite.

The Faculty adopts a systematic medicine approach to understanding health and disease. In order to achieve long-term therapeutic success, even in the case of chronic and incurable diseases, as well as to act in an ethically responsible manner towards future generations, the Faculty of Medicine has adopted the guiding principle of "Sustainable Medicine by the Sea". The "Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation" (PMI) Cluster of Excellence emerged from the Faculty of Medicine. The Faculty of Medicine also takes the lead in and is participating as a partner in several major national and international research projects. Active participation in and strengthening of the PMI Cluster of Excellence and, where possible, involvement in ongoing collaborative research projects, in particular such as the within the scope of the "Regulation of Membrane Proteins" (ReMPro) Research Training Group (GRK), is expected.

Thanks to the interdisciplinary research priorities at Kiel University (CAU) – "Kiel Life Science" (KLS) and "Kiel Nano Surface & Interface Science" (KiNSIS) – as well as research activities in other faculties and with non-university research institutions such as the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, the research landscape of the professorship also offers excellent networking opportunities. The successful candidate will be expected to be involved in these research activities.

A completed degree in medicine or a degree in life sciences or natural sciences that meets the requirements for a professorship, as well as a PhD in one of the aforementioned subjects, is required.

Experience in successfully securing competitive external funding and a high level of international visibility through outstanding publication records are also required. Experience in university teaching is also desirable.

The successful candidate will be expected to develop and apply innovative experimental and bioinformatic approaches to analysing chromatin organisation, epigenetic modifications and regulatory networks at the single-cell and spatial levels (for example single-cell omics, spatial omics, epigenomic profiling). Relevant prior work in these fields of research is a prerequisite.

One key focus of the professorship should be investigating chromatin-mediated mechanisms in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases. In particular, the aim here should be to investigate the interactions between epigenetic regulation, cellular plasticity and the tissue microenvironment. Links to research in the field of oncology – for example regarding the role of epigenetic mechanisms in tumour development and response to treatment – are beneficial. The successful candidate will work closely with the Competence Centre for Genomic Analysis (CCGA) at the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology and be expected to contribute to the further development of integrative genomic and epigenomic analysis platforms. In addition, active participation in the Faculty’s translational research programmes is expected, with the aim of identifying new molecular concepts and biomarkers for precision medicine approaches to inflammatory processes.

Please note the recruitment requirements set out in Section 61 of the Higher Education Act (HSG) of the State of Schleswig-Holstein.

Following a successful evaluation, and provided that the other requirements under

Section 62 of the Higher Education Act (HSG) of the State of Schleswig-Holstein are met, the aim is also to make the professorship permanent.

To this end, a corresponding evaluation procedure is carried out at Kiel University (CAU) in accordance with the applicable statutes, typically one year before the fixed-term professorship expires. You can find further information on this by visiting the website at: www.berufungen.uni-kiel.de.

Kiel University (CAU) sees itself as a modern and cosmopolitan employer. We welcome your application regardless of your age, gender, cultural and social background, religion, beliefs, disability or sexual identity. We promote gender equality. You can learn more about our values in our Code of Conduct at: https://www.uni-kiel.de/gf-praesidium/de/recht/interne-richtlinien/verhaltenskodex

Kiel University (CAU) is committed to promoting the employment of people with disabilities: Applications from people with severe disabilities and those treated as such will be given priority where candidates are equally qualified.

We particularly welcome applications from people with a migrant background.

The University is committed to increasing the proportion of female academics in research and teaching, so strongly encourages suitably qualified women to apply. Women will be given priority where they have equivalent suitability, qualifications and professional performance.

Please note that we expressly do not require application photographs and therefore ask that you refrain from submitting any.

The symposium lecture is scheduled for calendar week 3 or 4, 2027. We would therefore ask applicants to make a note of this date.

Applications, accompanied by the usual supporting documents (CV, a list of publications, a list of courses taught and copies of academic certificates), should be submitted (preferably in electronic form), stating your home and work addresses along with your telephone number and e-mail address, by 27.11.2026 to the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Kiel University (CAU), Prof. Dr med. Joachim Thiery, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105 Kiel.

Anyone interested can find a guide on how to put together an application for the Faculty of Medicine on our website at: https://www.medizin.uni-kiel.de/de/fakultaet/berufungsverfahren.