Professor position: Human Geography, University of Fribourg, Switzerland

Regional Studies Association; Freiburg; Vor Ort; CHF 30’000 - 80’000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

A distinguished Swiss university is seeking a Professor in Human Geography to lead an innovative research program focusing on environmental issues such as climate change and sustainability. The successful candidate will teach at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in both French and English, and is expected to integrate students from various programs. This position offers ample support for research and collaboration within a vibrant academic community.

Leistungen

Shared postdoc position

Research startup credit

State-of-the-art workspace

Qualifikationen

• Proven track record in human geography with focus on environmental issues.
• Clear research and teaching vision.
• Experience in both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.

Aufgaben

• Develop an internationally recognized competitive research program.
• Contribute to Master's programs in Geography and Environmental Sciences.
• Teach and mentor students in various programs.

Kenntnisse

Research in Human Geography

Fluency in French

Fluency in English

Willingness to learn German

Teaching experience

Ausbildung

PhD in Geography or related field

Tools

NVivo

Jobbeschreibung

Location University of Fribourg, Switzerland

The Faculty of Science and Medicine of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, announces the opening of an open rank position of Professor in Human Geography in the Department of Geosciences.

1. GENERAL CONDITIONS

We seek a colleague with an outstanding scientific track record in the field of human geography with a focus on environmental issues. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, climate change debates, resource geographies, urban-rural relations, agriculture, conservation, and sustainability. Qualified applicants must have a clear research and teaching vision and proven teaching and communication skills. This position includes teaching at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels; it requires fluency in French and English and the willingness to acquire German. The candidate is expected to contribute to the Master programs “Master in Geography” and “Specialized Master in Nature, Society and Politics” and to integrate students form the Master programs in “Environmental Sciences and Humanities” in their courses. The successful candidate will develop an internationally recognized competitive research program sustained by external funding. The position may be filled at the level of Assistant Professor (tenure track) or Full Professor (tenured).

The University of Fribourg is a signatory to the DORA declaration and attaches great importance to a qualitative assessment of academic performance.

The University of Fribourg is an equal opportunity employer and strives towards gender balance and diversity at all levels. Striving to increase the number of women in the faculty, the University of Fribourg therefore particularly encourages applications from qualified female scientists.

Please upload the following documents via the link above:

• A cover/motivation letter specifying the position applied for (Professor of Human Geography), addressed to the Dean, Prof. Michael Walch, President of the Search Committee.
• A complete curriculum vitae, including a copy of the highest degree diploma.
• A full publication list, with the five most important contributions highlighted.
• The five most important publications.
• A record of past and present funding.
• A 2-page description of future research plans.
• A statement and record of teaching experience and interests.
• The names and full contact details of three referees.

3. ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT

The Department of Geosciences (https://www3.unifr.ch/geo/en/) is organized into two units, the Geography Unit and the Earth Science Unit. The Department currently consists of 11 research groups which are clustered in five domains: Human Geography, Environmental Humanities, Geology, Mineralogy and Petrology, and Physical Geography. All research groups are headed by leading scientists in their respective fields who publish extensively in international, peer-reviewed journals, and manage national and international research projects and networks. As all groups represent essential teaching pillars, but the Department only hosts 9 professors, 2 research topics are covered by MER positions. Our close vicinity to the Universities of Bern, Neuchâtel and Lausanne also offers significant collaborative synergy in terms of both research and teaching.

4. TEACHING

The Department of Geosciences offers teaching at all academic levels, with:

Research at the Department of Geosciences is divided into five main research areas (Human Geography, Environmental Humanities, Geology, Mineralogy and Petrology, and Physical Geography). For details of the research activities in the Department see https://www.unifr.ch/geo/en/research/ ; for details on the research in the Human Geography domain see here: https://www.unifr.ch/geo/humangeography/en/research/ . In brief, Human Geography research in the Department is focused on Political Ecology, Political Geography, Environmental History, Environmental Justice, Political Geology and Global Environmental Change.

6. LANGUAGES

The University of Fribourg is bilingual. Teaching to geoscience students at the Bachelor level is given either in French or in German; teaching at the Master and PhD level is given in English. Undergraduate students are expected to understand both French and German but can take their exams in either language. Candidates are expected to have a proficiency in French and English and be willing to acquire the German language skills within a reasonable timeframe.

7. INFRASTRUCTURE AND FUNDING

Rooms and facilities

The successful candidate will receive a workspace and access to the qualitative analysis software (the Department holds licenses of the software NVivo for both research and teaching), sufficient space for storing data on the university’s servers and clouds, and a budget for acquiring books for the DOKPE library. The University’s computer service supplies all departmental members (academic and technical staff) with state-of-the-art PCs or Macs and appropriate word processing, reference, statistical and graphics software. Specific research software can also be supported for research purposes.

Personnel and financial resources

The new Professor will receive the following dotation:

• a shared 75% postdoc position
• shared support by administrative assistants
• an installation (start-up) credit for research activities to be defined
• an annual share of the department’s operating budget (for consumables and equipment), calculated according to standard procedures of the Department of Geosciences
• Computational resources will be at the new professor’s disposal
• Potentially more resources might be negotiable

8. CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Prof. Michael Walch Dean, Faculty of Sciences and Medicine University of Fribourg Chemin du Musée 8 CH-1700 Fribourg / Switzerland Email: [e-mail]