43,000 students and 8,000 employees in teaching, research and administration, all working together to shape perspectives for the future – that is the University of Münster. Embedded in the vibrant atmosphere of Münster with its high standard of living, the University’s diverse research profile and attractive study programmes draw students and researchers throughout Germany and from around the world.

The Collaborative Research Center 1459

Intelligent Matter: From Responsive to Adaptive Nanosystems

funded by the German Research Foundation and established at the University of Münster, Germany, is seeking to fill 15 positions for

Doctoral Research Associates (Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter*innen, salary level E 13 TV-L, part-time)

commencing on 1 April 2025. We are offering fixed-term part-time positions (67%), initially limited to three years, to qualify for a doctorate degree in the natural sciences. An increase of working hours is possible depending on the discipline.

The CRC 1459 and its integrated research training group offer an outstanding infrastructure and a comprehensive and interdisciplinary training program in the design and study of intelligent matter. The program will enable the doctoral researchers to carry out frontier research and empower them for future research and management tasks in industry and academia.

The doctoral researcher positions form part of an intensive and interdisciplinary research program on the conceptualization and realization of intelligent matter. Intelligence is the ability to perceive information and to retain it as knowledge to be applied towards adaptive behaviour in a changing environment. The CRC 1459 is inspired by the question whether synthetic matter can have intelligent properties. Such intelligent matter would provide entirely new opportunities for instance for the development of artificial skin, soft robotics with adaptive tactility, and brain-inspired computing with reduced energy consumption. The CRC 1459 involves 26 project leaders at University of Münster and University of Twente. More information on the research program of CRC 1459 is available at: www.uni-muenster.de/sfb1459/research.

Your tasks:

The positions are tied to working towards a doctorate.
Experimental or theoretical research in a project in the CRC 1459
Collaboration with other research groups within the CRC 1459.
Active participation in the PhD program of the associated research training group.

Our expectations:

Graduate degree (MSc) in chemistry, physics, or a related discipline.
Knowledge of experimental or theoretical methods required in our research projects.
Motivation and talent for doctoral research.
Excellent command of written and spoken English is essential.
Independent and responsible work attitude is a must.
Good communication skills and team spirit are highly desirable

Advantages for you:

A vibrant, interdisciplinary environment with outstanding facilities and a track record of intense and successful scientific collaboration.
A stimulating environment for professional success including lectures, colloquia, workshops and symposia in addition to individual training trough research.
Appreciation, commitment, openness and respect – values which are important to us.
If you have family members or young children in your care, our Family Service Office offers concrete support to help you balance your private and professional responsibilities.
As an educational institution, we are deeply committed to offering occupational training and continuing education opportunities tailored to your individual needs.
From A – Z, Aikido to Zumba, our sport and health programmes ensure a healthy work-life balance.
As a university employee, you are entitled to numerous benefits afforded to public servants, e.g. an attractive company pension scheme (VBL), an annual end-of-year bonus and a position that is shielded from economic fluctuations

The University of Münster strongly supports equal opportunity and diversity. We welcome all applicants regardless of sex, nationality, ethnic or social background, religion or worldview, disability, age, sexual orientation or gender identity. We are committed to creating family-friendly working conditions.

We actively encourage applications by women. Women with equivalent qualifications and academic achievements will be preferentially considered unless these are outweighed by reasons which necessitate the selection of another candidate.

Are you interested? Then we look forward to receiving your complete CV, a recommendation letter, and a motivation letter (maximum 1 page) stating the project(s) that you would like to work on by 2025-01-31. Please send your application electronically in PDF format to crc1459@uni-muenster.de with reference number PhD2025.

Please note that we cannot consider other file formats.

Reference number: 2024_11_39