Junior Professor of Foundations of Artificial Intelligence (salary grade: W1) with tenure track to W3

The University of Bayreuth is a research-oriented university with internationally competitive, interdisciplinary focus areas in research and teaching. The Faculty of Mathematics, Physics & Computer Science at the University of Bayreuth is currently seeking to appoint a 

to commence as soon as possible as a fixed-term civil service position. 

We are looking for people of international visibility to strengthen the Computer Science Department with independent research and teaching profiles in the field of Foundations of Artificial Intelligence. The field of Artificial Intelligence is broadly construed here, with subfields such as Deep Learning, Causal AI, Natural Language Processing, Generative Models, World Models, (Neuro-)Symbolic AI, Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, Planning and Search, Agentic AI, Embodied AI, and Reinforcement Learning. The successful candidate will not only enrich the Computer Science Department; but also foster cooperation in research and teaching with related disciplines.

We seek an early-career researcher who has both the ability to conduct independent research and highly promising potential that is complementary to the existing expertise at the University of Bayreuth. You have completed your doctorate with above-average success and are developing an international profile in the field of Artificial Intelligence. This is demonstrated by strong publications in recognized journals or conference proceedings, such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, JMLR, CVPR, ACL, KDD, AAAI, IJCAI, JAIR, AAMAS, ICAPS, and KR. Willingness and ability to attract research funding must be evident. Candidates must demonstrate potential for excellent teaching in the field of Artificial Intelligence. 

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to undergraduate teaching, both in computer science and in interdisciplinary study programmes, and to actively contribute to academic self-governance.

The ability to teach in English and German is also expected.

In addition to the general legal requirements, prerequisites for this position are a university degree, proven excellence in teaching, and the ability to carry out scholarly research (generally demonstrated by the quality of the applicant’s doctoral research). Since the completion of the doctorate (date of the doctoral certificate) no more than four years should have passed. The requirements given in the university’s Bayreuth Track Regulations also apply. 

The successful candidate will initially be appointed as a fixed-term civil servant for a period of three years and will be extended for an additional 3 years upon successful evaluation in the third year of employment. The teaching load is currently set at five hours of instruction in the first phase and seven hours of instruction in the second phase.

The performance agreement, which defines the criteria for the interim and tenure evaluation, is drawn up by the university and the applicant during the appointment negotiations. The agreement shall include criteria in the categories of research and academic teaching, and may also include Third Mission and academic engagement. The appointment to the W3 professorship depends exclusively on the outcome of the tenure evaluation. After successful tenure evaluation, the candidate is appointed University Professor (W 3) as a permanent civil servant. Further information on the Bayreuth Track process can be found via https://uni-bayreuth.de/en/appointments.

The University of Bayreuth views the diversity of its staff as an asset and is expressly committed to the goal of gender equality. Female scholars and any persons who can help make the research and teaching profile of the university more diverse are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants with children are highly welcome. The University of Bayreuth is a member of the best practice club Family at University, and it offers “dual career support” for career-oriented partners of highly qualified employees. In addition, an extended audit conducted by the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) returned a favorable review for the University of Bayreuth’s commitment to internationalization. All qualifications being equal, applicants with disabilities will be given priority.

Applications (CV, outlining education and academic career, list of publications, list of courses taught, experience obtaining external funding, as well as copies of diplomas and certificates) are to be submitted electronically to the Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics & Computer Science Prof. Dr. Enders via https://uni-bayreuth.berufungsportal.de by 12.04.2026. 

Applicants are welcome to direct questions and requests for further information to the Dean at dekanat.mpi@uni-bayreuth.de. Following the conclusion of the appointment process, application documents will be permanently disposed of in accordance with data protection law.