The Department of Mechanical Engineering at TU Darmstadt invites applications for a

W2 Assistant Professorship with Tenure Track “Modular Fluid Process Technology”

(Code. No. T511-2025)

as of April 1, 2027.

About TU Darmstadt

TU Darmstadt stands for excellent and relevant science. We are playing a decisive role in shaping far-reaching processes of global change - from energy transition to artificial intelligence - through outstanding scientific knowledge and innovative academic programmes. We group our cutting-edge research into three fields: Energy and Environment, Information and Intelligence, Matter and Materials.

TU Darmstadt has strong ties to the Frankfurt-Rhine-Main metropolitan region and is well known for its ­cosmopolitanism and international outlook. As one of the three Rhine-Main Universities (RMU), TU Darmstadt cooperates closely with Goethe University Frankfurt and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. This includes ­academic research, study and teaching, the promotion of early-career researchers, and the transfer of knowledge and technology to the economy and society. TU Darmstadt actively promotes diversity and equality. We consider diversity to be the key to creative solutions and social progress.

Context of the professorship in the Department of Mechanical Engineering

With its wide variety of topics and methods, the Department of Mechanical Engineering at TU Darmstadt makes relevant contributions to the design of socio-technical systems. We use our talents and skills to promote sustainable development. Equal treatment and respect are important to us. We are internationally networked and want to offer every researcher the best opportunities for development, regardless of their origin. We strive to attract the best minds for our research. We see different areas of experience as an opportunity.

The professorship “Modular Fluid Process Technology” is being established as part of a repositioning towards innovative, technological fields of application in process engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in order to gradually build up and expand expertise in this area.

Your tasks

Modular fluid process engineering systems are to be researched and developed in terms of their efficiency, resilience, conformity, and traceability. These systems should also be operated and analyzed on a demonstrator scale. In doing so, the technological progress of each individual module, as well as how the modules interact within a plant, must be considered. This goes hand in hand with the information modeling of semantic digital twins of the modules, which makes the design, control, and approval of fluid process engineering plants from these modules possible in the first place. The implementation of the sub-processes in the modules, the modeling of their behavior, the investigation of their interaction, and the subsequent optimization of the overall plant, as well as its embedding in organizational and regulatory frameworks, place high demands on the technology and require a great deal of interdisciplinary interest.

The future job holder is expected to participate appropriately in teaching tasks for the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in the Department of Mechanical Engineering as well as interdisciplinary degree programs. We also expect a willingness to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and to promote young technical and ­scientific talent in schools.

Your profile

We are looking for an internationally outstanding scientist in an early career phase with promising potential to develop an outstanding scientific profile in the field of Modular Fluid Process Technology. Applicants should have initial scientific achievements in the field of process engineering, plant and process technology. Additional experience in control and automation technology is desirable. You should demonstrate clear development potential with regard to modern, thematically relevant research methods.

Requirements include a degree in engineering followed by a qualified doctorate. Initial experience in project funding acquisition and teaching is desirable.

The assistant professorship is funded by the KSB Foundation as an endowed professorship. It is designed as a qualification professorship according to § 70 HessHG (Hessisches Hochschulgesetz). Accordingly, the academic activity during and after the doctorate should generally not exceed nine years or the academic activity after the doctorate should not exceed four years. This maximum duration may be extended in the event of birth, adoption or having children.

Applicants should have completed their doctorate at a university other than TU Darmstadt or have been academically active outside TU Darmstadt for at least two years after completing their doctorate.

As part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main metropolitan region, Technical University of Darmstadt and its surroundings are characterized by living internationality. The core element of this is a cosmopolitan climate with functional multilingualism at our university. Therefore, very good English and, at the latest after three years, good German language skills are expected.

The job advertisement is open to people of all genders. TU Darmstadt aims to further increase the number of female professors, and we therefore strongly encourage interested female researchers to apply!

We offer

Technical University of Darmstadt offers varied and challenging assignments, freedom to work independently, the latest technologies, good collaboration between colleagues in partnership, needs-based training opportunities and customised personnel development.

Development and organisation - comprehensive in-house training offers, including the opportunity for continuing education and development;

Sustainable and mobile - eligibility to free public transport in the state of Hesse with the LandesTicket Hessen (Hesse StateTicket), in addition to opportunities to working mobile at times;

Fit and healthy - free of charge preventive medical check-ups and a wide-ranging subsidised sports programme;

Work-life balance - flexible working time models, plus BGM (Betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement - University Health Management);

Family-friendliness and career - Technical University of Darmstadt is certified as a family-friendly university and offers a dual career program;

Accessibility is a high priority throughout our entire working environment. We constantly strive to further reduce digital, structural, and linguistic barriers for all employees and explicitly welcome applications from people with disabilities. In case of equal qualifications, applicants with a degree of disability of at least 50 or equal will be given preference.

You can find more information about TU Darmstadt as an employer on our website.

Appointment is usually made on a civil service basis with attractive remuneration depending on qualifications. A tenure track is planned for the assistant professorship: After a successful probationary period of six years, there is an immediate transition to a permanent W3 professorship. For further information, please refer to the statutes for assistant professorships at the Technical University of Darmstadt.

General information, data privacy

By submitting your application, you agree that your data may be stored and processed for the purpose of filling the vacancy. You can find our privacy policy on our webpage.

Contact

If you have any questions about this position, please contact Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Stephan (pstephan@ttd.tu-darmstadt.de).

Application deadline: January 5, 2026

You can find our application form on https://www.career.tu-darmstadt.de/tu-darmstadt/apply/51709