We are looking for an early-career academic who is interested to start a tenure track with a focus on education, and who can strengthen our teaching and research in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells. The position will focus on the introduction of new courses based on innovative teaching approaches for the Bachelor and Master programs in related disciplines. We also foresee the extension of teaching activities to innovative professional development programs (CPD programs), as thousands of professionals working in the Natural Gas industry in the north Netherlands will have to be retrained if the foreseen transition to a hydrogen-based economy takes place. Involvement in supervision of Bachelor research projects and Master research projects is expected. Co-supervision of PhD students is also expected. Course contents will be connected to emerging industrial practices. Courses for which involvement of the candidate is foreseen include, among others, courses on Hydrogen, Fuels, Fuel Cells, and related laboratory courses.

As Assistant Professor with an education profile you will:

● teach in the Bachelor and Master degree programs of BSc in physics (energy&environment track), MSc in Energy and Environmental sciences, and MSc in Mechanical Engineering
● play a significant role in the development and innovation of education at FSE, both at the course and the program level, particularly for subjects related to hydrogen and fuel cells
● contribute to research lines in the research group Energy Conversion, or develop your own research in line with the strategy of the research group
● contribute to the supervision of PhD and MSc students in the research group
● contribute to the organization of the faculty, for example by participating in working groups and committees, especially in the domain of education.

At the stage of Assistant Professor 60% of your time is for teaching and education development, 30% for research and 10% for organizational tasks. After five years you will be assessed for tenure and promotion to the level of Associate Professor (see Conditions of employment).

We offer you the opportunity to start a career path that focuses on education and to become an educational leader in time.

We encourage you to apply if you have:

● a passion for teaching and education development
● demonstrably excellent teaching qualities, especially in innovative teaching approaches
● a PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry or a related field
● a good track record in research, as shown by publications in international peer-reviewed journals and proceedings of renowned conferences
● preferably between 2-6 years of relevant work experience after your PhD (at the time of appointment)
● demonstrable organizational competences
● good command of spoken and written English.

And you are:

● willing to obtain a University Teaching Qualification (Dutch: BKO) within three years and a Senior Teaching Qualification (Dutch: SKO) within five years
● able to work well in an international, culturally diverse, environment
● a team player with good communication skills who is able to inspire students and colleagues
● able to speak the Dutch language or motivated to speak it within five years (B1 level).

Fixed-term contract: 84 months.

We offer you accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities a full-time tenure track position as Assistant Professor and:

● a salary, depending on qualifications, work experience and your career stage, from € 3,974 up to a maximum of € 5,439 gross per month (salary scale 11) for a full-time position
● a starting package of k€ 40 to travel, organize workshops, etc., as well as access to additional resources for education development projects
● holiday allowance and end-of-year bonus of respectively 8% and 8.3% of your yearly salary
● a pension scheme
● maternity and parental leave
● the possibility to work part-time (0.9 FTE or 0.8 FTE)
● a personal development trajectory and a mentor program
● dual career support for partners of new faculty members moving to Groningen.

Consider our website for more information about the working conditions at the University of Groningen: https://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/that-is-why/

In case of a full-time contract, you will initially be appointed for 7 years and your performance will be assessed after 5 years. This moment may be extended with at most one year in case of a life event (e.g. prolonged illness or maternity leave). If your assessment is positive, you will get a tenured appointment as Associate Professor with an education profile. Please consider the following link for more details on the criteria for promotion: https://www.rug.nl/webvernieuwing/world/fse/tenure-track-positions-education-profile/assistant-professor-with-an-education-profile-def.pdf

The continuation of the career path after the level of Associate Professor with an education profile is currently being developed. It will include the possibility of applying for promotion to the position of Full Professor with an education profile.

Faculty of Science and Engineering

The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent. Quality has been our top priority for over four hundred years, and with success: the University is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential ranking lists.

The Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) is the largest faculty within the University. We offer first-rate education and research in a wide range of science and engineering disciplines, from classical disciplines such as mathematics, astronomy and mechanical engineering, to interdisciplinary fields such as artificial intelligence, nanoscience, and energy & environment. Our community has an open and informal character with students and staff from around the world.

The position will be embedded in the Energy & Sustainability Research Institute Groningen (ESRIG - https://www.rug.nl/research/esrig/). This institute is comprised of six base units, with activities ranging from science and engineering to societal applications. The ESRIG base units together carry the MSc programme Energy & Environmental Sciences. ESRIG research is highly multidisciplinary in nature and focuses on fundamental sciences, engineering sciences and social sciences. The particular base unit this position will be part of is Energy Conversion. Research within the Energy Conversion lab is focused on the development of hydrogen and fuel cell systems, renewable fuels and integrated energy systems. Research activities span from electrochemistry to system thermodynamics.
Energy Conversion also contributes to the MSc program mechanical engineering.