The Department of Educational Science at the Faculty of Social Sciences is seeking to appoint an Assistant Professor with Qualification Agreement (in accordance with the Universities Act and the Employees Act and as per §27 of the Collective Agreement for University Employees). The designated field of the position is Empirical Research on School and Instruction. Upon successful completion of the agreed qualification objectives, the position will become permanent (Associate Professor).

The University of Salzburg stands for innovation in research and scholarship, research-led teaching, and active engagement with society. Situated in the heart of Europe – in the World Heritage city of Salzburg – the University offers an inspiring environment for academic careers – innovative, interdisciplinary and internationally interconnected.

Responsibilities

  • achievement of individually agreed qualification targets within a specified period;
  • independent teaching of 4 hours per week (rising to 8 hours upon completion of the qualification phase);
  • independent research in the field of Empirical Research on School and Instruction with a focus on quantitative research on motivation and/or emotion among secondary school students;
  • contributing to the organisation of teaching and research in the area of the Educational Science component of teacher education, in particular quantitative research on school and instruction.

Employment Requirements

  • doctorate (PhD) in one of the following fields: Educational Science or related studies (e.g. teacher training, psychology, empirical educational research);
  • dissertation at least partly published;
  • demonstrated research and university-level teaching experience in the field of motivation and/or emotion of secondary school students;
  • experience in applying for external research funding,
  • proven publication activity (including lead authorship) in internationally peer-reviewed, renowned (English-language) journals on the subject of motivation and/or emotion among secondary school students;
  • sound and proven knowledge of quantitative data analysis (e.g. longitudinal modelling) and the application of corresponding software (e.g. Mplus, R, etc.);
  • proven pedagogical and teaching experience;
  • very good spoken and written English skills.

Desirable Additional Qualifications

  • experience in university self-administration;
  • experience in coordination and science management;
  • national and/or international networking;
  • external academic activity outside the University of Salzburg, preferably abroad, minimum 1 year;
  • profound experience in the field of Educational Science related to Teaching and Teacher Education/School Pedagogy.

Desirable Personal Qualities

  • strong scientific commitment;
  • enthusiasm for both scholarly and practice-oriented work in higher education and schools;
  • ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team, organisational skills;
  • commitment to teaching.

How to Apply
Applications must be submitted electronically and include:

  • cover letter (2-3 pages) and CV;
  • description of academic and research achievements;
  • description of teaching experience and activities (including evaluations) and, if applicable, supervision/mentoring experience;
  • outline of future research and teaching plans, and for a contribution to the academic profile of the Department (approx. 5 pages);
  • concept for knowledge transfer and management (approx. 2 pages);
  • description of social skills (approx.. 2 pages);
  • diplomas/certificates (Master’s degree/diploma certificate/PhD certificate).

Planned start date: 1 October 2026

Contract duration: Six years. Upon achievement of the agreed qualification targets, the contract becomes permanent (Associate Professor).

Salary: Grade A2 according to § 49 sec. 2 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement; monthly salary € 6.389,50 gross (14 payments per year). If the qualification agreement is not concluded at the start of employment, initial grading will be B1 according to § 49 sec. 3b) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, monthly salary: € 5.014,30 gross (14 payments per year).

Closing date: 18 March 2026
Please send your application, compiled as a single PDF document, to .
Subject: 2026_6_995

Enquiries
Please contact Prof. Gerda Hagenauer at for further details on the position.

Further Information
We regret that expenses for travel and accommodation incurred in the job application cannot be refunded.

The University of Salzburg seeks to increase the proportion of women in academic and administrative areas and therefore encourages female candidates to apply. Considering the respective biography women will be given preference over equally qualified men.

People with disabilities or chronic illnesses who fulfil the job requirements are also expressly invited to apply.

If you have any questions about accessibility and support during the application process, please contact the Family, Gender, Diversity & Disability team at +43 662 8044 2462 or .

Please note that in case of doubt, the German version of the job advert is binding.