Assistant Professorship (all genders) - Tenure Track Information and Communication Technologies in Automation

Technische Universität Wien

TU Wien is Austria's largest institution of research and higher education in the fields of technology and natural sciences. With over 26,000 students and more than 4000 scientists, research, teaching, and learning dedicated to the advancement of science and technology have been conducted here for more than 200 years, guided by the motto "Technology for People". As a driver of innovation, TU Wien fosters close collaboration with business and industry and contributes to the prosperity of society.

The Faculty of Informatics, one of the eight faculties at TU Wien, plays an active role in national and international research and has an excellent reputation. The main areas of research include Computer Engineering, Logic and Computation, Visual Computing & Human-Centered Technology, as well as Information Systems Engineering.

The TU Wien Faculty of Informatics invites applications for a full time Assistant Professor position (all genderss) with tenure track. The position has a focus on Information and Communication Technologies in Automation and is affiliated with the Institute of Computer Engineering, Research Unit Automation Systems. The estimated starting date is May 2026. The work contract is initially limited to six years. The candidate and TU Wien can agree upon a tenure evaluation, which when positive, opens the possibility to change the position to Associate Professor (all genders) with an unlimited contract.

Tasks:
The rapidly evolving landscape of industrial automation is being reshaped by the convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT), driving innovation across distributed automation systems. This convergence facilitates the seamless integration of data-centric computing systems with physical industrial processes, forming the backbone of modern Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) architectures. Key to this transformation are advanced paradigms such as industrial cloud, fog and edge computing, which collectively support scalable, responsive, and decentralized automated control. Embedded networks and industrial communication systems play a vital role in ensuring reliable and real-time data exchange across diverse industrial environments.

As automation systems become increasingly interconnected and data-driven, ensuring their reliability, security, safety, and resilience is paramount. These aspects are critical to safeguarding both physical infrastructure and digital assets in dynamic industrial settings. Further, cutting-edge information-technology methods, such as model-driven engineering, information modelling, and semantic interoperability are being employed to create robust digital twins and knowledge-based automation systems. These technologies will facilitate the coherent system design, integration, and lifecycle management across IT and OT domains.

The ideal candidate for the opened position will demonstrate an outstanding research and teaching record in distributed automation (systems), with a specialized focus on IT/OT convergence. Their work will reflect a strong commitment to advancing novel, standards-aligned methodologies for secure, safe, and semantically rich Industrial IoT architectures that enable the next generation of smart automation with applications in the areas of factory automation, next generation energy systems, and smart buildings.

The research areas of the successful candidate should cover at least two of the following research topics but are not limited to them:

• Distributed automation systems
• Industrial cloud, fog and edge computing with focus on IT/OT convergence
• Embedded/Real-time networks and communication systems (wired/wireless) for Industrial IoT systems
• Reliability, safety, security and resilience of Industrial IoT architectures
• Software Engineering in automation, (including information modelling techniques and knowledge representation for automation systems, semantic interoperability, digital twins)
• Application areas: factory automation, next generation energy systems, smart buildings, environmental monitoring

The candidate should have experience in working with industry or public administration, should have relevant postdoctoral experience, and a compelling research vision. Experience with current standardization activities is desirable.

We are particularly interested in candidates who will complement our existing expertise and strive for fruitful collaborations with members of both the Faculty of Informatics and TU Wien as a whole.

Besides research, the duties of an Assistant Professor at TU Wien include graduate and undergraduate teaching (in English and German). It is expected that the successful candidate will deliver courses related to distributed automation, IT in automation, and industrial communication. Contributing to usual management and faculty service tasks is also expected.

Your profile:
Applicants are expected to have the following qualifications.

Essential

• PhD or doctoral degree in Computer Science, or related subjects
• Post-doctoral experience at a university or other research institution
• Outstanding research and publication record
• Experience in inter-disciplinary research
• Excellent reputation as an active member of the international scientific community
• Experience in raising research funds and managing scientific research projects
• Experience in the submission and implementation of research projects
• Experience in university teaching as well as supervision or co-supervision
• Excellence in written and spoken English
• Proficiency in German or willingness to quickly acquire German language skills
• Pedagogic and didactic skills
• Administrative and organizational skills
• Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Desirable

• Leadership and Administration
• Experience with scientific project collaborations and standardization activities
• Public Engagement and Outreach
• Industry Experience

We offer:

• A tenure-track position with a full career path, consisting of the following milestones:
  • At the beginning of the employment, a qualification agreement is signed with the university
  • Upon successful fulfilment of the qualification agreement within 5 years, the candidate is promoted to associate professor with tenure
  • Subsequent excellent achievements may lead to promotion to full professor
• Excellent working conditions in an attractive research environment
• An attractive salary, including additional contributions to a pension fund
• Support for relocating to Vienna (if required)
• A position in a city with an exceptional quality of life
• Additional benefits for employees can be found at the following link: Fringe-Benefits

General information can be found at the following links:

• TU Wien
• Faculty of Informatics
• The 4 research foci of the Faculty of Informatics
• Institute of Computer Engineering
• Research Unit Automation Systems
• Living in Vienna

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The employment starts as University Assistant with a minimum salary of EUR 4,932.90 gross (14 x per year) according to the collective bargaining agreement for a PostDoc. After signing the qualification agreement, the employment continues as Assistant Professor with a minimum salary of EUR 5,808.20 gross (14 x per year).

We look forward to receiving your application until November 13th, 2025.

Applications have to include the following documents:

• A detailed curriculum vitae
• A letter of motivation
• A list of publications sorted by journals, conference papers, and other publications
• A teaching statement: 2 pages maximum
• A research statement: brief summary of past research activities, as well as a convincing outline of planned research activities, and an explanation of their contribution to the scientific profile of the Faculty of Informatics; 4-6 pages maximum; incl. abstract
• Certificates of doctoral and diploma degrees should be uploaded under the category: +add more documents
• Copies of the applicant’s three most important publications related to the position together with an explanation of their relevance should be also uploaded under the category: +add more documents

Furthermore, please note that applicants will not normally be reimbursed for travel costs incurred in connection with this admission process.