W1 Junior Professorship in Quantum Bioinformatics

Universität des Saarlandes

Saarland University is a campus university with a strong international focus and a distinctive research profile characterized by its four core research hubs ‘Computer Science and Informatics’, ‘BioMed’, ‘Europe’ and ‘Sustainability’. The Department of Computer Science at Saarland University is embedded in the Saarland Informatics Campus (SIC) and encompasses the full spectrum of Computer Science and forms a joint faculty with the Department of Mathematics. In the existing Center for Bioinformatics, which is connected to the larger PharmaScienceHub (PSH), faculty from Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry and Medicine collaborate scientifically and run nationally and internationally renowned Bioinformatics study programs. A new Center for Quantum Technologies is currently being founded. This center pursues research on quantum technologies in a broad sense, on the hardware side (in quantum physics and quantum engineering) as well as on the software side (in quantum information theory, theoretical physics and quantum computing). It will include an outpost of the Helmholtz Center Forschungszentrum Jülich. The Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science at Saarland University, Campus Saarbrücken, is inviting applications for the following position to commence at the earliest opportunity:

W1 Junior Professorship in Quantum Bioinformatics
(m/f/x; Reference no.: W2747)

This position will initially be a fixed-term public sector position (Beamtenverhältnis auf Zeit) for a period of 3 years. The duration of the appointment may be extended up to a maximum of six years in total if this is supported by the results of the teaching appraisal and the external assessment of the appointee’s research work. Description: This computer science professorship will be part of both the existing Center for Bioinformatics and the new Center for Quantum Technologies (QuTe). The position involves active participation in research and teaching. The teaching languages are English and (in some basic courses) German. Contributions to the existing B.Sc. and M.Sc. programs in Bioinformatics and to a new M.Sc. program in Quantum Information are desired. The professorship will take an active role in the expansion of research and transfer activities at the intersection of Bioinformatics and Quantum Computing at Saarland University and associated research institutions. In particular, this professorship will collaborate with researchers at the Helmholtz Center Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) and at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Science Saarland (HIPS) to drive forward the highly dynamic field of quantum bioinformatics. The appointment will be made in accordance with the general provisions of German public sector employment law. Candidates must be university graduates with experience in and an aptitude for academic teaching who have demonstrated a particular capacity for independent academic research, usually evidenced by the outstanding quality of their PhD or doctoral thesis. If the applicant was employed as a research associate before or after their PhD/doctorate, the combined period of doctoral research and employment in Germany should not exceed six years. For additional information on employment requirements, please refer to Sec. 1.3 of the Framework Regulations Governing the Approval, Recruitment and Evaluation Procedures for Junior Professorships at Saarland University (Rahmenordnung zur Freigabe, Besetzung und Evaluation von Juniorprofessuren an der Universität des Saarlandes) of 12 December 2018 (www.uni-saarland.de/berufungen). Requirements: The successful candidate will have exceptional research skills proven by high-quality peer-reviewed methodologically oriented bioinformatics publications, ideally some of which have been written independently of the PhD advisor(s). The candidate is internationally visible and has a research focus in quantum methods for bioinformatics. Topics may include, but are not limited to, solving hard combinatorial optimization problems with quantum methods, quantum-based data structures (e.g. in pangenomics), quantum-based simulation methods for drug design, or quantum machine learning for large omics datasets. The candidate is expected to have acquired first teaching experience, and first experience in the acquisition of third party funds is also desirable. The successful candidate should show potential for collaboration across disciplines, especially with the existing quantum professorships in the departments of Mathematics and Physics. Saarland University views internationalization as a process spanning all aspects of university life. We therefore expect members of our professorial staff to promote and foster further internationalization. Special support will be provided for projects that expand collaboration within existing international cooperative networks, e.g. projects with partners in the European University Alliance Transform4Europe (www.transform4europe.eu) or the University of the Greater Region (www.uni-gr.eu). In accordance with the objectives of its gender equality plan, Saarland University is actively seeking to increase the proportion of women in this field. Qualified women candidates are therefore strongly encouraged to apply. Preferential consideration will be given to applications from disabled candidates of equal eligibility. Furthermore, we welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of nationality, ethnic heritage or social background, religious beliefs, personal beliefs or values, age, sexual orientation or identity. Please complete the application form in Saarland University's online application portal at www.uni-saarland.de/berufungen and submit it with your application documents by no later than 24 February 2026. Application documents must be uploaded as a single PDF file (max. size 10 MB) and should include the following documents in the order specified:

• a letter of application, which should be addressed to the Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Prof. Dr. Roland Speicher, and include your private address, phone number and email,
• your CV / resume, including details of academic responsibilities and teaching duties,
• a complete list of publications,
• a statement of your previous and planned research activities,
• a teaching statement, and, where possible, existing teaching evaluation documents,
• your record in acquiring external funding,
• up to 3 of your most relevant publications regarding your planned research at the Center for Quantum Technologies (QuTe)
• electronic copies of your certificates,
• the completed recruitment questionnaire for junior professorships (link provided in the application portal).
• proof of disability if you declared a disability in your application,
• If you hold a university degree from a non-German university, please provide proof of equivalence from Germany's Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) if available. If you have not yet requested proof of equivalence from ZAB, you must submit proof at a later date if so requested.

For questions about this position, please contact Prof. Sven Rahmann (email: rahmann@cs.uni-saarland.de). For more information on the Center for Quantum Technologies (QuTe) in general, please contact Prof. Moritz Weber (email: weber@math.uni-sb.de). When you submit a job application to Saarland University, you will be transmitting personal data. Please refer to our privacy notice for information on how we collect and process personal data in accordance with Art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (www.uni-saarland.de/en/privacy). By submitting your application, you confirm that you have taken note of the information in the Saarland University privacy notice.