W3 Professorship for Drug Design and Development

In a joint appointment (Berlin model) with the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), the Faculty of Biological Sciences of Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany is seeking to fill a W3 Professorship for Drug Design and Development by the next possible date.

We are looking for a research personality (f/m/d) with extensive expertise in natural products, drug discovery and development of anti‑infectives who will significantly shape the research profile in Jena in the future. The candidate is expected to carry out an ambitious research program for targeted, guideline‑compliant development of new drug candidates. The position holder should have the ability to provide dedicated leadership to the research group, including training of junior scientists, as well as an extensive network of international collaborators. The professorship is responsible for the further conception of research as well as for the integration of research and teaching into the research landscape in Jena, for example into the Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, the Leibniz Center for Photonics in Infection Research and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF). The professorship can profit from the existing expertise in pre‑clinical drug development. It is explicitly desired that the new professor is very committed to the acquisition of external funding. Depending on the expertise, the professor will participate in teaching in the field of chemical biology, microbiology and related subjects. The professorship is a research professorship with a reduced teaching load.

Jena is scientifically very strong and internationally visible in the fields of microbiology, chemical biology, infection biology, biogeosciences, biodiversity, optics/photonics, materials science and bioinformatics/systems biology. Jena has an attractive research environment with an integrative network of natural and life sciences research groups, characterized by close collaborations of the university with non‑university research institutions and with local biotech companies. It is expected that the professorship will actively shape the profile building and expand and intensify the collaborations. Our future colleague will cooperate in an interdisciplinary manner and contribute her or his knowledge to the dialogue with society.

In order to be eligible for the position, candidates must have a completed degree, pedagogical aptitude, a particular aptitude for academic work demonstrated by a doctorate as well as a Habilitation or equivalent academic achievements. Appointment as a professor shall be for life as a civil servant, provided that the legal requirements are met.

Friedrich Schiller University aims to increase the proportion of women in research and teaching and therefore strongly encourages qualified female academics to apply. Severely disabled persons will be given preferential consideration in the case of equal suitability.

Applications in German or English with the usual documents such as cover letter, curriculum vitae, copies of certificates and diplomas, list of publications including selected reprints, documentation of teaching activities and teaching evaluation, list of third‑party funds acquired, research and teaching concept are to be submitted electronically via the University’s Appointment Portal at no later than 2 February 2026. They should be addressed to the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Biological Sciences.

For questions about the position and the procedure, please contact Prof. Dr. Axel Brakhage ( ).

For further information for applicants and the information on the collection of personal data, please refer to Datenschutz und Hinweise für Bewerber:innen.