Job Description
To further strengthen the excellence in research and teaching, the Department of Philosophy in collaboration with the Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz / German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) is inviting applications for the following position to start at the earliest possible opportunity: W2 Professorship (W3 tenure track position) in Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (m/f/x; Reference no.: W2759) The position is a fixed-term public sector appointment (Beamtenverhältnis auf Zeit) for a maximum pre-tenure period of six years. If the tenure evaluation procedure (teaching appraisal and external assessment of research work) is positive, the appointee will be promoted to a permanent professorship (lifetime tenure) at the German academic salary scale W3. We are looking for a highly motivated and promising researcher in the area of Ethics of Artificial Intelligence with extensive knowledge in the fields of practical philosophy, computer science and AI who will work on the ethics of and in AI at the DFKI and the Department of Philosophy in Saarbrücken.
At the university, the professorship will complement the Department of Philosophy and will establish a strong bridge to the DFKI and the Department of Computer Science. The role is also linked to the proposed Centre for Digital Humanities, which is currently in the planning phase. The person appointed to this position is expected to make a substantial and active contribution to departmental research and to teach and supervise at all levels (Bachelor, Master, PhD and teacher training programmes).
The appointee should also be willing to, where appropriate, participate in teaching at the Department of Computer Science (for example, the award-winning -Ethics for Nerds- course). At DFKI, the role holder will establish and lead a research group and potentially a new research department conducting interdisciplinary, application-oriented research at the intersection of computer science and philosophy and should therefore demonstrate clear potential to lead an independent research group. We expect that the appointee will hold a co-appointment with the Department of Computer Science.
W2 professorial appointments (W3 tenure track positions) at Saarland University have the right to supervise Bachelor-s, Master-s, doctoral and teacher training programmes students. The successful candidate will pursue world-class research, lead an independent research group and fulfil teaching and supervisory duties. This position offers excellent working conditions within a lively, international scientific community on campus and in close collaboration with the various DFKI sites and research departments.
DFKI and Saarland University are integral parts of the Saarland Informatics Campus (SIC), which also hosts the two Max-Planck Institutes for Informatics and for Software Systems, and the Helmholtz Center for Information Security (CISPA). The Department of Philosophy maintains strong ties to other university departments - notably Computer Science - and to philosophy departments in Germany and abroad. Together, the Saarland campus offers an interdisciplinary, dynamic and intellectually stimulating research environment.
Applicants must demonstrate that they are qualified in the ethics of artificial intelligence and should demonstrate strong research capabilities. Applicants should have produced research publications on the ethics of artificial intelligence that are independent of their doctoral dissertation and should have experience in externally funded research projects. The appointment will be made in accordance with the general provisions of German public sector employment law (see legal recruitment requirements in 41 Saarländisches Hochschulgesetz, current version available at ).
Your application: Please complete the application form in Saarland University's online application portal at and submit it with your application documents by no later than 28 May 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 cover letter and curriculum vitae a full list of publications a full list of external funding secured (indicate amounts awarded to you in joint applications) your proposed research plan (2-5 pages) a teaching statement (1 page) copies of your degree certificates full-text copies of your five most important publications a list of three academic references (including email addresses), at least one of whom must be a person who is outside the group of your current or former supervisors or colleagues confirmation/proof of severe disability, if you have indicated a severe disability in the application form if available: proof of equivalence of the foreign university degree from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB; does not apply to university degrees in Germany).
If the proof has not yet been requested at the time of application, it must be submitted later upon request. Please contact if you have any questions. 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-.
Hosting, among other research groups, a Collaborative Research Centre, the Faculty of Humanities is a research-intensive faculty specializing in the fields -Europe-, -Language and Cognition-, -Cultural Diversity- and -Digital Humanities-. The Department of Philosophy is a dynamic research and teaching unit with a strong focus on systematic philosophy, both theoretical and practical, and on philosophy conducted in the analytic tradition, including the use and the study of formal tools from logic and linguistics. In collaboration with the Department of Philosophy and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) the faculty is currently establishing a new research area on the ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence.
The DFKI is the world's largest independent research institute in the field of artificial intelligence. The research work conducted across its 29 research departments focuses on human-centric AI and is guided by the principles of social relevance and scientific excellence in key areas and future applications of AI. Saarland University regards internationalization as an institution-wide process spanning all aspects of university life and it therefore encourages applications that align with its internationalization strategy.
Members of the university's professorial staff are therefore expected to promote and foster further internationalization. Special support will be provided for projects that maintain or expand collaboration within existing international cooperative networks. Saarland University is an equal opportunity employer.
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.
We welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of nationality, ethnic heritage or social background, religious beliefs, personal beliefs or values, disability, age, sexual orientation or identity. 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). By submitting your application, you confirm that you have taken note of the information in the Saarland University privacy notice. The full job advertisement can be found at:
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