Deadline: February 14, 2021
The Alfred Wegener Institute seeks Expressions of Interest from outstanding talents who are two to six years past the completion of their PhD, to apply for the Helmholtz Young Investigator Groups (HGF) 2021.
About the Programme
Helmholtz Young Investigator Groups allow the Helmholtz Association to offer internationally outstanding postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to establish their own research groups. Up to 9 Young Investigator Groups are funded each year, identified through a highly competitive selection procedure, and funded for five years with a total of at least 1.5 million euros.
As head of a Helmholtz Young Investigator Group, you will gain early scientific independence and high visibility at the Center and in your community. You will also enjoy the outstanding leadership training of the Helmholtz Leadership Academy. You will conduct research in close cooperation with a university partner, gain valuable teaching experience, and acquire all the qualifications and have access to all the networks you need for a scientific career in Germany.
Thematic Area:
- Atmospheric boundary-layer coupling and Arctic amplification
- Sources and sinks of marine micro- and nanoplastics
- Plankton Ecology of Coastal Seas
- Polar Lipidomics
- Molecular biodiversity of intertidal ecosystems
- Ecology of Antarctic Benthic Habitats
- Transport Processes in the Southern Ocean
Eligibility
- The program is aimed at young scientists who completed their doctorates two to six years ago. Periods of child- rearing that fall within the postdoctoral phase can be credited (up to two years per child).
- Candidates must also have relevant experience abroad. This can be at least six months of continuous experience abroad during the doctoral or postdoctoral phase, the acquisition of an academic degree abroad, or the coordination of a major international project.
Benefits
- The Helmholtz Young Investigator Groups offer early scientific independence to international top talents. The funding generally amounts to at least € 300,000 p.a. for five years with an option of a permanent position in case of a positive evaluation.
- The group leaders receive professional skills training by the Helmholtz Leadership Academy. Helmholtz Young Investigator Groups are generally established together with a German university partner. Most group leaders are given joint positions as professors during the funding period.
Selection Criteria
The two-step process will start with an internal selection process at AWI. The final selection of candidates will be carried out by an external expert panel advising the president of the Helmholtz Association. YIGs of successful applicants will be hosted at the AWI. Funding is on the order of €300,000 per year for a period of five years, with potential access to further substantial research infrastructure depending in internal negotiation within AWI. The position is limited to five years and offers access to a tenure track procedure. The selection criteria is as follows:
- Outstanding scientific achievements and research experience of the candidate (CV, publications, citation index, awards, etc.)
- Quality of the planned research project (innovation capacity, relevance, structure, coherence, feasibility)
- Compatibility with scientific topics listed above (for the thematic track)
- Strategic importance for the AWI
- Synergy effects resulting from the cooperation between AWI and the partner university
Application
If you are interested in applying to the program, please follow these next steps:
- Apply directly to a Helmholtz Center with your research project. The Center in question is responsible for organizing the pre-selection. Please note that the deadline for submitting your proposal varies, therefore please contact the Helmholtz Center to obtain their submission deadline.
- If your Helmholtz Center nominates you, the Helmholtz Association Head Office will generally obtain at least two written scientific appraisals for your proposal.
- Applicants (no more than 25) with positive written assessments will then be invited to meet with an interdisciplinary panel of experts chaired by the President of the Helmholtz Association. Up to 9 Young Investigator Groups can be approved for funding each year.
Please contact corinna.kanzog@awi.de before applying. Draft application should include a project summary (max. 2 pages, Arial, font size 11 & single-line spacing), a full CV and publication list.
- Use the templates available here:
Deadline for submission of draft applications (corinna.kanzog@awi.de) is 14.02.2021. Short-listed applicants will be invited to present their projects to the AWI Scientific Council at the end of March 2021. Successful candidates will be informed after the final decision by the AWI Board of Directors; and they will be asked to provide a full proposal until 3 May 2021
For more information: Full procedure on how to apply, is available on their official website.
To apply: Click here
