Professor - Human-computer Interaction

University Professor (m_f) for the specialist field of Human-Computer Interaction

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.

At the Institute of Visual Computing and Human-Centered Technology of the Faculty of Informatics at TU Wien, the position of a University Professor for the specialist field of “Human-Computer Interaction” with permanent (full-time) employment .

This professorship position is regulated by § 98 of the 2002 Universities Act (UG), and has been allocated in TU Wien’s development plan to the focal area Information & Communication Technology.

We at the Institute of Visual Computing and Human-Centered Technology investigate the design and development of key technologies in the areas of computer vision, computer graphics, visualization, augmented/mixed/virtual reality, human-computer interaction, human factors, and socially embedded technologies. Our institute is part of the Faculty of Informatics, one of the eight faculties at TU Wien.

Next to Visual Computing and Human-Centered Technology, the main areas of research of the Faculty of Informatics include Computer Engineering, Logic and Computation, and Information Systems Engineering. The Faculty of Informatics plays an active role in national and international research and has an excellent reputation.

As a successful applicant you have an internationally recognized profile and standing in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), demonstrated by your publication record, acquired research projects, lectures and associated service roles in top venues of human-computer interaction.

You are passionate about your research agenda on designing technological futures around the increasingly complex and evolving relationship between individuals, societies, and technology. Your research links areas of societal concern with cutting-edge technological innovation and takes an interdisciplinary and critical approach to creating novel interactive systems that seek to realize positive impacts on all humans.

With your technological expertise, you develop research artifacts crossing disciplinary boundaries of human-computer interaction interfaces, personal fabrication, human-AI cooperation, human factors, accessible computing, and social challenges of technology design.

As a successful candidate you will be an enthusiastic and skilled educator who recognizes the role of teaching in shaping future technology landscapes. To this end, you engage in education across Bachelor’s and Master’s programs (in both English and German), aiming to educate students with a critical, reflective, and responsible mindset. Your pedagogical approach puts students' learning experience first and adapts fluidly to content, context, and students’ needs. Your courses integrate research results and stimulate students to conduct research. You are willing to develop new courses integrating your research interests into the overall curriculum structure across the faculty's offerings. In particular, you drive the evolution of the Master's program Media and Human-Centered Computing. Further, you are applying novel teaching strategies such as flipped classroom, asynchronous, and hybrid lectures.

As the head of the Human-Computer Interaction research group at TU Wien, you are committed to mentoring researchers, engaging in joined projects, and leading and developing teams. Beyond empathy and interpersonal skills, you have acquired organizational and managerial expertise. You acquire third-party projects in national and international funding schemes and engage in science communication and outreach activities to disseminate results to the general public. We also expect successful candidates to cooperate and commit to appropriate service roles and tasks in our faculty to contribute to our thriving and inclusive research and teaching environment for a diverse range of colleagues and students.

Your profile:

• Completed doctoral or PhD studies in the field of Computer Science or a related area from a domestic or equivalent foreign university or research institution
• Qualification for teaching (venia docendi) acquired at a domestic or equivalent foreign university or an academic qualification recognizable as being equivalent to the venia docendi
• Outstanding scientific reputation, proven by publications in internationally prestigious scientific conferences and journals, patents, awards, scientific lectures, editorial and scientific expert work, organization of conferences, etc. related to HCI (such as ACM CHI, MobileHCI, IMWUT, IUI, TOCHI, MUM, etc.)
• Excellent reputation as an active member of the international scientific community
• Experience in the acquisition, execution, and management of research projects
• Ability and willingness to manage a research group
• Pedagogic and didactic suitability for academic teaching in German and English
• In case there is no adequate knowledge of German, willingness to quickly learn German is presupposed for teaching in bachelor programs and participating in the management of the institute and the faculty as well as in university bodies
• Experience in the supervision of scientific work of students, such as bachelor, diploma and master theses as well as dissertations
• Social and gender competence as well as experienced in the promotion of young researchers and the advancement of underrepresented students/colleagues/employees
• On-site presence is expected

We offer:

• Excellent working conditions where nothing is far from anything else, where people feel safe and can make meaningful connections with one another in an attractive research environment
• Attractive compensation combined with a supplemental retirement benefit program sponsored by the employer and further benefits (see also: Fringe-Benefit Catalogue of TU Wien)
• Financial support of research activities in the first years (e.g., equipment endowment/start-up funds)
• Support in moving to Vienna (if required)
• Dual career advice: we offer partners and families of the university professors appointed to TU Wien various support opportunities tailored to their situation
• An employee-friendly environment in a city with an extraordinarily high quality of life

TU Wien is committed to increasing the proportion of women in particular in leadership positions. Female applicants are explicitly encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to women when equally qualified, unless reasons specific to a male applicant tilt the balance in his favour.

People with special needs are equally encouraged to apply. In case of any questions, please contact the confidant for disabled persons at the university, Mr. Gerhard Neustätter.

Classification in the A1 category of the collective bargaining agreement for employees of universities and a full-time minimum salary of EUR 76.127,80 gross annual is provided. Furthermore, on top of the employee benefit fund, a company pension scheme will be set up for employees, depending on the duration of their employment, with the result that personnel benefits will increase. A higher salary depending on qualifications and experience is subject of appointment negotiations as well as detailed information about benefits.

General information can be found at the following links:

Faculty of Informatics

• The four research foci of the Faculty of Informatics
• Institute of Visual Computing and Human-Centered Technology
• Appointment Service: Information about professorships and appointment procedures

Applications in English must include at least the following documents:

• Detailed curriculum vitae (complete with professional and academic background)
• Detailed motivation letter
• Presentation of previous academic activities including a list of research and development projects carried out and of funding/grants raised (volume, duration, funding body, etc.), a list of patents, awards, editorial and scientific expert work, organized conferences, etc., as well as a list of lecturing and teaching activities evidenced by a list of the university courses held so far, a list of supervised scientific works of students (such as bachelor theses, master theses as well as doctoral theses), and a list of invited lectures
• List of publications and copies of the five most important publications related to the position together with an explanation of their relevance
• Research and teaching concept with considerations on the future positioning and further development of the field of Human-Computer Interaction (3-5 pages each)
• Please upload certificates relevant and official letters under the category: + Add more documents
• We kindly ask you to download the datasheet "Human-Computer Interaction" and upload it filled in under the category: + Add more documents

Job details

Title : University Professor (m_f) for the specialist field of Human-Computer Interaction

Employer: TU Wien

Location : Karlsplatz 13 Vienna, Austria

Job type: Professor

Field : Artificial Intelligence, Computational Sciences, Computer Vision, Human-computer Interaction

Contact Person: If you wish to apply for this position, please specify that you saw it on AKATECH.tech