Professor or Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) of Building Physics
The Department of Architecture invites applications for the above-mentioned position. The professorship is based at the Institute of Technology in Architecture ITA (www.ita.arch.ethz.ch).
The new professor is expected to develop a state-of-the-art research agenda, identifying and extending new research frontiers in building physics that address the transformation of the building stock towards low carbon and high quality of life. Thematically, these frontiers are in areas such as multiscale building physics, urban microclimate, physics of sustainable building materials, building and urban acoustics.
Successful candidates will have excellent and proven expertise in building physics. Ideally, their academic track record is complemented by practical experience in implementing novel concepts in architecture and construction practice. This is demonstrated by a strong publication record, experience in innovative teaching, and interdisciplinary collaboration in practice or living lab settings. Required qualifications include a Ph.D., the ability to lead a team and excellent teaching skills. A contribution to the development of the Department of Architecture beyond the boundaries of the discipline is expected.
The new professor will actively contribute to the further development and expansion of the curriculum towards sustainable construction, building life cycle and circular building systems. In the case of an assistant professorship, this includes teaching at the bachelor level in architecture, offering a basic course in building physics. Collaboration with architectural design studios at the bachelor level to address building physics issues in design is encouraged. In the case of an associate/full professorship, teaching also includes offering courses for the Master of Architecture (MSc Arch) and Master in Integrated Building Systems (MSc IBS), and continuing education on advanced topics in building physics, such as urban microclimate, acoustics, or material characterisation. Courses at ETH Zurich are generally taught in German or English.
The new professor will supervise doctoral students and collaborate with professorships in the Department of Architecture and across ETH departments. Of particular importance is the collaboration with the professorships of the Institute of Technology in Architecture ITA, other ETH departments, as well as a strong interest in synergies through collaboration with the globally unique infrastructure for experimental research, including the Robotic Fabrication Laboratory (RFL), the Immersive Design Lab (IDL), and the Zero Carbon Building Systems Lab.
Assistant professorships have been established to promote the careers of younger scientists. ETH Zurich implements a tenure track system equivalent to that of other top international universities. The level of the appointment will depend on the successful candidate's qualifications.
ETH Zurich is an equal opportunity and family-friendly employer, values diversity, and is responsive to the needs of dual-career couples.
Please apply online:
Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) of Building Physics
Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a project list, a statement of future research and teaching interests, a description of the leadership philosophy, a description of the three most important achievements*, and a certificate of the highest degree. The letter of application should be addressed to the President of ETH Zurich, Prof. Dr. Jo?l Mesot. The closing date for applications is 15 September 2025.
*ETH Zurich emphasizes qualitative assessment of academic accomplishments. This is why you are kindly asked to submit a short description of your three most important achievements (maximum a half page each; no more than two pages each in case of images). Besides research findings and buildings, these could also be extraordinary achievements in teaching and its further development, services in the benefit of the academic community or society, software development, patents, knowledge transfer and its practical application, spin-off companies or similar.
Please note: For assistant professors, an appointment at an early stage in the career is sought. When comparing the performance of candidates, the respective academic net age as the period since the doctoral examination that was spent for scientific work is taken into account. This period should not exceed eight years at the time of application. (Practical experience is taken into account when determining the academic net age.)