Professorship in the Sociology of Child and Adolescent Development 100 %
The University of Zurich invites applications for a professorship in the sociology of child and adolescent development, starting on 1 February 2027.
The future holder of the position will be affiliated with the Department of Sociology (SUZ) and the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development (JCPYD) at the University of Zurich. They are expected to have conducted outstanding, internationally recognized, theory-driven, empirical research in the sociology of the life course and intergenerational relations, with a particular focus on childhood and youth. Candidates should have teaching experience, along with expertise in securing third-party funding and managing research projects. Expertise in innovative quantitative methods and designs is essential, especially in longitudinal life course research: the combination of this methodological expertise with LLM/Big Data/biodata, comparative country research, or field experiments is desired. In teaching, the sociology Master's specialization «Life Course and Generations» will be covered.
The future holder of the position is expected to actively shape and promote cooperative and interdisciplinary research approaches within the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development and the Department of Sociology, in particular through involvement in existing and future interdisciplinary initiatives aimed at addressing socially relevant issues and stimulating collaboration at the University of Zurich, within Switzerland, and internationally. In addition, the new professor is expected to be willing to take on offices in SUZ and JCPYD (self-administration, committees, etc.).
A doctorate and habilitation, or habilitation-equivalent achievements in sociology as well as international visibility - particularly in publication activity, third-party funding, lecturing, networking, prizes and public relations - are required at the time of application. Depending on the qualifications of the candidate, the professorship will be filled as either a full or associate professorship. Courses will be conducted in German and/or English. The administrative language of the University of Zurich is German; therefore, adequate knowledge of German is expected within the first three years of employment.
The Department of Sociology, the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, the University of Zurich, and Zurich as a university location provide a stimulating research and teaching environment, offering diverse opportunities for professional exchange and collaboration. The University of Zurich aims to enhance diversity in research and teaching and therefore explicitly invites applications from qualified women and individuals from other underrepresented groups.
Applications must be submitted online by 27 August 2025. Access to information about the online application can be found on the website of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.