Professorship (W3) for High Performance Computing and Managing Director of the German Climate Computing Center (DKRZ)

Institution: Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences

Commencement of duties: 01.04.2027

Application deadline: 2026-02-17

Universität Hamburg—University of Excellence is one of the strongest research educational institutions in Germany. Our work in research, teaching, educational and knowledge exchange activities is fostering the next generation of responsible global citizens ready to tackle the global challenges facing us. Our guiding principle “Innovating and Cooperating for a Sustainable Future in a digital age” drives collaboration with academic and nonacademic partner institutions in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and around the world. We would like to invite you to be part of our community to work with us in creating sustainable and digital change for a dynamic and pluralist society.

University of Hamburg offers data-intensive fields of application and various research opportunities in informatics through its core research areas Climate, Earth and Environment; Infection Research; Particle, Astro- and Mathematical Physics; Manuscript Cultures; and Neurosciences and Cognitive Systems. These interdisciplinary possibilities and broad-based core informatics make Hamburg the ideal location for research in informatics, artificial intelligence, and data science methods. Whether you are a researcher at the beginning of your career or an established expert, work with us to shape the excellent strategic development of Hamburg into an international data hub for informatics.

As a non-profit limited company with approx. 120 employees the German Climate Computing Center (Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum, DKRZ) is a central service center for German climate and earth system research. Its high performance computers, data storage facilities and services form the central research infrastructure for simulation-based climate science in Germany and beyond ().

Responsibilities

The Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences is seeking a Professor (W3) of High Performance Computing and Managing Director of DKRZ in cooperation with the German Climate Computing Center (DKRZ). The position is based at the DKRZ and incorporated in the Department for Informatics in the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences. It covers both research in high performance computing, with a potential application scenario in climate and Earth systems research, and the strategic scientific development of the DKRZ. For DKRZ, the implementation of a competence and data center focused on supporting climate change research and climate services and the stakeholder-aligned strategic development in regional, national, and international collaborations are key demands.

The professorship involves work in the University´s core research area “Climate Earth and Environment” and a teaching obligation of two hours per week per semester at Universität Hamburg.

The DKRZ envisions to strengthen the responsibility of the appointee to focus on the strategic scientific development of the DKRZ and thus intends to install a Technical Director as Co-Managing Director of the DKRZ in consultation with the successful candidate for this professorship.

Your profile

We are looking for an outstanding personality with the vision, intellect and ambition to develop DKRZ further into a leading high-performance climate computing and data facility.

Our expectations:

• outstanding scientific credentials and relevant research activities in high-performance computing, machine learning, or AI
• significant experience in scientific leadership, including the ability to oversee the domain specific scientific, technical, and economic development and operation of specialized method and infrastructure facility in alignment with scientific and technical developments as well as stakeholder requirements, and including the leadership and development of science-supporting technical personnel.
• motivation to engage with the domain-specific challenges of the climate and Earth system modelling user community
• ability to understand, disseminate and contribute to
• methodological innovation based on high-performance computing
• machine-learning innovation in connection with large-scale simulation-based research and observational data
• conceptual and technical development of data engineering / lifecycle (handling, streams, flows, ...) capabilities and high-performance data facilities
• multi-center research cloud high-performance computing

Applicants are expected to:

• completed studies including a doctorate in computer science or related areas, for example scientific computing in the earth system
• speak German to C1 level. Proficiency may be obtained within the first 2 years of employment. The University of Hamburg will provide assistance if required.

University of Hamburg

The University of Hamburg strives to integrate gender equality, diversity, and a work/study-life balance into teaching and management. We also value diversity and encourage women, people with a disability, and those from diverse ethnic backgrounds to apply.

Severely disabled and disabled applicants with the same status will receive preference over equally qualified nondisabled applicants.

We offer our professors the opportunity to research and teach at the highest level. The University of Hamburg and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg also provide:

Application and appointment procedure

Upload all supporting documents as a single PDF:

• cover letter
• CV
• publication list
• proof of teaching experience (e.g., as a list of courses)
• proof of experience and success with acquiring and conducting externally funded projects
• certificates and supporting documents
• 3 representative publications
• description of teaching and research plans
• evaluations, where available
• further documentation such as talks, posters, and important roles in organizations, where available
• ideas for further development of the DKRZ

If you have technical problems, contact .

Short-listed candidates will be evaluated by an assessment center. Further information on the academic search procedure is available at .

The appointment requirements and professorial duties are determined by the relevant regulations (particularly Sections 15, 18 and 12 subsection 7 Hamburg higher education act [Hamburgisches Hochschulgesetz]). Read more about .

Contact

Prof. Dr. Mathias Fischer

Prof. Dr. Johanna Baehr

(team assistant)

Location

Bundesstraße 45 a
20146 Hamburg

Reference number

2451/W3