Full professors carry the main responsibility for teaching and research within their subject areas. They are employed on a permanent basis, although their teaching and research performance are evaluated again after eight years, after which they are accordingly re-elected by the Senate and the Board of Governors. Besides their teaching and research, they also make a substantial contribution to the training, development and encouragement of young academics and emerging research talents (Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers), as well as to the processes of academic self-governance.
Full professors belong to their school and to the Senate, and amongst other roles they can also take on the functions of a dean, of a vice-president or indeed of the president.
Their teaching load comprises eight contact hours per week per semester or roughly 144 hours per academic year, including complete responsibility for the examinations (eight
sessions of 45 minutes each per week during 24 weeks of the academic
year; 1 semester = 14 weeks, including two weeks’ semester break).
Requirements
Selection criteria for a full professorship include an excellent PhD thesis, a second monograph (habilitation) or equivalent, demonstrating a high standard of scholarship.
Resources
The University places the following resources for research and teaching activities at your disposal:
- two research associates or teaching assistants (Ph.D. students, each with a maximum 70 per cent contract)
- one personal administrative assistant (50 per cent contract)
- an annual travel costs subsidy, for participation in conferences, of up to CHF 5,000
- a research semester after seven years’ employment