TUD Dresden University of Technology, as a University of Excellence, is one of the leading and most dynamic research institutions in the country. Founded in 1828, today it is a globally oriented, regionally anchored top university as it focuses on the grand challenges of the 21st century. It develops innovative solutions for the world's most pressing issues. In research and academic programs, the university unites the natural and engineering sciences with the humanities, social sciences and medicine. This wide range of disciplines is a special feature, facilitating interdisciplinarity and transfer of science to society. As a modern employer, it offers attractive working conditions to all employees in teaching, research, technology and administration. The goal is to promote and develop their individual abilities while empowering everyone to reach their full potential. TUD embodies a university culture that is characterized by cosmopolitanism, mutual appreciation, thriving innovation and active participation. For TUD diversity is an essential feature and a quality criterion of an excellent university. Accordingly, we welcome all applicants who would like to commit themselves, their achievements and productivity to the success of the whole institution. The Faculty of Psychology and the Cluster of Excellence Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the Loop (CeTI) invite applications for the following position Junior Research Group Leader (JGRL) (m/f/x) for Human Sensory Perception and Action (subject to personal qualification employees are remunerated according to salary group E 14 TV-L) starting at January 1, 2026 (or at the earliest possible date). The position is limited to December 31, 2032. The period of employment is governed by the Fixed Term Research Contracts Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz WissZeitVG).
Tasks: The selected position holder (m/f/x) will independently and autonomously conduct difficult research in the field of Human Sensory Perception and Action with focuses on tactile/haptic sensory perception and motor action. The successful candidate is expected to establish, lead and develop a research team of PhD fellows and master students, and will engage in collaborative research with researchers in CeTI, the faculty of Psychology, TUD, and international partners. Furthermore, he/she will determine the research strategy of the research group and design, coordinate, develop, and implement an overall strategy within the research topic. Active acquisitions of 3rd-party fundings from agencies such as the DFG, BMFTR, or other sources are also expected. We appreciate the position holder’s willingness to engage in supporting knowledge transfer on relevant topics in CeTI summer schools and other programs in the Faculty of Psychology.
Requirements: very good university degree (Dip., M.Sc., or M.S.) and a doctorate (PhD or Dr. rer. nat) in psychology or a related field relevant to the position; a strong scientific track record in the fields of psychological and neurocognitive mechanisms of perception and motor action with emphases on applying such research for developing age-inclusive technologies; experiences in conducting own project. Applicants should have worked with motion capture methods and have ample prior experiences in conducting multidisciplinary research involving engineering fields or computational modeling.
The position offers an excellent environment within the second phase of a DFG-funded excellence cluster, including opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations between psychologists, cognitive neuroscientists, medical researchers and engineers as well as access to state-of-the-art technologies. See more information on the research programs at the Centre (see: ) and at the Faculty of Psychology ().
For further questions, please contact the head of the search committee, Prof. Sebastian Pannasch, phone +49 351 463-34221; Email: sebastian.pannasch@tu-dresden.de .
TUD strives to employ more women in academia and research. We therefore expressly encourage women to apply. The University is a certified family-friendly university. We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities. If multiple candidates prove to be equally qualified, those with disabilities or with equivalent status pursuant to the German Social Code IX (SGB IX) will receive priority for employment.
Please submit your detailed application with the usual documents (including a short motivation letter, CV, and publication list) by November 3, 2025 (stamped arrival date of the university central mail service or the time stamp on the email server of TUD applies), preferably via the TUD SecureMail Portal by sending it as a single pdf file with the email subject header: Application JRGL-Human Sensory Perception and Action to ceti@tu-dresden.de. If you are applying by regular mail, please also prepare documents in electronic form (USB thumb drive) and send them to:
TU Dresden, CeTI, Prof. Dr. Sebastian Pannasch, Helmholtzstr. 10, 01069 Dresden, Germany.
Please submit copies only, as your application will not be returned to you. Expenses incurred in attending interviews cannot be reimbursed.
TUD is a founding partner in the DRESDEN-concept alliance.
Reference to data protection: Your data protection rights, the purpose for which your data will be processed, as well as further information about data protection is available to you on the website: .
Company
TU Dresden
Excellence – A matter close to our hearts
Excellence? Elitism? Opportunity or risk? The Excellence Programme, initially launched in 2005 by the German government has aroused passionate debate right from the start and still has the potential to polarise opinion.
TU Dresden (TUD) looks at it this way: excellence is all about performance and having the right attitude. For everyone here at TU Dresden – one of eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany since 2012 – it is also a matter very close to our hearts. Firstly because of the extra motivation and impetus generated, and secondly, because of the way we handle this role.
Our vision for the future can be summed up as follows: “Let us become one of the leading centres for research and teaching, with our own individual character and a special talent for networking, able to attract the best minds in Germany and from further afield.” After all, it is a well-known fact that excellence in research and teaching presupposes excellent conditions. Or, to put it figuratively, for excellent crop yields, you need the right soil and weather.
TU Dresden is a comprehensive university with 18 faculties and works in close collaboration with its top performers: three Clusters of Excellence, including the “Centre for Tactile Internet” (CeTI), the Cluster “Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter” (ct.qmat) and the Cluster “Physics of Life” (PoL). The guiding principle here is that strong individual elements become even stronger when they work together.
The vision for the future takes this principle beyond the confines of the university: with the research network DRESDEN-concept ( D resden R esearch and E ducation S ynergies for the D evelopment of E xcellence and N ovelty), TU Dresden has been creating an alliance of research and cultural facilities in the city, an “excellent playground for excellent people”. This bond is unique in Germany and has evolved over many years. It is not necessary to create anything new here, as it is simply a matter of building further storeys on top of an already solid structure. The measures envisaged as part of the DRESDEN-concept contribute to the overall development of TU Dresden and form an integral part of the university strategy.
Excellence is understood and practised in Dresden as an opportunity for the entire university, and in this spirit, TU Dresden takes those measures that lead to excellence – by the university, for the university – in cooperation with colleagues here and all over the world. But at the same time neither elitist nor exclusive. TUD’s excellence comes from the heart – from and for our about 32,400 students, 600 professors and about 8,400 members of staff. In this way, excellence becomes the basis, the objective, the approach and the driving force. And that’s why being a top performer can also be so rewarding and enjoyable.
Campus Image © Nils Eisfeld
Company info
Location
Dresden
01069 Dresden
DE