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Independent Junior Group Leader Research Position in Practice-led Public Engagement

Specialty
General medicine, Internal medicine

Charite Kampagne 1350x900 2 Entdeckung Bildschirm
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Work time
full-time

Start date
As soon as possible

Employment period
limited

Application deadline
24.07.2026

Deployment location Charité
Campus Charité Mitte; Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Wedding; Campus Benjamin Franklin, Steglitz

Jobcode
7474

Salary group
E15

 

Working at Charité

Das Berlin Hub for Science and Society (BHS2) ist ein integratives Brückenprogramm des neu eingerichteten Exzellenzclusters ImmunoPreCept, das sich mit den frühen Übergängen von Gesundheit zu Krankheit im Kontext molekularer Prävention und früh im Krankheitsprozess eingreifende Medizin beschäftigt. Innerhalb dieses Clusters fördert BHS2 dabei den strukturierten und evidenzbasierten Austausch zwischen biomedizinischer Forschung und Gesellschaft.

Overview of the position

The Berlin Hub for Science and Society (BHS2) is an integral bridging programme of the newly established Cluster of Excellence ImmunoPreCept, which explores the health–disease bifurcation for cell-based molecular prevention and interceptive medicine. Within this Cluster, BHS2 strengthens structured, evidence-based connections between biomedical research and society.

BHS2 conceptualises public engagement as both a field of research and a practice within biomedical research ecosystems and investigates how engagement shapes (i) research trajectories and innovation dynamics, (ii) researcher competencies and institutional research culture, (iii) societal attitudes, health-related behaviours and trust formation, and (iv) policy discourses and evidence-informed decision-making. Our work is explicitly practice-led and research-informed, generating empirical evidence from engagement practice while also translating research insights into institutional and sector-leading approaches.

The Cluster of Excellence ImmunoPreCept including BHS2 invite applications from outstanding individuals with a strong track record of impactful research and practice in science communication and public engagement with research (SCaPE). The successful candidate will establish and lead an independent junior research group with a clearly articulated, practice-inspired, and empirically grounded research agenda in public engagement research. The position offers a unique opportunity to shape an emerging field at the intersection of biomedical innovation, science–society relations, and institutional transformation within a dynamic interdisciplinary Cluster focused on precision prevention and interceptive medicine. 

This role involves both intellectual leadership and operational responsibility. The group leader will manage and further develop BHS2 as a recognized centre of excellence in practice-led public engagement research, strengthening its visibility and influence across academic, policy, and practitioner communities. The position includes active supervision of doctoral researchers and contributions to graduate training within the Cluster.

You are engaged in academic work: Under Section 110(4), third sentence, the Berlin Higher Education Act provides for academic staff to be allocated a reasonable amount of time during working hours for their own further academic development.

What we are looking for

The successful candidate will be expected to:

  • Shape and lead a novel research and innovation area at the interface of biomedical science and society, translating empirical insights into impactful engagement practices and institutional strategies
  • Identify critical gaps within current SCaPE practice that would benefit from robust empirical investigation
  • Develop an independent and internationally visible research program on science–society relations, responsible innovation, and health communication, closely connected to cutting-edge biomedical research and real-world societal challenges
  • Build a strong interdisciplinary network and research group by collaborating with ImmunoPreCept investigators and establishing partnerships across biomedical sciences, social sciences, clinical practice, and societal stakeholders in Berlin and beyond

    Research Scope

    ImmunoPreCept advances a paradigm shift from treating manifest disease to intervening at the level of early molecular deviation, often before symptoms arise. This transformation raises profound societal, professional, ethical, and epistemic questions. The group leader is expected to develop a research program that critically examines the challenges associated with molecular prevention, pre-symptomatic intervention, and the integration of new biomedical avenues into healthcare systems, public discourse, and professional practice, such as: 
  • Societal and ethical dimensions of molecular prevention, including the negotiation of concepts such as “pre-disease” and “molecular risk,” and the implications of early, risk-based interventions for autonomy, responsibility, and clinical decision-making
  • Challenges in science communication, trust, and misinformation in contested biomedical domains, as well as challenges in integrating precision prevention into healthcare systems, identifying regulatory, clinical, and insurance frameworks
  • Participation and co-creation in biomedical innovation, focusing on the role of patients, citizens, and professional stakeholders, by participatory formats, digital tools, and citizen science to embed molecular prevention in society
  • Research designs may include comparative, longitudinal, intervention-based, experimental, discourse-analytical, or participatory approaches. Reflexive and transdisciplinary designs that examine engagement as both object and instrument of research are particularly encouraged

Charité offers you

  • Funding for 5 years with an attractive salary (according to the German public salaries, TVöD Bund/Ost depending on the personal requirements, up to the salary group EG15)
  • Personnel allocation (negotiable)
  • Annual consumables
  • Opportunities to recruit centrally funded students from ImmunoPreCept´s international PhD fellowship programs

Information regarding the position

  • Pay grade E15 TVöD VKA-K. Here you will find all the information regarding salary and the collective agreement
  • The role is full-time, comprising 38.5 hours per week
  • The position is on a fixed-term contract for 5 years, as it is linked to the duration of the project
  • We offer 30 days’ annual leave as standard
  • The application deadline is: 24.07.2026
  • Reference number: 7474
     

Application

 

Everyone is welcome at the Charité, regardless of age, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, ethnic or social background. We are committed to equal opportunities and inclusion.

For data protection reasons, we only accept applications via our application portal. The contact details provided below are intended solely for inquiries.

Apply now

If you have questions, please contact:

For further information, please visit our website www.immunoprecept.de. Enquiries about the positions and perspectives should be addressed to immunoprecept-career@charite.de and Prof. Dr. Johannes Vogel (Johannes.Vogel@mfn.berlin).

More information

Data protection information

The Charité would like to point out that personal data is stored and processed at various locations at the Charité premises (e.g. specialty department, personnel representatives, HR department) as part of and for the purposes of the application process. Furthermore, the data may be transferred or processed within the group and to external bodies (e.g. authorities) to protect legitimate interests. By submitting your application, you agree to our data protection policy and terms of use for application procedures, which you can find here.

Additional information

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin makes its personnel decisions based on suitability, ability and professional performance. The Charité aims to increase the proportion of women in management positions and therefore strongly encourages women to apply. Women with equivalent qualifications will be given priority within the scope of legal possibilities. Applications from people with a migration background who meet the recruitment requirements are expressly encouraged. Severely disabled applicants with equal qualifications will be given preference. A police good-conduct certificate, in some cases an extended good-conduct certificate, is required at the time of recruitment. Unfortunately, application documents can be returned only if a sufficiently stamped envelope is enclosed. Any incurred travel expenses cannot be reimbursed.