The call for Tenure-Track Faculty is closed.
The application deadline was November 18, 2025 23:59 AoE.
All applicants are expected to grow a research team that pursues an internationally visible research agenda. To aid you in achieving this, CISPA provides institutional base funding for three full-time researcher positions and a generous budget for expenditures. Upon successful tenure evaluation, you will hold a position that is equivalent to an endowed full professorship at a top research university. We invite applications of candidates with excellent track records in all areas related to Information Security.
The CISPA Tenure-Track in a nutshell
- Tenure-track of five years towards the equivalent of an Endowed Full Professorship
- Three fully funded full-time research staff positions for your entire tenure-track
- Generous budget for research expenses
- Low teaching load of only one course (of your choice) per semester
- World-renowned colleagues in (almost) all areas of Security and Machine Learning
- Young and dynamic environment, with an average faculty age below 40 years
What We Offer:
- Full-time gross base salary starting from approx. €6800/month according to the associate professor (W2) scale of the TVöD (German Federal Employment Agreement)
- Contractual benefits including 30 days of paid leave per year, pension scheme, paid parental leave, and monthly allowances for spouse and children
- Three fully funded full-time research staff positions as well as a generous budget for research expenditures
- Support for relocation, administrative tasks (e.g., visa and work permits) and organization of child care
What We Expect:
- To have an excellent track record in any research area related to Information Security
- To have graduated or are soon to be graduated with a doctoral degree
- To build and guide a research team that pursues an internationally visible research agenda
- To teach one (English-spoken) course or seminar (undergraduate or graduate) per semester in your area of expertise and interest
Working at CISPA:
- Full academic freedom
- Flat hierarchy
- Tenure-track mentoring program
- English-speaking working environment; a command of German is not required for a successful career at CISPA
- World-class research infrastructure and support
- Saarbrücken, a city with an international flair (e.g., an International School and a distinguished cuisine influenced by the proximity to the French border)
- Dual Career opportunities
- Free optional German courses
Application Process
All applications are due by November 18, 2025 23:59 AoE with interviews starting in January 2026.
Please submit the following documents:
- Cover letter (please outline how your research vision aligns with CISPA's goals and how your work can tie in with other CISPA faculty) and curriculum vitae.
- Research statement (up to 5 pages) outlining your vision for the tenure track.
- List of 3-5 proposed references including contact details and your relationship to them (ensure at least one is not a close collaborator/advisor).
- Optionally, a teaching and diversity statement.
For any questions regarding the application, please contact career@cispa.de
CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security is a German national Science Institution within the Helmholtz Association and provides a unique work environment that offers the advantage of a university department and a research laboratory alike. CISPA's mission is to rethink the digitized world of the future from the ground on up an make it safer through innovative cutting-edge research. CISPA is committed to the highest international academic standards. We offer a world-class research environment that grants extensive resources to a wide range of researchers and constitutes an attractive destination for the best talents and scientists from all countries. CISPA provides a highly international and diverse working environment, currently hosting researchers of over 40 nationalities.
CISPA headquarter is located in Saarbrücken, in the tri-border area of Germany, France and Luxembourg. The CISPA campus is located close to Saarland University, known for its excellence in Computer Science & Cybersecurity programs; the Max Planck Institute for Informatics and the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems; the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI); and more.
For more information about CISPA, see https://cispa.de/en
About CISPA
About the CISPA Tenure-Track Program
Our tenure-track program is similar to that of top US universities with respect to runtime and evaluation criteria. By default, our tenure-track includes an evaluation in the fifth year. In case of positive evaluation, you will be offered a permanent contract. In case of negative evaluation, to provide a soft landing your contract will be extended by one year. If you become a parent during your tenure-track, your contract and evaluation can (once) be extended by one year.
The tenure evaluation is in line with other top institutions. We will assess your research activities, your ability to build and lead a group of strong researchers, your ability to acquire third-party funding, as well as your contribution to the scientific community. Every tenure-track faculty is assigned a mentor, who regularly meets with you to help in reaching these goals. Via a mid-term evaluation, your promotion committee will provide feedback on how well you are on-track with regard to your tenure evaluation.
Ben Stock
Tenured Faculty
I received tenure at CISPA in January 2022. My research is in the on the areas of Web and Usable Security, specifically interested in aiding the security stance of developers and operators alike.
Katharina Krombholz
Tenured Faculty
I am tenured faculty at CISPA and the goal of my research is to make security and privacy-technology more user-friendly and effective.
Lucjan Hanzlik
Tenure-Track Faculty
My name is Lucjan, and I joined CISPA as tenure-track faculty in 2020. My research focuses on applied and privacy-preserving cryptography. I am particularly interested in the grand challenge of future authentication
What your future colleagues say
You could try to imagine what working at CISPA as tenure-track faculty might be like - or you can directly hear from some of your future colleagues what their experiences were.
Rebekka Burkholz
Recently Tenured Faculty
I joined as a tenure-track faculty at CISPA since 2021 and aim to help machines learn robust, secure, and sparse models.
Michael Schwarz
Tenured Faculty
My name is Michael Schwarz, and I joined CISPA in July 2020. I successfully passed my tenure-track process in January 2024 and am doing research on CPU security and side channels, aiming to make CPUs more secure.
Interested? We look forward to your application!
About CISPA
CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security is a German national Science Institution within the Helmholtz Association and provides a unique work environment that offers the advantage of a university department and a research laboratory alike. CISPA has the mission to rethink the digitized world of the future from the ground on up an make it safer through innovative cutting-edge research. CISPA is committed to the highest international academic standards. We offer a world-class research environment that grants extensive resources to a wide range of researchers and constitutes an attractive destination for the best talents and scientists from all countries.
CISPA is located in Saarbrücken, in the tri-border area of Germany, France and Luxembourg. The CISPA campus is located close to Saarland University, which is known for its excellence in Computer Science, the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)
CISPA provides a highly international and diverse working environment, currently hosting researchers of 40 nationalities.
For more information about CISPA, see https://cispa.de/en
All information on the processing of your personal data, your statements in the application process and your data privacy rights can be found in our data privacy policy.