At JGU, professorial appointments are the most important strategic instrument for attracting outstanding, creative, and committed academics and scientists: They shape the university’s profile in research, teaching, and knowledge transfer, and provide decisive impulses for its continuous development. JGU relies on a structured and quality-assured procedure for the appointment of professors, which takes the academic cultures of different subjects into account and is based on the Higher Education Act of Rhineland-Palatinate (German), the Charter of the University (German) and JGU’s Appointment Regulations (English).

JGU places particular importance on a transparent, inclusive, and gender-neutral appointment procedure.

Appointment procedures at JGU generally include the following steps:

The faculty or, if applicable, the Mainz Academy of Fine Arts or the Mainz School of Music (in the following, these are also included whenever “faculty” is referred to), submits an application to the Executive University Board for (re-)assignment of the professorship based on research and teaching needs.

The faculty selects a search committee to prepare an appointment proposal. The committee is made up of members of the faculty, further members of JGU (if applicable), and external experts. When possible, the search committee is composed of equal numbers of men and women. The committee oversees the selection procedure and prepares the appointment proposal.

The job advertisement describes the tasks the professorship includes and the expectations for the future holder of the position. The professorial position is advertised publicly and, in general, internationally. Applications are submitted via JGU’s appointments portal.

Based on the details and requirements included in the job advertisement, the search committee reviews the applications received and decides who will be invited for a personal interview. The in-person presentation, which includes at least one academic lecture, a trial teaching session, and an interview with the committee, allows the search committee to get a better impression of the candidates.

Upon request, the Human Resources Development team can advise the search committee on structuring all steps of the selection procedure in light of non-subject-related skills and, in particular, leadership skills. In the case of tenure-track professorships, the Human Resources Development team also advises on how to determine the applicants’ potential.

Internationally renowned academics and scientists support the search committee by writing comparative evaluations on the shortlisted candidates.

Based on the results of the selection procedure, the search committee prepares an appointment proposal, typically listing three candidates in order of preference. The faculty council approves the final appointment proposal and forwards it to the president with a request for submission to the Senate.

JGU’s Senate discusses and decides on the appointment proposal. If approval is granted, the president extends an offer of appointment to the top-ranked candidate. In exceptional cases, the responsible minister may fulfill this responsibility.

If the appointed person declares they are willing to accept the appointment, JGU will invite them to enter into negotiations. As part of the appointment negotiations, which include the candidate, the Executive University Board, and the faculty, the endowment associated with the professorship and the personal benefits are discussed. Topics such as dual careers and childcare may also be addressed. After successful appointment negotiations, the candidate accepts the appointment. JGU then initiates all following steps for the conclusion of the appointment. Generally, appointees are employed as civil servants. JGU bears the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers’ seal of approval for fair and transparent appointment negotiations.

The faculties help newly appointed professors acclimatize to JGU. The Human Resources Development team and the Welcome Center organize events and offer advising services at a central level, especially for international researchers and lecturers and their families.

Junior professors without tenure track and tenure-track professors are appointed for a fixed term of six years. They undergo an interim evaluation for orientation purposes during the fourth year of their employment. This interim evaluation serves to determine the individual’s performance level.

Performance is assessed based on the performance agreement between the candidate and the dean (or, at the Mainz Academy of Fine Arts or the Mainz School of Music, the rector) concluded prior to the commencement of employment. The performance agreement sets targets for various performance dimensions.

Tenure-track professors are offered a permanent professorship as part of their appointment, provided they prove themselves over the course of their fixed-term professorship and meet the requirements stipulated by public services law.

Whether or not the candidate is eligible for tenure is determined by the responsible faculty council once the candidate submits an application for the commencement of the final evaluation. For this purpose, the faculty appoints a tenure commission which includes a member of JGU’s Central Tenure Board as evaluation delegate.

The final evaluation is also based on the performance agreement between the candidate and the dean (or, at the Mainz Academy of Fine Arts or the Mainz School of Music, the rector) concluded prior to the commencement of employment.

Early-career academics have different options for achieving the goal of a tenured professorial position. A promising option is a tenure-track professorship. This career path combines academic independence with transparency and predictability. Appointment to a tenure-track professorship is linked to the promise of a tenured position after successful completion of the fixed-term probationary period and a positive final evaluation.

JGU has successfully appointed 25 persons to tenure-track professorships in the context of the Tenure-Track Programme (federal and state program for the promotion of early-career researchers – WISNA). In addition to this program, JGU has 16 further tenure-track professorships (as of 2025).

Appointments to tenure-track professorships at JGU follow a quality-assured procedure (see above). The Human Resources Development team supports appointment committees in tenure-track procedures with regard to analyzing potential and determining non-subject-related skills.

Tenure-track professors at JGU can receive comprehensive support from the Human Resources Development team. There are numerous networking opportunities.

Both the interim and final evaluations are based on the performance agreement concluded prior to the commencement of the tenure-track position between the faculty and the appointed person. The performance agreement sets targets for various progress dimensions, particularly in research and teaching.

Tenure-track professors undergo an interim evaluation for orientation purposes during the fourth year of their employment. This interim evaluation serves to determine the individual’s performance level.

During the final evaluation, which takes place once the tenure-track professor submits an application for its commencement, the faculty council determines whether or not the candidate is eligible for tenure. To do so, the faculty appoints a tenure commission which includes a member of JGU’s Central Tenure Board as an evaluation delegate.

Further information on the performance agreement, the interim evaluation, and the final evaluation can be found in JGU’s appointment regulations.

Central Tenure Board of JGU

JGU’s Central Tenure Board ensures the quality of the procedures by taking part in the final evaluations for tenure-track professorships. The president appoints a member of the Central Tenure Board to each tenure commission to serve as an evaluation delegate in an advisory role. The evaluation delegates submit a statement at the conclusion of the procedure.

The Central Tenure Board is comprised of six JGU faculty members who are internationally recognized in research, teaching, or the arts. The Equality Commissioner of the Senate is a member of the Central Tenure Board in an advisory capacity.

The current members of JGU’s Central Tenure Board are: Prof. Mita Banerjee, Prof. Martin Hanke-Bourgeois, Prof. Jan Kusber, Prof. Claudia Landwehr, Prof. Wilfried Roth, Prof. Julia Verne and Prof. Sylvia Thiele (in her function as Senate Equality Commissioner) (as of July 2025).

JGU places particular importance on the transparency, inclusivity, and gender neutrality of its appointment procedures. The Equality Commissioner is involved in all phases of the procedure. JGU’s Framework for Gender Equality and the equality plans of the faculties lay out specific goals and measures for systematic continuing development of the criteria for quality assessment with regard to gender- and diversity-sensitive selection and evaluation procedures.

JGU’s Unconscious Bias E-Learning Tool offers an introduction on how to avoid errors of judgment influenced by unconscious biases in recruitment procedures.

JGU signed the self-imposed commitment Towards Greater Gender Equality in the Appointment of Professors of the German Rectors’ Conference and created a project office to support committees in ensuring all steps of the procedures are gender- and diversity-friendly.

Are you interested in a professorship at JGU? All of our current job advertisements can be found below or on our career page.

Are you preparing an appointment procedure, providing administrative support, or part of a search committee? Below is a compilation of important information and documents.

The guidelines for appointments (Fahrplan Berufungen, in German) summarize all of the stipulations for appointment procedures. It is intended to convey the key principles of appointment procedures to the parties involved and provide a complete, chronological overview of the entire process.

The appointments portal is used for displaying and carrying out appointment procedures online.

Among the documents available for download below are guidelines, forms, templates, and handouts, as well as a collection of links to support you in carrying out appointment procedures (including procedures regarding adjunct professors and honorary professors).

Documents

Currently no documents available.

Currently no documents available.

Currently no documents available.

Currently no documents available.