Your research career at TU Dortmund University
Learning about a new scientific system can be difficult and confusing: On this website you will find information about career paths, third-party funding and contact persons at TU Dortmund University!
Start your research career at TU Dortmund University
TU Dortmund University is a young and innovative university with five distinguished profile areas. Located in the heart of the Ruhr Area researchers at TU Dortmund University can easily cooperate with strong neighbouring partners.
Doctorate: After graduation you might not be sure about your next steps: If you want to start your academic career at TU Dortmund University either a PhD position or a PhD fellowship offer optimal conditions to finance your living. To begin your doctorate you will first need a degree that qualifies you and the supervision approval of a professor at TU Dortmund University. If you are looking for information and advice on a successful start of your doctorate the Graduate Center can support you: They provide information on their website, organize information events, consult individually and provide special services to international PhD students.
Postdoc: After obtaining a PhD there are several career options. The Graduate Center offers an individual career coaching to support you during this time. If you choose to pursue an academic career you can either finance your living and research via an employment or with own funding . The majority of researchers below the professorship level have fixed-term employment contracts. There are different common job options for researchers after their PhD and before professorship at German Universities
Job titles for researchers in Germany
- Wissenschaftliche*r Mitarbeiter*in: Research assistant
- Akademische*r (Ober-)Rat/Rätin: Assistant professor
- Lehrkraft für besondere Aufgaben: Lecturer
Professor: To become a professor in Germany you need to attain „eligibility for professorship“ (Berufungsfähigkeit). After completing your PhD you are expected to gain international research and teaching experience, produce publications, participate in trainings and develop your soft skills. Additional requirements for a full professorship might include a habilitation treatise, a junior professorship or a leadership position in a junior research group. As a professor at TU Dortmund University you are able to do research and teach independently with your own team and good equipment.
Are you interested and want to find out more about the appointment procedure? The Appointment Portal offers comprehensive information for applicants and new professors at TU Dortmund University.
Some funding organisations finance the first years of your professorship in Dortmund. If you are interested in these possibilities, a good coordination with the university is necessary in advance. If you are interested, please contact the Research Support Services.
Endowed professorships (selection)
Third-party funding in Germany
About 20% of research in Germany is financed by third-party funding. The most important funding sources are the DFG, Ministries, the EU and foundations. To help you get an overview of the German funding landscape, the Research Support Services have summarized information on their website.
You can also contact their team for individual advice from the first idea, finding a possible funding option, writing your proposal to following the administrative process. Feel free to address your individual concerns and questions to the contact person for your department!
Open positions for PhD students, postdocs and senior scientists
Open job advertisements are published on the TU Dortmund website (in German only): https://www.tu-dortmund.de/en/career/open-positions/
Support and services at TU Dortmund University
- Graduate Center: Support of early career researchers and assistance in their research career
- Appointment Portal: Support for all issues related to appointment procedures at TU Dortmund University
- Research Support Services: Information and support in the acquisition of third-party funding, information services and a comprehensive program of events
Contact: Research Support Services
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Location & approach
The campus of TU Dortmund University is located close to interstate junction Dortmund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dortmund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is “Dortmund-Eichlinghofen” (closer to South Campus), and from B 1 / A 40 “Dortmund-Dorstfeld” (closer to North Campus). Signs for the university are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dortmund.
To get from North Campus to South Campus by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at North Campus and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.
TU Dortmund University has its own train station (“Dortmund Universität”). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dortmund main station (“Dortmund Hauptbahnhof”) and Düsseldorf main station via the “Düsseldorf Airport Train Station” (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 15 or 30 minutes). The university is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.
You can also take the bus or subway train from Dortmund city to the university: From Dortmund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station “Stadtgarten”, usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At “Stadtgarten” you switch trains and get on line U42 towards “Hombruch”. Look out for the Station “An der Palmweide”. From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dortmund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dortmund main station to the stop “Dortmund Kampstraße”. From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop “Dortmund Wittener Straße”. Switch to bus line 447 and get off at “Dortmund Universität S”.
The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dortmund University. There are two stations on North Campus. One (“Dortmund Universität S”) is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the university directly with the city of Dortmund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the “Technologiepark” and (via South Campus) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at North Campus and offers a direct connection to South Campus every five minutes.
The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.
The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent “Technologiepark”.
Site Map of TU Dortmund University (Second Page in English).