Temporary professor (W2) with tenure track for. Quality and Sensory of Plant Products

Transcription

1 The Department of Crop Sciences of the Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany under the federal and state programme for the improvement of study conditions and quality of teaching ( Bund-Länder-Programm für bessere Studienbedingungen und mehr Qualität in der Lehre ) invites applications for the position of the Temporary professor (W2) with tenure track for Quality and Sensory of Plant Products The position is to be filled until October 1, Research profile The professorship Quality and Sensory of Plant Products concentrates on sustainability research as one of the central research fields of the Georg-August- University. In the context of quality development and -maintenance, core themes of its work will include aspects of sustainable food production, efficient provision of mineral substances for various crop species and their post-harvest-treatment. Furthermore, the professorship will address the role of biodiversity in matters such as abiotic and biotic stress situations or, for instance, its contribution to ecosystem services with regards to yield formation and product quality. Research will be characterised by an interdisciplinary approach and carried out in close cooperation with other internal and external departments as well as non-university institutions. Next to classical subject areas that focus on nutritional and technological properties of plant products, food sensor technology will be included as a new, innovative and multidisciplinary research topic. The field of food sensor technology deals with the perception of food quality by human sensory organs (i.e. by smell, taste, etc.). In the course of the last ten years, molecular sensor technology has developed into an important methodological tool supplementing classical laboratory analytics. It allows for a more detailed, molecular characterisation of the 1

2 substances of observed sensory properties. With respect to the strategic aims of the Georg-August-University Göttingen, the advertised professorship with its focus on quality and sensory addresses subjects corresponding to two main pillars of the Cluster-Application Sustainable Land Use Systems : a) Sustainable land use systems from a production perspective and b) Sustainable land use systems, urbanization and consumer behaviour. An important achievement of sustainability research has been the discovery of the attitude-behaviour-gap of consumers caused by the fixed eating habits and, therein, the forming of their gustatory perception. A lot of sustainable products do not endure, because they do not meet consumer expectations. Therefore, the professorship will bring together indicators of sustainability assessment (e.g. carbon footprint, water and nitrogen footprint, nutritional diversity) and aspects of consumer perception. Moreover, the professorship will endeavour to find new approaches to sustainable and consumer-oriented quality development. In order to overcome the attitude-behaviour-gap in sustainable nutrition, sensor technology will require a multidisciplinary approach together with other working groups of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (e.g. food marketing, quality of animal products) and other faculties (Cognitive Sciences and Decision Psychology, Nutrition Psychology or even Cultural Anthropology (Prof. Dr. Regina Bendix)). Another elementary aspect of the professorship will focus on the development of quick identification methods for complex qualitative properties obtained by highthroughput technology, which will be applicable for research and practical purposes. As part of the agricultural faculty the professorship will be able to take into account the entire value-added-chain ranging from cultivation and agricultural primary production over to product development to industrial production. Teaching profile 2

3 With respect to the quality of teaching and studies, the professorship will implement visible activities in the promotion of research-based learning and teaching methods which stimulate active participation in the acquisition of knowledge rather than focus on the reception of tested knowledge. 1 A main focus will be the conception of research-based theses for graduate and post-graduate students. Experimental degree theses like these usually require a lot of supervision. For the subject field Quality and Sensory of Plant Products a newly renovated, study fee funded and well-equipped student lab and a sensory lab are available. Over the years, the demand for degree theses in this research discipline has been great as it functions as a link to the nutritional sciences and also the food industry in general. Although most of the degree theses are experimental, only a few are truly research-oriented. The double staffing of this working position offers great developmental possibilities that allow new concept designs which will enthuse students for a particular research topic in their degree programmes and will enable them to define thematic priorities early on in their studies. A particular challenge will be posed by connecting the learning cycle and the research process. 2 Concept development will need to take the following questions into account: How can a greater number of graduate and post-graduate students be involved collaboratively in the research projects? How can the students' scientific freedom and creativity be promoted? The agricultural faculty is going to promote the expansion of research-oriented 1 See also: Huber, W. (2014): Forschungsbasiertes, Forschungsorientiertes, Forschendes Lernen: Alles dasselbe? Ein Pla doyer fu r eine Versta ndigung u ber Begriffe und Unterscheidungen im Feld forschungsnahen Lehrens und Lernens, in: HSW, Nr. 1, S Jenkins, A.; Healey, M. (2005): Institutional strategies to link teaching and research. The Higher Education Academy, October. 3

4 teaching inspite of (or, in fact, because of) the restrictions that result from a massive increase in student numbers. The appointed professor will be given space to develop innovative research-oriented degree theses and will concentrate on experimentally-oriented concepts of higher education teaching. There are hardly any comprehensive experiences, nor research findings concerning the professionalisation of research-oriented degree theses. This will open the possibility to add new contributions to the development of higher education teaching at the Georg-August-University Göttingen in general, as well. Next to the unique possibilities offered by the temporary double staffing of the position, the professorship Quality and Sensor Technology of Plant Products plays a key teaching role at the agricultural faculty. This discipline acts as a a link between professional and scientific disciplines because it encompasses aspects of consumers and processors of plant products as well as agricultural production. In the value-added-chain from cultivation over post-harvest-treatment, processing and marketing to consumption quality development plays a major role in the interplay between economy, sustainability, technological and nutritionpsychological demands as well as consumer expectations and needs. These multifaceted concerns are all part of the range of courses offered by the professorship. Furthermore, the new professor will place special emphasis on sensor technology as an academic discipline. 4

5 Table 1: Current courses of the subject field Product Quality of Plant Products Module im Pflicht-/Wahlpflicht-/Wahlbereich Undergraduat e courses B.Agr.0002: Biology of Plants (1 SWS therein) B.Agr.0334: Quality and Post-harvest-technology of Plant Products (2 SWS) B.Agr.0352: Lab courses in Product Quality of Plant Products (4 SWS) B.Agr.0319: Scientific Working and Professional Presentation in Plant Production (2 SWS) Postgraduate courses M.Agr.0025: Potato Production (4 SWS) M.Agr.0064: Quality Development of Plant Products (4 SWS) M.Agr.0081: Processing of Plant Products (4 SWS) M.Agr.0035: Methodology: Interdisciplinary Seminar (2 SWS) M.SIA.I06M: Exercise on the Quality of Tropical and Subtropical Products (4 SWS) M.Cp.0014: Plant Nutrition and Plant Health (0,5 SWS) Doctorate courses Carl-Sprengel Colloquium (1 SWS) PAG 0046: Special Methodology of Quality Estimation (2 SWS) PAG 0071: Value-added-chain and Healthy Nutrition (2 SWS) Altogether, the professorship (including staff) provides 16 hours of teaching per semester. In the future, more and more post-graduate courses are going to be held in English. Integration of the professorship into major research fields and third party-funded reseach and teaching consortia of the faculty and the university The professorship Quality and Sensory of Plant Products makes a substantial contribution to the achievement of the objectives of the agricultural faculty: These consist of improving the efficient use of resources in the agricultural primary production with regard 5

6 to the sustainable conduction of business and, also, in securing the quality and quantity of nutritional bases. The professorship will be collaborating closely with other groups of the department of crop sciences (Department für Nutzpflanzenwissenschaften DNPW), both in research and teaching, especially in topics which require an interdisciplinary approach. Cooperations with the professorship of Plant Nutrition and Crop Physiology (Prof. Dittert), Plant Cultivation of the Temperate Zone (N.N.), Tropical Plant Cultivation (Prof. Rötter), General Plant Pathology and Crop Protection (Prof. Von Tiedemann), Molecular Phytopathology and Mycotoxin Research (Prof. Karlovsky), Agricultural Engineering (Prof. Beneke) and Plant Breeding Methodology (N.N.) are already anticipated. They would particularly address such topics like quality development by mineral nutrient supply, cultivation systems, abiotic and biotic stress, post-harvest-treatment and geneenvironment-interactions. Furthermore, foreseeable cooperations with the professorship The Study of Products and the Physiology of the Development of Animal Products (N.N.) in such areas as sensomics, i.e. the research for innovative quality-parameters by identifying and quantifying chemo-sensorically active biomolecules, are intended. Another possible collaborator would be the professorship Marketing of Agricultural Products and Food (Prof. Spiller) in the field of Sensor Technology Marketing. Ultimately, the offered professorship will profit from close contacts and associations with other reputable research facilities like the Max-Rubner-Institute in Detmold and the Julius-Kühn-Institute in Braunschweig and Quedlinburg. Role Profile The successful candidate is expected to provide: a suitable reputation and publications in national and international research literature, appropriate teaching experience in German and in English; if necessary, willingness and skills to be able to offer German-speaking courses within three years, willingness to cooperate in strategies of internationalisation of research and 6

7 teaching. We expressly welcome applications from abroad. Under certain circumstances, the position may be filled on a part-time basis. The University of Göttingen strives to increase its proportion of female staff in fields where women are underrepresented and expressly encourages qualified women to apply. Severely disabled persons with the appropriate qualifications will be favoured. Disabled persons with equivalent qualifications will be given preference. Applications including a CV with a representation of the applicant's academic education and career, publications and teaching record should be submitted electronically no later than Please use the following online application portal Contact person: Prof. Dr. Klaus Dittert 7