Full Professor of Sustainability Economics, part-time (pursuant to § 99 UG 2002)

WU is currently inviting applications for the position of a full professor[1] of Sustainability Economics at the Department of Socioeconomics (part-time 20%, duration of employment is 3 years). Candidates are expected to have established an international reputation as a researcher in their field. 
 
WU Vienna University of Economics and Business combines excellence with responsibility. 
Its rare triple accreditation by EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA is a guarantee for the highest quality research and teaching in the fields of business, economics, and business law. WU’s research is characterized by a wide diversity of disciplines practiced at WU, allowing researchers to address complex research questions based on approaches that cross disciplinary boundaries.

International cooperation is very important to WU, and we encourage and support both faculty and student mobility. WU is also very aware of its role as a responsible university, ensures barrier-free accessibility, provides a family-friendly workplace, and is committed to the principles of equitable opportunities and sustainability.
 
The Department of Socioeconomics at WU Vienna invites applications for a Full Professor position in Sustainability Economics. We seek an outstanding scholar specializing in the economic and behavioral dynamics of sustainability transitions, socio-ecological resilience, and the development of effective policy solutions.
 
The ideal candidate will examine tipping points and regime shifts, assessing how economic and policy interventions influence system stability and behavioral responses to environmental challenges. A strong emphasis on behavioral economics is expected, particularly in understanding how incentives, cognitive biases, and social norms shape climate-related decisions and in designing scalable interventions for sustainability. Research on long-term economic resilience, including adaptive governance, market mechanisms, and the role of finance and technology in sustainability transitions, is welcome.
 
The successful candidate will play a key role in WU’s interdisciplinary sustainability initiatives, collaborating with policymakers, industry stakeholders, and international organizations to develop empirical, policy-driven sustainability solutions.

Qualifications

The successful candidate is expected to have established an international reputation as a researcher in the relevant field and to have excellent qualifications. Candidates’ qualifications will be assessed in the context of their academic age on the basis of the following characteristics:
 
a)    A solid academic qualification (habilitation or its equivalent) in economics or a related area 
b)    An outstanding international reputation for high quality scholarship at the intersection of sustainability economics, complex systems, and behavioral change commensurate with academic age, especially by having demonstrated the ability to publish in top-tier journals in the field 
c)    Excellent teaching qualifications at undergraduate and graduate levels as well as in executive education in sustainability economics, focusing on the dynamic interactions between ecological and economic systems and advancing economic understanding of social-ecological resilience and sustainability transitions 
d)    Proven international experience 
e)    A strong record in attracting research funding 
f)     Leadership qualities 
g)    Gender and diversity management skills
 

Expectations

The successful candidate is expected to perform teaching activities at all levels (bachelor’s, master’s, PhD/doctorate, and executive education), both in the classroom and in distance-learning formats. Full professors are expected to teach 2 weekly credit hours. 
 
We also expect the new professor to take an active role in the university’s self-governance and third mission activities.

Applications

WU is committed to diversity and inclusion, and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply. In case of equal qualification, female candidates will be given preference. Applicants with disabilities will be supported during each stage of the recruitment process. Candidates’ qualifications will be assessed in the context of their academic age.
 
WU assesses performance in the context of each applicant’s biography and relative to the opportunities available to them. This approach recognizes that academic achievements cannot be assessed separately from each individual researchers’ biographical factors. To ensure equal opportunities, qualifications are evaluated relative to the applicant’s academic age. This means that WU takes biographical factors such as part-time employment or career interruptions due to caregiving or childcare obligations or other functions performed at or outside of a university into account. 
 
In your application, you can include personal data related to biographical factors. WU will keep all data that you send us as part of your application confidential. All persons involved in the selection procedure are bound by obligations of secrecy.
 
Applicants should address their applications and all relevant documents (including in any case a letter of motivation, academic CV, reference to the criteria specified in the call for applications) to the rector of WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business), Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna and upload these documents using the link provided/ button below/ on the WU website.
 
Please submit your application via WU’s online recruiting tool by July 2, 2025.
 
For further subject-related details about the position, please contact Professor Markus Lampe, chair of the Department of Socioeconomics, by phone: +43 1 31336 - 5801 or by email: markus.lampe@wu.ac.at.
 
For details about the application process, please contact the Senior Faculty Recruitment team by email at: prof.application@wu.ac.at.
 
Please note: Only applications uploaded via our online recruiting tool will be considered. In their application documents, applicants must respond to all criteria specified in the call for applications, especially to items A) “Qualifications” and B) “What we expect.” A reference to these two items is considered a mandatory element of any application to WU Vienna, and any applications that lack this mandatory element cannot be considered. 


1 employed under salary group A 1 pursuant to the Collective Bargaining Agreement for University Staff [Kollektivvertrag für die Arbeitnehmer/innen der Universitäten], minimum gross yearly salary: €92,460.20 (full-time); the actual annual gross salary is subject to negotiation