Assistant or Associate Professor in Global Food Security

About us

The University of Luxembourg is an international research university with a distinctly multilingual and interdisciplinary character.

The new Luxembourg Centre for Socio-Environmental Systems (LCSES) strives to grow into an internationally recognised research hub for a more sustainable and equitable world. Our researchers address critical environmental challenges and guide sustainable resource management and public policy. As an interdisciplinary centre, LCSES brings together experts from various fields, including biodiversity research, global food security, One Health, and the governance of common goods. At the core is the recognition that global environmental disruptions such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion are closely linked with societal systems. To address these complex issues, we take a systemic approach and study the interconnectedness of human activities and the environment. Our goal is to help societies to transition to sustainable, socially just, and environmentally friendly solutions by bridging disciplines and fostering collaboration between researchers, policymakers, and society.

Your role

The University of Luxembourg is recruiting for the Luxembourg Centre for Socio-Environmental Systems (LCSES) an Assistant Professor (tenure track) or Associate Professor in Global Food Security.

This position addresses one of the most pressing challenges of our time : ensuring the availability, safety, and sustainability of food in the face of accelerating environmental change, global resource constraints, and shifting socio-economic conditions.

The successful candidate will lead innovative research that moves beyond increasing agricultural output to examine the broader systemic dimensions of food security-including food distribution, nutrition, and the socio-economic drivers of inequality. Using a global lens while remaining rooted in national, regional, or local contexts, preferably in the Global South, the professorship will integrate empirical methods, system-level analysis, and synthesis science, including meta-analytic approaches, to develop holistic and actionable insights.

We are seeking a scholar with a proven interdisciplinary track record, demonstrating strong collaboration across agricultural sciences, environmental economics, and the social sciences. The ideal candidate will contribute to evidence-based policymaking and sustainable transformation of food systems by working across disciplines and sectors.

This position is integral to LCSES's broader mission to build a world-class research centre focused on the interconnections between environmental systems and human societies. The appointed professor will collaborate closely with other research teams and engage with stakeholders in academia, policy, and industry to co-develop practical and impactful solutions for global food security.

We welcome applications from researchers who combine rigorous data-driven research with interdisciplinary vision and a strong commitment to real-world impact.

Your profile

The successful candidate will apply modern data science techniques, including the analysis of large-scale datasets and advanced modelling approaches, to study the resilience and sustainability of food systems. A key focus of the role will be the development of digital twins for food systems - dynamic, data-driven models that enable scenario analysis and predictive insights into food production, supply chains, and nutritional security under changing environmental and socio-economic conditions.

The ideal candidate will have :

• A PhD in a relevant field (e.g., environmental science, agricultural economics, ecology, geography, or related disciplines)
• A strong capability to think out of the box and shape their research by the challenges posed by interdisciplinary questions
• A strong record of research excellence, evidenced by impactful publications and success in securing external research funding
• Expertise in modelling socio-environmental systems and integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches to global and regional food security. Experience with synthesis approaches, such as meta-analysis, to integrate and evaluate findings across diverse datasets and studies that quantify and assess the cascading effects of food production, food availability and sovereignty, is an asset
• Experience engaging with policymakers, NGOs, and other stakeholders to translate research into real-world impact
• Demonstrated commitment to mentoring and fostering the next generation of researchers
• Willingness to contribute to teaching programmes at the undergraduate and graduate levels in areas related to environmental change and socio-environmental systems

The University of Luxembourg is set in a multilingual and multicultural context. The person hired on this position must be proficient in English. Proficiency in French or German is considered an advantage. The University actively supports language development among its staff and offers access to language courses to this end.

We offer

How to apply

Applications should be submitted online only and contain :

Applications should be addressed to Prof. Dr. Ralf Seppelt. We encourage early application. Submissions are possible until the position is filled. Applications will be handled in strict confidence.

Gender equality :

The University of Luxembourg is committed to achieving gender parity among its academic staff and aims to eliminate obstacles to recruitment of female professors and their career development. Should candidates present equivalent CVs, preference will be given to female candidates in all departments where gender parity is not yet achieved. The University of Luxembourg embraces inclusion and diversity as key values. We are fully committed to removing any discriminatory barrier related to gender, and not only, in recruitment and career progression of our staff.

General information :

Contact :

Prof. Dr. Ralf Seppelt, Director of the Luxembourg Centre for Socio-Environmental Systems (LCSES)

Email :