Careers as a professor in Switzerland
A New Scientist article described Switzerland as “career paradise” for scientists. Competitive salaries, heavy investment in research, an international environment and high standards of living are just some of the factors that attract scientists from all over the world.
While there are many scientific career opportunities in Switzerland, the goal of becoming a full professor can be difficult to achieve. The salary, security and prestige of the position means that competition is fierce. Scientists must have an outstanding record of research and teaching to be considered for the role, and are often recruited based on their performance as associate professor.
How to become a professor in Switzerland
There are several academic stages to becoming a professor in Switzerland, and it takes many years of teaching and research to reach this position. The process differs in German-speaking Switzerland and French-speaking Switzerland.
German-speaking Switzerland
In German-speaking Switzerland, after obtaining their Ph.D. – a process which takes two to seven years in Switzerland, depending on the field of study – the researcher then becomes a postdoctoral researcher, specialising in a particular field. Habilitation is usually a prerequisite for career advancement in German-language universities in Switzerland. This is a period of intense research and teaching over a period of several years, considered almost equivalent to a second thesis. Although it is generally a requirement for professorship, habilitation is considered less important in natural and life sciences.
Once habilitation has been achieved, usually subsequent to publication of significant research, the researcher is then promoted to assistant professor(Assistenzprofessor), a position which can be either tenure track or non-tenure track. After six years, a successful tenure track assistant professor can be promoted to the role of associate professor (außerordentlicher Professor). The university might then promote the researcher to full professor status after another two to six years.
French-speaking Switzerland
In French-speaking Switzerland, researchers post-PhD can obtain the fixed term position of maître-assistant or the permanent position of maître d’enseignement et de recherche (MER), both of which involve teaching and research. The first professorial role is assistant professor (professeur assistant), which allows the researcher to teach and carry out independent research for four to six years. Assistant professors with tenure track who have successful evaluations may then be promoted to associate professor (professeur associé).
Associate professors are appointed for a six-year period, which can then be renewed. The most senior level in French-speaking Swiss universities is full professor(professeur ordinaire), which is similar to the American position of endowed chair. Like associate professors, full professors are appointed for six years, and the appointment can be renewed.
SNSF professorship
Professorships are appointed by the university. The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) also offers an equivalent to professorships through the SNSF Professorial Fellowships programme. Candidates for professorship in Switzerland must have a PhD, a strong record of research, and usually teaching experience at university level, but they do not need to have previous work experience at the university in order to be considered for the position.
Many scientists and researchers in Switzerland are not Swiss nationals; at the University of Zurich (Universität Zürich, UZH), more than 50 per cent of professors are international. English is the lingua franca of scientific research. Speaking the local language (German, French, Italian or Romansh) is not normally a requirement during the application stage, but it is considered an advantage.