Two Tenure-Track Assistant Professorships in Empirical Management Research FernUni Schweiz

About us

UniDistance Suisse offers fully online university degree programmes and is accredited under the Swiss Higher Education Act (HEdA). It combines flexible, location‑independent, part‑time distance learning with an active, interdisciplinary research culture on its campus in Brig. Across five faculties – Law, Psychology, Business & Economics, History, and Mathematics & Computer Science – we have been shaping modern teaching, learning, and research for more than 30 years. Today, UniDistance Suisse has over 2,700 students and around 550 staff members.

To further support the growth and development of UniDistance Suisse, the Faculty of Business & Economics invites applications for Two Tenure-Track Assistant Professorships (2 x 100%) in Empirical Management Research.

The two professorships are in empirical management research, with a particular interest in the opportunities and challenges associated with digital transformation, data-driven decision-making, and the increasing use of artificial intelligence in organisations and the wider economy. Relevant research areas include decision research, human resource management, managerial accounting, innovation and digitisation, industrial organisation, information systems, data science for business, and related areas of empirical management research. Methodologically, the research profiles should be grounded in quantitative empirical approaches, including field or laboratory experiments and/or the analysis of organisational, personnel, or other data sources using modern quantitative methods.

Successful candidates fit well with the faculty’s existing research cluster in applied microeconomics and econometrics and contribute to collaboration and exchange across research groups. Ideal candidates therefore also build on perspectives from microeconomics and address topics of societal relevance related to the existing research cluster.

Your responsibilities

• Conducting methodologically rigorous and societally relevant empirical management research, guided by open science practices.
• Publishing regularly in high-quality scientific journals in the field.
• Actively participating in relevant national and international workshops and conferences.
• Supervising Bachelor’s, Master’s, and doctoral theses.
• Acquiring competitive third-party funding from institutions such as the Swiss National Science Foundation and other Swiss or international funding bodies.
• Establishing research and teaching cooperations with other universities and with other faculties at UniDistance Suisse.
• Teaching in the faculty’s Bachelor programmes (in German, French, and/or English) and/or in the Master’s and Doctoral programmes (in English).
• Developing and implementing innovative teaching methods, with a particular focus on e-learning and digital education.
• Actively supporting the further development of the faculty, the faculty’s study programmes, and the range of courses offered by the faculty.
• Contributing to and further developing continuing education courses and the faculty’s services targeted at a broader public.

Your profile

• Doctoral degree and research experience in a relevant field.
• Expertise in the application of quantitative empirical research approaches, including field or laboratory experiments and/or the analysis of organisational, personnel, or other data sources using modern quantitative methods.
• A promising research agenda in empirical management research, with a specialisation that complements the faculty’s existing research cluster and demonstrates integration into an international research network.
• A promising research and publication pipeline, ideally including first publications in high-quality journals in the field.
• Experience in acquiring, or strong potential to acquire, competitive third-party research funding.
• Willingness and ability to develop effective online teaching modules in areas related to the candidate’s specialisation; teaching experience, particularly in blended learning, is an advantage.
• Proficiency in English and active knowledge of either German or French is required, together with passive knowledge of the other language, as well as the ability and willingness to teach in German or French within one year.

We offer

• Tenure-track assistant professor positions, with the possibility of promotion to a permanent position, subject to a positive tenure evaluation.
• Support and dedicated funding to establish and develop a research and teaching team.
• A dynamic academic environment within a research-intensive institution, characterised by strong scientific expertise, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a growing international profile.
• A high degree of autonomy and responsibility, offering substantial scope for initiative, ownership, and professional development within a dynamic and evolving institutional context.
• The opportunity to contribute to and shape innovative approaches to online teaching and distance education, supported by comprehensive training and technical pedagogical support.
• An inspiring working environment at our campus in Brig, located close to the historic town centre and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) station, with excellent rail connections across Switzerland and Europe as well as into the surrounding mountain region, offering a high quality of life.
• Attractive employment conditions, including modern working arrangements, competitive social benefits, and access to a wide range of continuing education and professional development opportunities.
• A strong institutional commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. We particularly encourage applications from individuals who are underrepresented in academia and from candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and career paths.

How to apply

We look forward to receiving your full application in one PDF document no later than 13 September 2026 at the following email address: jobs@unidistance.ch.

Your application should include the following elements: Letter of motivation, CV (including a list of publications, working papers, and/or current research projects), teaching experience, teaching evaluations (if available), list of third-party funds (if applicable), research statement (maximum 2 pages), teaching statement (maximum 2 pages), and the names and contacts of two to four references who are ready to supply a reference letter upon request. 

For administrative questions regarding the procedure, please contact Mr Patrick Constantin, Head of Human Resources (patrick.constantin@unidistance.ch). For academic questions, please contact Prof. Manuel Grieder, Dean of the Faculty (manuel.grieder@unidistance.ch).