1. Job title: Associate or Assistant Professor (tenure-track)

2. Number of position open: Five

3. Department: Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University

4. Objectives and job description:
Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University has established an independent Frontier Research Base for Global Young Researchers in 2006 under the Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan in order to introduce a tenure-track system. The Base invites worldwide applications for Five tenure-track positions at the rank of Associate or Assistant Professor every year in the specified areas. The Frontier Research Base for Global Young Researchers would like to:
1. acquire talented, highly qualified researchers who are expected in the international research community;
2. support researchers equipped with pioneering spirits in both research and education, and with the potential to become leaders of future generations; and
3. promote strategic personnel management to enhance major academic disciplines and create new scientific fields.

The specified fields where applications are invited next year are the followings.
1) Electronics (Device, Material, Communication, etc.);
2) Biotechnology (Biomolecular, Biomimetic Chemistry, Biomedical Materials, etc.);
3) Nanotechnology (Molecular Design, Nanomaterial, etc.);
4) Mechatronics (Robotics, Intelligent Systems, Sensing, etc.);
5) Applied Mathematics (Simulation, OR, Computational Mechanics, etc.);
6) Energy Engineering (Nuclear Engineering, Energy Conversion, Energy Saving, etc.);
7) Infrastructure Engineering (Global Environment, Urban Environment, Housing Environment, Transportation Systems, etc.)

Each researcher will be provided with start-up funds up to five million yen in addition to a research budget up to two million yen for the first year. In the following three years, research budget up to two million yen will be provided per year. (The amount of the budget may depend on the fund from the MEXT.)

At the end of the fifth fiscal year (March 2015), each appointee will be evaluated by the review committee and then, if approved, promoted to regular Associate Professor or Full Professor. The Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University will be able to prepare a sufficient number of regular positions. If not approved, the employment will be terminated. Annual salary is the same as tenured faculty members at the same rank in the school. Research-related teaching in English is required.

5. Qualifications:
An applicant needs to have a Ph.D. degree, which has been received not more than 8 years ago as of April 1, 2010, or is expected to be received before April 1, 2010.

6. Deadline for applications: 6 November – 15 December, 2009

7. Starting date: April 1, 2010 (negotiable)

8. Application materials: (Please send us electronic data and five hard copies of the following documents.)
1) Curriculum vitae
2) List of achievements
3) Offprint or photocopy of five major papers
4) Grants acquired during the past five years
5) Research field (select one of the fields listed in the Outline)
6) Plans and aspirations for future research and education (~2 pages)
7) Names, affiliations, and e-mail addresses of three references (including at least one non-Japanese researcher belonging to an institution outside Japan)

9. Contact address:
Susumu Kuwabata, Director
Frontier Research Base for Global Young Researchers
Frontier Research Center
Graduate School of Engineering
Osaka University
2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
E-mail: scp2010@wakate.frc.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp
TEL/FAX: +81-6-6879-4726