Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science at the School of Communication and Culture

The School of Communication and Culture at Aarhus University invites applications for the position of assistant professor of cognitive science based at the Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics.

The assistant professorship is a full-time, fixed-term position for three years, and subject to appropriate funding, there will be an opportunity to apply for a subsequent associate professorship. The appointment begins on 1 August 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The School of Communication and Culture is committed to diversity and encourages all qualified applicants to apply. Ensuring a gender balance is a high priority, and we particularly encourage women to apply for this position. However, no applicant will be given preferential treatment, and all applicants will be assessed based on their qualifications for the position in question.

The position
The position will be associated with the Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics (LICS). LICS offers Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes within the fields of linguistics and cognitive science.

Research
The department has a robust international network, and department members play prominent roles in university research centres. The successful applicant will be expected to contribute to the department’s research on cognitive modelling of language and/or social interaction, computational linguistics and/or language technologies. The successful applicant will be expected to devote some research time to a collaborative project on cognitive modelling of language learning and language instruction using interactive language technology that is being established at the department. The focus of this contribution may be on the development of interactive language instruction technology, cognitive modelling of language learning processes, or both, depending on the successful applicant’s research interests and profile. The successful applicant will be expected to publish original peer-reviewed research internationally. This research will be conducted within the linguistics, cognitive science and semiotics research programme.

Teaching and supervision
The successful applicant will be expected to participate in the department’s teaching and supervision activities and to teach and supervise on the department’s Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes in cognitive science and its Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes in linguistics. Please indicate in your application which courses you could teach. The successful applicant will also be expected to apply innovative teaching methods.

The successful applicant will be expected to develop supervision capabilities at both BA and MA levels.

Given the international focus of the degree programmes, the successful applicant will be expected to teach in English. The successful applicant may also be asked to teach academically relevant courses at other departments within the school.

Knowledge exchange
The successful applicant is expected to engage in knowledge exchange, for instance in terms of research collaboration with private companies, government consultancy, civil society involvement and public dissemination of knowledge.

The successful applicant will have excellent opportunities to engage in relevant collaborative initiatives with partners inside and outside Aarhus University.

Qualifications
Applicants must have a PhD degree or must document equivalent qualifications in a relevant field related to computational cognitive science of language and social interaction and/or computational linguistics as well as teaching and research experience equivalent to that attained through a PhD degree.

Applicants must be able to document, relevant to the position:

• an internationally oriented research profile as documented by a PhD dissertation and/or research publications within computational cognitive science and/or computational linguistics
• relevant teaching experience at university level, including innovative teaching methods documented through a teaching portfolio

Furthermore, it will be considered an advantage if applicants can document

• a track record of research publications of a high international standard, as commensurate with the length of the applicant’s academic career
• experience of participation in national and international research networks
• time spent abroad working at one or more internationally recognised research institutions

Finally, applicants are asked to provide a research plan for the next three years and their strategy/vision for contributing to future developments within the field.

Please note that although the application process can be completed on the Aarhus University system without uploading publications or a teaching portfolio, applications that do not include uploaded publications (maximum five) will not be considered.

Although the Aarhus University application system includes an option to upload letters of recommendation, please do not include letters of recommendation or references with the application. Applicants who are invited to an interview may be asked to provide references.

Work environment
Active participation in the daily life of the department is a high priority, and we emphasise the importance of good working relationships, both among colleagues and with our students.

The successful applicant is expected to be at the department daily to maintain and develop the department’s excellent teaching and research environment.

We respect the balance between work and private life and strive to create a work environment in which that balance can be maintained. You can read more about family and work-life balance in Denmark.

International applicants
International applicants are encouraged to read about the attractive working conditions and other benefits of working at Aarhus University and in Denmark, including healthcare, paid holidays and, if relevant, maternity/paternity leave, childcare and schooling. Aarhus University offers various services for international researchers and accompanying families, including a relocation service and an AU Expat Partner Programme. You can also find information about the taxation aspects of international researchers’ employment by AU.

An appointee who does not speak Danish will be required to acquire sufficient proficiency in Danish to handle administrative and managerial responsibilities and to fully participate in the School of Communication and Culture’s activities within approximately three years of commencing the appointment. These include, but are not limited to, reading work-related texts and participating in meetings and collegial gatherings in Danish.

The department
The place of employment is the Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, Jens Chr. Skous Vej 2, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Prospective applicants are invited to view the department’s website.

School of Communication and Culture
The school is a part of the Faculty of Arts. You will find information about the school and its research programmes, departments and diverse activities on its website.

Contact
For further information about the position, please contact Joshua Charles Skewes, Head of the Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, by tel.: +45 8716 2653 or by email: [email protected].

If you need help uploading your application or have questions about the recruitment process, please contact Arts HR support by email: [email protected].

Qualification requirements
Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent academic qualifications.

Formalities

• Faculty of Arts refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities (the Appointment Order).
• Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.
• Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities .
• Further information on the application and supplementary materials may be found in Application Guidelines.
• The application must outline the applicant's motivation for applying for the position, attaching a curriculum vitae, a teaching portfolio, a complete list of published works, copies of degree certificates and examples of academic production (mandatory, but no more than five examples). Please upload this material electronically along with your application.

If nothing else is noted, applications must be submitted in English. Application deadline is at 11.59 pm Danish time (same as Central European Time) on the deadline day.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Shortlists may be prepared with the candidates that have been selected for a detailed academic assessment. A committee set up by the head of school is responsible for selecting the most qualified candidates. See this link for further information about shortlisting at the Faculty of Arts: shortlisting

Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts is one of five main academic areas at Aarhus University.

The faculty contributes to Aarhus University's research, talent development, knowledge exchange and degree programmes.
With its 700 academic staff members, 200 PhD students, 9,000 BA and MA students, and 1,500 students following continuing/further education programmes, the faculty constitutes a strong and diverse research and teaching environment.

The Faculty of Arts consists of the School of Communication and Culture, the School of Culture and Society, the Danish School of Education, and the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media. Each of these units has strong academic environments and forms the basis for interdisciplinary research and education.

The faculty's academic environments and degree programmes engage in international collaboration and share the common goal of contributing to the development of knowledge, welfare and culture in interaction with society.

Read more at arts.au.dk/en

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.

Aarhus University
Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/