Assistant/Associate Professor(s) at the Centre for Military Studies

The Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) seeks excellent candidates for one or more positions as Assistant/Associate Professor in defence, security, and strategic studies at the Centre for Military Studies (CMS).

Appointment as Assistant Professor is a three-year, full-time position, while an appointment as Associate Professor is a permanent, full-time position. The position(s) are available from August 1, 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Applications are sought from eminent candidates who have experience with research and teaching within the field of defence, security, and strategic studies. We define national security and strategy in broad terms and welcome applications from researchers with backgrounds in political science or other relevant disciplines. Applicants with experience in applied research in foreign, security, or defence policy are especially welcome.

The successful candidate(s) will have a strong commitment to both excellence and relevance. Relevance in this context refers to an aspiration to engage with relevant and current affairs with a view to increasing our understanding of world problems.

Introduction

An integrated part of the Department of Political Science, one of Europe’s top political science departments, the Centre for Military Studies is a university-based research centre focusing on research in defence, security, and strategic studies. For more information on the Department, please consult https://politicalscience.ku.dk/about/

To generate knowledge and identify relevant strategic options for Denmark in particular, we conduct both curiosity-driven and problem-driven independent research. The Centre works closely with the Danish Ministry of Defence, the Danish Armed Forces, and other national and international stakeholders when investigating issues and developing ideas and options. In the next five years, the overall themes for the Centre’s stakeholder cooperation include: Global politics and great power rivalry, European security, including Nordic maritime security, Military technology development, and Danish defence and security policy. As a fully integrated part of the Department of Political Science, the Centre takes part in teaching and research activities at the Department. For more information about the Centre for Military Studies, please consult our webpage: https://cms.polsci.ku.dk/

Duties and Responsibilities
Duties and responsibilities of the position(s) as Assistant/Associate Professor include contributing to the scholarship and intellectual life of the University by conducting world-class research and teaching. Assistant/Associate Professors also have administrative responsibilities. Associate Professors, in addition, are expected to develop the field in synergy with other fields, as well as to exercise academic leadership, including research management tasks.

As Assistant/Associate Professor at the Centre for Military Studies, the general duties are:

• Research within the field of defence, security, and strategic studies
• Applied research and commissioned analytical tasks for the Danish Ministry of Defence and the political parties to the Defence Agreement
• Knowledge sharing with society, including media appearances and public lectures
• Teaching, supervision, and examination of undergraduate and post-graduate students at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen

The weighting of the different duties may vary periodically, but the successful candidate can expect to spend some 60% of his/her time doing applied research for the Danish Ministry of Defence and the political parties to the Defence Agreement. A certain amount of teaching is also to be expected.

Your Competencies and Opportunities
In order to be assessed as qualified for an Assistant/Associate Professor position at the University of Copenhagen, the candidate must meet the University’s criteria of academic merit. Six overall criteria apply for Assistant/Associate Professor appointments: research, teaching, societal impact, organisational contribution, external funding and leadership. The six criteria are considered a framework for the overall assessment of candidates. Furthermore, each candidate must be assessed according to the specific requirements stated in the job advertisement.

You can read more about the UCPH criteria here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit/.

You can read more about the criteria for recognising merit for Assistant Professors here: Here

You can read more about the criteria for recognising merit for Associate Professors here: Here

Assistant Professor Essential Qualifications:

To be qualified for the position the applicant must have a PhD in Political Science or an equivalent academic qualification, as well as:

• A proven record of outstanding research, as evidenced primarily by a PhD dissertation and an emerging international reputation based on a publication profile that complements the existing research strengths of the Department and Centre.
• Evidence of engagement in knowledge exchange and policy-impact in an international context and/or in Denmark. We encourage proactive engagement with government, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education.
• A commitment to contribute to delivering an excellent student experience based on a track record of excellence in teaching in one or more of the main areas covered by the Department.
• Robust interpersonal skills, enabling the candidate to be a constructive and empathic colleague in a diverse and vibrant working environment.

We will expect candidates to present a clear, well-developed and viable strategy not only for future research that will result in world-leading publications and external research funding, but also for innovative teaching and novel approaches to societal impact.

Associate Professor Essential Qualifications:

To be qualified for the position the applicant must have a PhD in Political Science or an equivalent academic qualification, as well as:

• A proven record of outstanding research, as evidenced in internationally recognized profile, a growing and ambitious publication profile that complements the existing research strengths of the Department and Centre, as well as evidence of, or clear plans for attracting, external research funding.
• Evidence of engagement in knowledge exchange and policy-impact in an international context and/or in Denmark. We encourage proactive engagement with government, business, and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education.
• A commitment to contribute to delivering an excellent student experience based on an established track record of excellence in teaching in one or more of the main areas covered by the Department.
• Robust interpersonal skills, enabling the candidate to be a constructive and empathic colleague in a diverse and vibrant working environment.

We will expect candidates to present a clear, well-developed and viable strategy not only for future research that will result in world-leading publications and external research funding, but also for innovative teaching and novel approaches to societal impact.

Desirable Qualifications:

Besides these essential qualifications, it is a major plus if the candidate has:

• Proven ability to engage in policy-innovation and policy formulation.
• Documented knowledge of the institutions and changing threat landscape of, especially, transatlantic and Western security.
• Documented interest in the challenges faced by small European states.
• Research experience in fields such as security strategy, emerging weapons technology, and cyber security.
• Proven ability to work on or lead specific projects in teams.
• Documented ability to communicate complicated issues to the wider public.

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences

The Department of Political Science is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The Faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by: i) Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning and social change; ii) Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge, and the competences to change society for the better; and iii) Energizing global, European, and Danish knowledge communities by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact. For more on the Faculty’s strategy, see: https://samf.ku.dk/fakultetet/strategi/.

Strategy of the Department of Political Science

The Department of Political Science strategy (2024-2027) can be accessed here: https://polsci.ku.dk/om/strategi/.

Terms of Employment

• Employment with the Faculty of Social Sciences and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit. The University does this by applying academic criteria that are related to the duties and conditions of each particular post and the needs of the Department concerned. A position as Associate Professor is permanent, and therefore non-Danish speakers must acquire the necessary Danish language skills within a period of 3-6 years. The Department will provide and pay for the necessary language training
• Further information on qualification requirements as Assistant/Associate Professor can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2019 here: Here
• Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• The salary as Assistant/Associate Professor is within the range of DKK 38,575-40,615 per month (assistant professors) and DKK 44,911 per month (associate professors) + a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis. 

The Recruitment Process

Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here:  https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

An Equal Opportunity Workplace

The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/.

International Applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark: https://ism.ku.dk/.

Contact Information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: [email protected], please refer to ID number: 211-0677/25-2E

Additional information about the position can be obtained from Head of the Department of Political Science Nina Græger (e-mail: [email protected]; phone: +45 93516018).

How to Apply
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply.

Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:

• Motivated letter. A cover letter with a motivation for your application and detailing how your profile matches the qualifications required for this post. Remember to clearly indicate whether you are applying for an Assistant or Associate Professor position.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Certificates and Diplomas
• Key publications. The six most important publications, of which at least three must have been published within the five years immediately preceding the deadline for application. The publications selected must be uploaded as attachments and named from 1 to 6.
• Publication list. A complete list of all publications with clearly marked publication dates. The uploaded publications must be marked with * on the list to be assessed.
• Evidence of societal impact. Documentation of any ability to and/or experience with societal impact including through applied research.
• Teaching portfolio. Documentation of teaching qualifications in accordance with the University guidelines for teaching portfolios when appointing academic staff at the University of Copenhagen.
• Evidence of ability to disseminate information. Documentation of the ability to disseminate information to and share knowledge with society.
• If applying for Associate Professor position: Research Plan. A 3-5 pages document outlining future research themes.

Should any material submitted consist of work with named co-authors, or work that is otherwise the result of collective academic endeavors, the extent of the applicant’s contribution to the work must be clearly specified. The hiring committee may ask for a signed statement from the co-authors specifying the extent and nature of each individual’s contribution.

 The closing date for applications is 23:59 *CEST, 21 March 2025

Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.

*(Central European Summertime =CEST)