Associate Professor(s) at the Department of Business and Sustainability

The Department of Business and Sustainability, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), invites applications for one or more positions at the level of Associate Professor as of February 1, 2025, or as agreed.

Your new department
Our department harbors excellent research and teaching, and we interact with companies, organizations, and institutions to help solve some of today’s greatest societal challenges.

The department is responsible for the bachelor’s programme in Economics and Business Administration (HA), seven profiles in the master’s programme in Economics and Business Administration (cand.merc), and the crossdisciplinay master’s programme, Environmental and Resource Management. We also run a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration and contribute to several other study programmes at SDU. We highly prioritize engagement and quality in the study programmes and the study environment at our three campuses.

The department is organized around eight research groups based on a common professional interest amongst the members. Some groups are disciplinary, while others are cross-disciplinary and thematic. For the open position(s) we are especially interested in applicants who might fit with the following groups: 

• Management and Economics of Resources and the Environment: This interdisciplinary research group is dedicated to studying resilient and sustainable systems across various scales. With a foundation in environmental and natural resource economics, the group explores the economic and policy dimensions of environmental valuation and conservation, agricultural and resource management, and sustainability from local to global perspectives.
   
• Interactive Innovation: This group addresses societal challenges by supporting and fostering cross-sector collaboration and partnerships between researchers, industry, the public sector, policymakers, and the broader community. A core interest is innovation and organizational development within and/or across various organizational context. Innovation is viewed broadly, encompassing product, service, process, organizational and systemic innovation.

The other groups at the department are:

• Business-to-Business Marketing
• Supply Chain & Technology Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Social Aspects of Organizing
• Center for Sustainable Business Development and Policy
• The European Center for Risk & Resilience Study

Your new colleagues

Your colleagues are experienced academics with a broad academic skill set in diverse fields and disciplines. We strive for academic excellence and your colleagues are embedded in strong international research networks and projects. The department prioritizes cross-disciplinary work, and most colleagues engage in research projects and/or study programs that are based on active collaboration with colleagues from other areas of social sciences and beyond. We apply qualitative and quantitative methods and have a long tradition of strong engagement with external partners in the private and public sector. Moreover, we take pride in didactical innovation and the offering of relevant study programs of the highest quality.

The Department of Business and Sustainability offers a dynamic and entrepreneurial work environment in which collaboration and team spirit are fundamental parts of the culture. Our department has activities in Kolding, Esbjerg and Sønderborg, with approximately 55 employees engaged in research and teaching. The department has been in operation since January 1, 2024, and given the department’s young age, you will have a unique possibility to influence its direction within the framework of the overall strategy – Beyond the Obvious - of the Faculty of Business and Social Science.

What are we looking for?

The department is looking for applicants with the potential to add to the department’s research agenda and strengthening our teaching portfolio, and who thrive in a multi-disciplinary environment that seeks to contribute to a broad academic dialogue.

As an Associate Professor, the successful applicant(s) will be tasked with a range of obligations at the department:

• Develop and maintain a research agenda aligned with the department’s research strategy and embedded in national and/or international network(s).
• Conduct and continuously publish research at a high international level.
• Being active, and sometimes leading, in application processes for external fundings and include junior researchers in the process
• Develop and deliver high quality teaching, supervision, and extracurricular activities within the department’s portfolio of study programs, including the PhD level and lifelong learning.
• Engage in outreach and/or collaboration with external stakeholders when designing research projects reflecting how own research may help solve societal problems.
• Perform academic citizenship locally and globally, e.g. participation in assessment committees, administrative tasks, and arrange seminars and workshops.

To qualify for the positions, applicants must be able to document:

• Ability to publish original research that was not part of the PhD dissertation. Acceptance of at least three publications in outlets on the Cristin List or the AJG is expected.
• Ability to expand research area beyond the field of the PhD dissertation and to formulate ambitious and credible research plan for the coming years.
• Formal pedagogical training equivariant to the Danish “Lecturer Training Program.”
• A teaching portfolio documenting teaching experience, results, and reflections on teaching methods and philosophy.
• Experience in applying for external funding as a PI or co-PI
• Experience with reviewing papers, organizing scholarly activities and joining networks in the relevant national and international research community.
• Ability to communicate scientific knowledge to non-academic audiences.

For a more detailed description of the qualification criteria, please consult the department’s Scholarly Qualification Guidelines.

It is important that applicants have good interpersonal skills and are dedicated to take part in the everyday professional and social environment at the department. Such engagement can be documented by, for example, past engagement in social and professional activities. Within a three-year period, applicants with no current Danish skills must master the language at a level which enables them to read Danish exam papers and administrative documents (free language courses will be offered).

The department believes in fostering a stimulating and inspiring environment for both staff members and students. Therefore, the department’s ambitionis to recruit, develop, and retain talented scholars committed to both academic excellence and departmental development. Furthermore, the department wishes the staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

For further information, please contact the Head of Department, Christian Elmelund-Præstekær [email protected].

How to apply for this position?

Appointment to the position will be in accordance with the salary agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.

An application must include:

• Letter of motivation.
• Detailed CV including the required documentation of experience and possible periods of leave. Education and work history must be month and year specific. 
• An elaborated research, funding, and publication plan (max 4 pages) for the next four to six years that describes the envisioned research agenda, including strategy for publication and external funding
• Certificates/Diplomas (Master and PhD degree).
• Teaching portfolio (see below)
• Complete list of publications, indicating which publications are most relevant for the position.
• Up to 3 of the most relevant publications. Please upload a pdf for each publication. For co-authored publications, briefly describe the extent of the co-authorship or your contribution to the publications (please do this for each co-authored publication). You can do so by using this form or by describing the co-authorship in such a way that the committee can assess the extent of your contribution.

All non-Danish and non-English documents must be translated into English. Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

Applicants are requested to submit a teaching portfolio with the application as documentation for teaching experience as well as supervision qualifications. Formal application instructions and a guide for the teaching portfolio can be found here. 

Incomplete applications may be desk-rejected without any substantial evaluation.

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process.

Applicants’ qualifications will be assessed by an assessment committee. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material. Once the assessment committee has submitted its report, applicants will receive the part of the assessment that concerns themselves. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of Department who will form an appointment committee. The appointment committee will manage and complete one or more job interviews with especially promising applicants. Based on information from the entire recruitment process, the Head of Department determines which applicant(s) will be offered a position.

The University of Southern Denmark wishes to reflect the surrounding community and therefore encourages everyone, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now" on our website, no later than November 1, 2024. Uploaded files must be in Adobe PDF (unlocked) or Word format.

Each field can only contain a single file of max. 10 Mb.