Associate Professorship(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 August 1, 2025, or as agreed.

We envision that you thrive in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment and is passionate about advancing research and the impact of research within the framework of our Management and Economics of Resource and the Environment research group [LINK]. We expect you to add to the group your unique perspective on what we do together within resilient and sustainable systems across various scales. With a foundation in environmental and natural resource economics, we explore the economic and policy dimensions of environmental valuation and conservation, agricultural and resource management, and sustainability from local to global perspectives.

Ideally, you have a proven track record of high-quality research and experience in developing projects with potential impact in society as well as academia.

The MERE group is one of our department’s eight research units, and most members are situated in Campus Esbjerg. The department also has activities at the SDU campuses in Kolding and Sønderborg. 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 [LINK] - of the Faculty of Business and Social Science.

Your colleagues at the department 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, public, and civic sector. Moreover, we take pride in didactical innovation and the offering of relevant study programs of the highest quality.
 

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 you will be tasked with a range of obligations at the department:

• Develop and maintain a research agenda aligned with the MERE group’s research strategy and embedded in relevant networks.
• 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.
• Engage in outreach and/or collaboration with external stakeholders when designing research projects reflecting how research may help solve societal problems.
• Perform academic citizenship locally and globally, e.g. engaging in the local campus environment, participation in assessment committees, administrative tasks, and arrange seminars and workshops.

To qualify for the position, the candidate is expected to have:

• A research profile and a research plan aligned with the MERE group’s interests
• A strong system perspective and insight into both natural and social science
• A proven ability to publish original research beyond the PhD dissertation, with at least three accepted publications in reputable journals.
• Formal pedagogical training equivariant to the Danish Lecturer Training Program.
• A teaching portfolio on teaching experience, results, and reflections on teaching methods and philosophy.
• Experience in applying for external funding as a PI og 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.
• Willingness to integrate diverse methods and theories to introduce new perspectives, approaches, and skills into the department’s research, teaching, and public consultancy.

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

It is important that you 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 ambition is 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] or research group leader Julia Bronnmann [email protected].

Conditions and how to apply for this position?

Applicants are encouraged to read the information "How to apply" before applying. 

Appointment to the position will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the protocol for the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for associate professor as described herein. The person employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a self-organiser.

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.
• Separate reprints of up to 5 particularly relevant papers. 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.

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 and shortlisting may be used in the assessment process. Read about shortlisting at SDU.

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.

We recommend that international applicants take the time to visit websites of Work in Denmark and the International Staff Office at SDU. Here you find information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark.

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than April 4, 2025, 11.59PM/23:59 CET using the link "Apply online" on our website. We request files in pdf-format no more than 5 MB per file. All pdf-files must be unlocked and allow binding and may not be password protected. 

If you experience technical problems, please contact [email protected].  

About SDU

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

The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.