Postdoc position at the Center for Applied Ecological Thinking at the University of Copenhagen

The Center for Applied Ecological Thinking (CApE), based at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, invites applications for a position as Postdoc. The position is funded by the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation as part of CApE's staff. The successful candidate will work closely with the Center Director, Stefan Gaarsmand Jacobsen, and other center staff members.

The preferred starting date is 1 June 2025, or as soon as possible after that date. The position is for 30 months.

CApE is a humanities-based research center that applies knowledge of culture, ethics, history, communication, imagination, affect, religion, art, language, and more to respond to urgent ecological crises and to reconceptualize ecological thinking. By engaging with key Danish and international groups and stakeholders, CApE contributes to green transformations by pursuing new, applied pathways toward global sustainability. CApE is a forum for research-based activities that promotes engagement across various partners, organizations, and audiences through debates, panels, seminars, laboratories, exhibitions, and other types of collaboration and activities.

Located in Læderstræde 20 in Copenhagen city center, CApE is co-housed by think tanks, NGOs, and other green organizations. The location provides opportunities for creating new collaborations and networks across these actors. You can find more information about the center at https://cape.ku.dk/eng/.

The Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies is home to several language-based area studies and disciplines concerned with the study of culture and religion globally. Further information about the department may be found at tors.ku.dk.

Job content
The Postdoc is expected to develop and conduct an individual research project emphasizing concepts, frameworks, and/or empirical cases that help address ecological crises and transgressions of planetary boundaries. The proposed project must be relevant to the aims and activities of the center, specifically in terms of contributing to applied approaches for ecological transformations in Danish and International contexts. The Postdoc can employ concepts and methodologies from humanities disciplines working with climate, ecology, and the environment. Combinations with approaches from other related fields of research can also be considered. Along with other existing projects, CApE is looking to expand expertise in future imaginaries, climate justice, transformative political economy, ecological literacy and temporality. Insights from both conceptual and empirical work will be actively used in selected activities of the center, on which the permanent staff will collaborate with the Postdoc to develop formats on the basis of the research. Accordingly, the center director will be available for supervision, and the Postdoc can take on supporting responsibilities related to the center's management. As part of the project, the Postdoc will also have the support of visiting leading European/Global research centers that experiment with applied ecological thinking in cultural and social contexts.

Qualification requirements
In order to be considered for the position, applicants must have research qualifications at least corresponding to what can be achieved as part of a successfully completed PhD within a relevant field.

The applicant should have conducted significant individual or collaborative research in environmental or transformative branches of humanities, or in other relevant fields, preferably with a transdisciplinary approach.

For further details about the qualification requirements for Postdocs, please refer to the job structure for academic staff: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit/dokumenter/Ministerial_Order_no._1443_of_11_December_2019_on_Job_Structure_for_Academic_Staff_at_Universities.pdf.

Application
Submit the application online in Adobe PDF or Word format. Please click on the "Apply now" icon at the bottom of this page.

The application must be written in English and include the following enclosures:

• Application letter/cover letter (max 1 page).
• CV (with applicant's e-mail & telephone number).
• Documentation of qualifications (examination certificates/PhD diploma, etc.).
• Complete and numbered list of publications. The enclosed publications must be marked with *.
• Research plan, including a short description of previous research and a plan for the coming years that includes an account of how the applicant will contribute to the aims and activities of the center (Max 3 pages)
• Documentation of teaching qualifications and research dissemination, if any
• Publications. Applicants may choose a maximum of three publications for assessment. Publication dates must be clearly marked on the publication list. The publications selected must be uploaded as attachments and listed from 1 to 3.

Should any material submitted consist of work with named co-authors, or work that is otherwise the result of collective academic endeavours, the extent of the applicant's contribution to the work must be clearly stipulated. The faculty may ask for a signed statement from the co-authors stipulating the extent and nature of each individual's contribution.

Only material in Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and English can be expected to be assessed.

Appointment procedure
After the application deadline, the Head of Department selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the appointment committee. All applicants are notified whether their application has been accepted for assessment. The Dean subsequently appoints an expert assessment committee tasked with carrying out an assessment of the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee. Applicants are ultimately offered the opportunity of commenting on the part of the assessment relating to themselves before the appointment is finalized.

Salary and conditions of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at approximately DKK 38,700, (EUR 5,200) + a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) have further agreed on a protocol that makes it possible for international researchers employed by the University to achieve a pension exemption, whereby the pension contribution will be paid out as salary. For more information about the different pension schemes, please read more here: https://ism.ku.dk/salary-tax-pension/pension/.

If you consider applying from abroad, you may find useful information on how it is to work in Denmark and at UCPH here : http://ism.ku.dk , http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/frontpage.htm and https://www.workindenmark.dk/.
UCPH wishes to encourage everyone interested in this post to apply, regardless of personal background.

The closing date for applications is 7 April 2025 at 23:59 CEST.

Contact
For further information about the position, please contact Stefan Gaarsmand Jacobsen, e-mail: [email protected], phone: +45 40499269

Further information about the application procedure is available from HR officer, e-mail: [email protected]. Please refer to ID number 211-1077/22-2I #2.

Applications or supplementary material received thereafter will not be considered.