Professorship in economics with focus on Big Data and Large Language Models in Social Data Science

The Department of Economics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense in cooperation with The Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS) seeks strong candidates for one or more vacant positions as Full Professor in Economics with focus on Big Data and Large Language Models in Social Data Science, preferably related to economic history and/or macroeconomics. The application deadline is 17 February 2025; the starting date is flexible, but we hope to welcome our new colleague(s) 15 August 2025. 

The positions are at the Department of Economics, with joint affiliations as DIAS chair at DIAS and the department.

About the department

The Department of Economics is an international department with a strong tradition for excellence in research and teaching within the various areas of economics. The research, teaching, and dissemination activities are organized within four platforms: Econometrics and Data Science, Economic History, Macroeconomics, and Microeconomics. The professor(s) will be affiliated with one of these platforms. A more elaborated description of the department and the platforms can be found on the department website.

It is the aim of the department to conduct and disseminate research of the highest international standard, documented through publications in internationally distinguished journals, presentations at international conferences, securing external funding, and dissemination with high visibility and broad societal impact. Furthermore, the department emphasizes high-quality research-based teaching using the most relevant teaching methods to enhance students’ learning.

The department is responsible for the undergraduate as well as the graduate programmes in Economics and Mathematics-Economics at campus Odense. It is also responsible for economics courses at different campuses at the University of Southern Denmark with activities in Odense and Sønderborg. The research activities (and the workplace) are situated in Odense.

About DIAS

DIAS at SDU is a hub for interdisciplinary excellence at and beyond the frontier of knowledge, bringing together outstanding researchers from various disciplines to foster interdisciplinary research and innovation. It hosts Chairs and Fellows from all faculties of the university, fostering an interdisciplinary environment. DIAS encourages and supports curiosity-driven research and fosters the meeting of minds across disciplines and levels of seniority. The center cultivates an ambitious, open-minded and playful environment that nurtures both academic growth and a strong sense of community. The candidate will be anticipated to contribute actively to DIAS, including but not limited to participation in DIAS activities, mentoring of DIAS fellows, and promotion of DIAS nationally, internationally and within SDU, as well as through strengthening the bonds between the department/faculty on one hand and DIAS on the other, through interdisciplinary collaborations where meaningful. 

For questions about DIAS, please contact DIAS Director Sten Rynning, [email protected]. 

About the position(s)

We offer and expect our new colleague(s) to

1. conduct excellence research that leads to publications in highly reputed international academic journals,
2. attract external excellence funding, 
3. take responsibility for research management,
4. undertake high-quality teaching and supervision at the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate (PhD) levels,
5. take responsibility for program and curriculum development,
6. maintain and develop relationships with relevant stakeholders, as well as promote and engage actively in DIAS activities,
7. perform academic, knowledge dissemination/outreach and administrative tasks.

The teaching language at SDU is English and Danish. The research language at the department and DIAS is English. SDU offers Danish language courses to new employees.

This position is a unique opportunity as it comes with 0.5m DKK in seed money that the successful candidate can use to strengthen their own research area, and it has a reduced teaching load for the first year of employment.

It is important for the department that all colleagues, including applicants for the professorship(s), have good interpersonal skills and are dedicated to and engaged in the daily academic and social interaction of the research platforms, the department, and DIAS. 

The department values a diversity of competences and academic profiles among its academic staff. Applicants are encouraged to make their own competences and profile clear in their application; see below for an elaboration of the requirements. 

Ideally, applicants are expected to have

• a PhD in economics or a related field,
• an international profile and a strong emerging record of research with research publications in highly reputed international academic journals,
• a successful record of research funding,
• novel ideas with a clear potential to expand our frontiers of knowledge,
• a proven experience in academic leadership, 
• a solid record of designing and delivering academic teaching and supervision at undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate (PhD) levels,
• experience with developing and managing educational programs,
• excellent interpersonal skills in order to develop and maintain good working relationships,
• ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences,
• a consistent track-record of successful contribution to research management, community building, and administrative tasks, including strategy development.

Relevant other professional experiences and qualifications in addition to the ones listed above may be considered. Furthermore, the candidate will be evaluated based on the department’s appointment guidelines – see link.

Further information about the position can be obtained from Head of Department Associate Professor Lone Grønbæk Jørgensen, Department of Economics, e-mail: [email protected] or Professor Christian Møller Dahl, e-mail: [email protected]. For general questions regarding housing, taxes etc., the SDU’s International Staff Office can assist - see link.

Application, salary, etc.

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

An application must include:

• Motivated cover letter
• Detailed CV, including experience with external funding
• Certificates / Diplomas (Master and PhD degree)
• Teaching portfolio (see below) 
• Research, publication, and funding plan for the next 3 years
• Complete list of publications, indicating which publications are most relevant for the position
• Up to 5 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). Please describe the co-authorship in such a way that the committee can assess the extent of your contribution.

Applicants are encouraged to include reflections on experience with research leadership, experience with applications for external funding, experience with research collaborations, and other qualifications relevant for the position in their cover letter.

All non-Danish 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. 

Assessment of applications will be done under existing Appointment Order for universities. Applications 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.

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, the applicant will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns him/her.

Applications that are incomplete with regards to the above requirements will not be assessed by the committee. Shortlisting and tests may be used in the assessment process and references may be obtained.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background. As part of the overall assessment of the applicant’s qualifications, an interview may be applied.

Salary and terms of employment

The successful applicant for the professor position will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now" on our website. Uploaded files must be in Adobe PDF (unlocked) Word format.

Read the guideline for the applicants here.

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

Job identification 2228