Tenure-track Assistant Professorship in Entrepreneurship

The Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS) and the Department of Business and Sustainability at University of Southern Denmark (SDU) invites applications for a joint position as tenure-track assistant professor as of August 1, 2025, or as agreed.

In line with DIAS’s unique and ambitious research aims, your teaching obligation is reduced by 50% compared to ordinary assistant professors at SDU. You are also able to negotiate seed funding in agreement with the department to realize planned research in the coming years. Tenure will be offered in the department with continued affiliation with DIAS after a maximum of six years and a positive associate professor academic assessment. In return you are expected to publish research at the highest international level and to contribute to both DIAS and the department.
 

About the Danish Institute for Advanced Study (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, 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 it is meaningful.

For more information about DIAS: https://www.sdu.dk/en/forskning/dias. Questions on DIAS can be addressed to Director of DIAS, Sten Rynning, [email protected]. 
 

About the entrepreneurship research environment 

The department is organized around eight research units and centers, and we have activities at campuses in Kolding, Esbjerg, and Sønderborg. You will be affiliated with our Entrepreneurship Group with most of its members located at Campus Kolding. 

With a three-decade-long history in entrepreneurship research, the entrepreneurship group is among the pioneers in this field in Denmark. The group regularly publishes in top-tier journals within entrepreneurship and management and SDU is currently ranked ‘world-class’ in entrepreneurship research based solely on the performance of the department’s entrepreneurship group. Specifically, SDU was ranked 62nd in productivity in entrepreneurship research according to the TCU Global University Entrepreneurship Research Productivity Rankings. Thus, SDU surpasses universities such as INSEAD, the University of Cambridge, and Stanford University in this area. 
 

About the Department of Business and Sustainability 

The department 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. 

Apart from research at the international level, the department’s main activity is teaching related to the bachelor’s programme in Economics and Business Administration (HA) and seven profiles in the master’s programme in Economics and Business Administration (cand.merc). 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.

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 programmes 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.
 

Who are we looking for?

We envision a candidate who thrives in a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment and is passionate about advancing research in entrepreneurship. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of high-quality research and experience in developing grant proposals.

As an assistant professor you will be tasked with a range of obligations at the department and DIAS:

• Establish an independent research agenda aligned with the research group’s strategy and embedded in international networks. Publish research at the highest international level.
• Taking the lead in applying for excellence funding instruments, e.g. ERC Starting Grant.
• Teach and supervise students. Take part in didactical development of courses and complete the Danish Lecture Training Program.
• Perform academic citizenship locally and globally, e.g. engaging in the local campus environment, engage in international network activities and activities in relation to relevant non-academic parties.
• Participate in DIAS events and network activities, as well as actively promote DIAS.

To qualify for the position, you are expected to document:

• Ability to formulate a relevant and ambitious research agenda within entrepreneurship and to publish original research.
• Teaching experience and a teaching portfolio that reflects on you teaching results, methods and philosophy.
• Engagement in the international academic society via e.g. conference participation and network membership.
• Experience with outreach activity, e.g. contribution to mass or professional media.

To formally qualify for the position, you must have obtained a PhD degree by the application deadline. Experience in applying for external funding as a PI og co-PI, a strong international network, and formal pedagogical training are considered comparative advantages. For a more detailed job description and qualification criteria, please consult the department’s Scholarly Qualification Guidelines.

It is important that you have good interpersonal skills and is dedicated to take part in the everyday professional and social environment at the department and DIAS. 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, Professor Kim Klyver [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 documentation of experience and possible periods of leave.
• An elaborated research and funding plan (max 4 pages) for the next five years that illuminates you research agenda and the potential for benefitting from the interdisciplinarity at DIAS.
• 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 5 of the most relevant research articles – if you submit a monograph, it counts as 3 articles. 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. Only applications written in English will be accepted for evaluation.

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.

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 February 17, 2025, using the link "Apply now" on our website. Uploaded files must be in Adobe PDF (unlocked) or Word format.

Read the guideline for applicants

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

Job identification: 2241