Applications are invited for two 3-year assistant professor positions in political science or law at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Odense, as of October 1, 2020 or soon thereafter. The position will be part of the newly established program JUST SOCIETY led by Associate Professor Marianne S. Ulriksen.

The research program

Rule of law, strong public administration and redistribution are essential attributes to the Danish state and vital sources to a society based on trust, equality, well-being and happiness. At SDU, we want to share our knowledge of and lessons from the Danish experiences in order to support societal institutions elsewhere in building just societies. In order to do this, the JUST SOCIETY program aims to design and develop courses in dialogue with partner institutions in the Global South. Course packages are to provide research-based teaching on the state’s role in developing a just society, broadly speaking. The course packages are to be flexible and targeted to specific partner institutions, but could include modules such as: social policy and taxation as mechanisms of redistribution and inclusiveness; building of a fair and competent public administration; public systems that respect gender and minority rights and enhance equality across groups; just and equal legal systems; institutions protecting citizens’ rights etc.

The JUST SOCIETY program is managed by the Departments of Political Science and Law at SDU and draws on strong expertise in public administration, comparative public policy, and legal research based in these departments. Dialogue and partnerships will, however, be essential elements in designing and implementing the program. International partners will be included already in the early stages of developing course packages of relevance to the challenges experienced in their specific country contexts, while relevant Danish institutions and organizations will be drawn in to provide expertise and to create networks across implementing organizations in Denmark and partner countries. In addition, Danish and international partner institutions can build research-based projects with the SDU program team that enhances our knowledge of creating just societies across the world. For more information about the program, see the website.

The ideal applicants

Political science
Candidates for the assistant professorship in political science will be based at the Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark, Odense. To qualify for the position, you must hold a PhD in political science or a closely related discipline, have substantial knowledge of redistributive policies in Denmark and/or countries in the Global South context, and experience with teaching and developing research-based academic courses. The ideal candidate for the job has strong qualitative methods skills and fieldwork experience. Project experience in the Global South is a benefit.

For more information about the Department of Political Science and Public Management’s organization, research and teaching, please visit the website.

The successful candidate will become a member of the Danish Centre for Welfare Studies (DaWS), which has a strong international profile in comparative public policy and welfare state research. It is a cross-disciplinary unit which includes political scientists, historians and literature scholars. Assistant professors are expected to actively take part in research seminars and other center activities. For more information, please visit the website.

Law
Candidates for the assistant professorship in law will be based at the Department of Law, University of Southern Denmark, Odense. To qualify for the position, you must hold a PhD in law or a closely related discipline and have substantial knowledge of constitutional law and administrative law in the context of at least one EU country. Knowledge about the welfare state regulation and the rule of law in one of the Scandinavian countries would also be an advantage. The ideal candidate for the job has strong legal skills, experience with teaching, and fieldwork experience.

For more information about the department’s organization, research and teaching, please visit the website.

The Department of Law currently has 50 employees divided into four research sections, several part-time employees and a secretariat. The department seeks to secure high quality and societal relevance within judicial research, education and knowledge exchange.

Both candidates are expected to:

• Be team players and willing to actively engage in interdisciplinary research activities
• Be passionate about engaging with partners in the Global South in a manner based on respect and open to dialogue
• Be committed to work in a multi-faceted program that calls on a variety of tasks and skills to extend research, teaching methods, communication, and networking to new areas
• Document teaching experiences and ability to develop new academic courses
• Demonstrate ability to publish in international peer-reviewed journals or presses
• Present a 3-year research agenda that highlights how the candidate’s profile and research ambitions fit within the program
• Be prepared to travel in order to develop and implement the program’s teaching modules.

We are looking for candidates who can work independently in consultation with the program leader. Candidates are also expected to have good interpersonal skills, be interested in engaging with the national and international research community, be present and contribute to the academic and social environments at the department. The Department of Political Science and Public Management’s detailed guidelines on recruitment, gender equality and the Scholarly Qualification Matrix can be found here, and the equivalent for the Department of Law is available here.

It is important to us that applicants have good interpersonal skills and are dedicated to taking part in the everyday academic and social environment at the department. Such engagement can be documented by e.g. past engagement in social and professional activities. Within a three-year period, foreign applicants are expected to master the Danish language at a level which enables reading Danish exam papers and administrative documents.

The Department of Political Science and Public Management and the Department of Law believe in fostering a stimulating and inspiring environment for both faculty members and students. The ambition is, therefore, to recruit, develop, and retain talented scholars committed to both academic excellence and departmental development. Furthermore, the departments aim to employ staff that reflect the diversity of society and, thus, welcomes applications from candidates regardless of personal background.

For further information about the position within political science or the research project, please contact Associate Professor Marianne S. Ulriksen [email protected]. For information about the position within law, please contact Professor wsr Frederik Waage [email protected].

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:

• Detailed CV
• An elaborated research plan (max 3 pages) for the next 3 years that describe:
  • the potential to advance the field (both empirically and theoretically)
  • fit into the JUST SOCIETY program
  • relationships to the aim and goals of the DaWS or the Department of Law
  
  
• Certificates/Diplomas (Master and PhD degree)
• Teaching portfolio (please 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. NOTE: If publications have been co-authored, co-author statements must be a part of this pdf and must include information like in this example. The statement is just for your inspiration.
  Please attach the PhD dissertation as a publication, if such exist

Furthermore, applicants applying for an assistant professorship are requested to submit a teaching portfolio with the application as documentation for teaching experience as well as supervision qualifications. Formal application instructions and guide for teaching portfolio may be found here.

All non-Danish documents must be translated into English.

Applications that are incomplete with regard to the above requirements may be rejected without any substantive evaluation.

Assessment of applications will be done under existing Appointment Order for universities. Applications will be assessed by an academic assessment committee that determines whether applicants are qualified to be an assistant professor. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material. The committee reserves the right to arrive at a decision solely based on the material submitted.

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process.

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, the applicant will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns him/her. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of Department who will assemble an appointments committee. The appointments committee will manage and complete a series of job interviews with especially promising applicants. On the basis of the applications, the written assessments, the job interviews, and a deliberation within the appointments committee, the Head of Department determines which candidate(s) will be offered the position.

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than August 1, 2020 using the link below. 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.