Assistant Professorship in Public Administration

The Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark, Odense invites applications for one or more four-year assistant professorships in Public Administration as of August 1, 2021 or as agreed.

Successful candidate(s) must be able and willing to support the department in realizing its two overarching strategic objectives: First, we strive to produce original ideas through high-quality and pioneering research. Second, we want to address major societal challenges and to exchange knowledge with society through high-quality study programmes and genuine engagement with societal actors and the wider public. The department values a diversity of competences and academic profiles, and, thus, applicants must present a clear academic profile. By academic profile we understand the combined quality of research, teaching and societal engagement. For more information about the department and its strategy, please visit the website.

The successful applicant(s) will be affiliated with the Public Administration Section. The Public Administration Section aims to improve decision-making, management, and organization in the public sector. We do this by conducting high-quality research on topics of high societal relevance. Based on strong and rigorous methodological approaches, ranging from quantitative experimental approaches and advanced statistical techniques to various qualitative approaches, we study public management, leadership, organization, public finances, employees’ attitudes and behaviour, work environment, ethics in public organizations, local and central government, and citizen-state interactions. Members of the section publish both in leading public administration, management and leadership and political science journals as well as Danish and English monographies and anthologies.

The Public Administration section is responsible for teaching at the BA and MA level at Political Science and for two professional executive master programmes; Master of Public Management and Master of Public Governance.

The successful applicant(s) will be expected to:

• Conduct and publish research at a high international level in areas of relevance to the Public Administration Section
• Conduct teaching and supervision within the department's entire portfolio of study programmes, including the full-time political science programme and executive master programmes in public management.
• Perform a number of research-related tasks such as taking active part in developing the research collectively by e.g. joining common research projects, seeking external funding, engaging in knowledge exchange activities with the surrounding society, outreach activities, and co-supervision of PhD students

For applicants to qualify for the position, the following criteria must be met (please also consult the Scholarly Qualification Matrix:

• Delineate a research profile aligned with the strategy of the Public Administration Section
• Document a strong research outcome and publishing experience with international peer-reviewed journals/presses
• Document the ability to engage in professional networks
• Document university-level teaching experience
• Document experience with knowledge exchange activities

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, for example, 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 offers free language classes and a reduction in workload to support non-Danish speaking employees.

The department believes in fostering a stimulating and inspiring environment for both faculty members and students. The department's ambition is therefore to recruit, develop, and retain talented scholars committed to both academic excellence and departmental development. Furthermore, the department wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and, thus, welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

For further information, please contact Head of Department, Signe Pihl-Thingvad, [email protected] or Heads of Public Administration Section, Niels Opstrup, [email protected] and Mette Kjærgaard Thomsen, [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 4 years that describes:
• the potential to advance the field (both empirically and theoretically)
• relationships to the aim and goals of the Public Administration Section
• planned national and international collaborations
• the potential of obtaining external funding


• 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 for an assistant professorship. 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 February 15, 2021 using the link "Apply online". Uploaded files must be in Adobe PDF (unlocked) or Word format.
Read the guideline for the applicants

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