Associate professorship in diaconia

The Department of Theology at the School of Culture and Society invites applications for the position of associate professor of diaconia.

The associate professorship is a permanent position, and the appointment begins on 1 January 2020 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The university wants its staff to reflect the diversity of society, and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their personal background.

The position
We are looking for an innovative and dedicated associate professor to contribute to Aarhus University’s core activities within research, education, talent development and knowledge sharing. We expect our new associate professor to develop diaconia to the highest international level as an academic field through research and teaching, as well as contributing to cross-disciplinary collaboration between diaconia, theology, social science and political science.

Accordingly, we are looking for an associate professor who has a clear profile within the study of diaconia and social transformation processes in both church and society.

Research
The Department of Theology, which is highly ranked internationally, places emphasis on high-quality research and regards cross-disciplinary collaboration and participation in joint research projects as important qualifications, including the ability to attract external funding.

We are particularly interested in applicants with thorough knowledge of diaconia, theology and the social area. Applicants are expected to participate in joint research collaborations both within and outside the School of Culture and Society.

In their application, applicants are expected to provide an explicit account of their visions and plans for the development of research and education in connection with the Master’s degree programme in diaconia at Aarhus University. The account must include documentation of the applicant’s experience with and plans for future research projects with external research funding.
Past research achievements will be assessed based on the active research time of the applicant in question. So we ask applicants to specify any career breaks they have had (e.g. due to maternity/paternity, illness, etc.) in order to gauge their research productivity.

The applicant is expected to take active part in the research programme at the Department of Theology.

Teaching
The position involves teaching in diaconia at Master’s degree level, and to a certain extent teaching in other relevant areas within the field of theology at both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree level. The position also includes individual and group supervision at all university levels. The successful applicant will be expected to develop joint teaching initiatives in collaboration with other departments at the School of Culture and Society.

The successful applicant will also be expected to perform coordinating tasks in relation to courses in the Master’s degree programme in diaconia. See http://kandidat.au.dk/en/diaconia/

Talent development
The position must contribute to talent development in diaconia. The successful applicant must be able to recruit and supervise PhD students as well as developing and teaching PhD courses. The successful applicant must also demonstrate plans for developing PhD projects.

Knowledge exchange
The successful applicant is expected to participate in knowledge-sharing activities as described in the strategy for the Faculty of Arts (http://arts.au.dk/en/about-arts/strategy-2013-2020/). Among other things, this includes research collaboration with private companies, public sector consultancy, collaboration with civil society organisations and contributions to public debates. Applicants must be able to document previous experience of knowledge sharing.

Qualifications
Applicants must have a PhD degree or similar qualifications in theology, diaconia or other relevant areas, as well as research and teaching qualifications equivalent to those acquired in an assistant professorship. Applicants must also be able to provide documentation of the following:

• An internationally oriented research profile and a strong international publication profile within the area in question
• Participation in joint research projects and interdisciplinary networks
• Empirically oriented research within the research area
• Attraction of external funding
• Teaching in areas related to theology and/or diaconia
• Student guidance and interest in developing research talents
• Administration related to degree programmes
• Participation in national and international networks
• Command of English as a medium of instruction

The successful applicant must contribute to the school’s academic environment. We attach great importance to positive working relationships, both among colleagues and with students.

Please note that only publications that are actually submitted with the application will be assessed; a list of publications is not sufficient. Applications which are not accompanied by publications will not be assessed.

References or recommendations should not be included with the application. Applicants who are selected for a job interview may be asked to state professional references.

The application must be written in English.

If the successful applicant does not speak fluent Danish, he/she will be expected to learn Danish within a period of approximately two years.

The area of employment is Aarhus University, and the current place of employment is the Faculty of Arts, Jens Christian Skous Vej 5-7, DK 8000 Aarhus C.

For further information about the position, please contact Head of Department Ulrik Nissen ([email protected]).

For further information about the application, please contact HR Supporter Marianne Birn ([email protected]).

The academic environment
The Department of Theology is a unit comprising the following fields or disciplines: the Old Testament, the New Testament, church history, dogmatics, ethics and the philosophy of religion. Research and teaching also include practical theology, the theology of religion, the global spread of Christianity and diaconia. Topics span a broad spectrum from exegetic and literary readings of the biblical scriptures, analyses of the relation between church, society and state and studies in global Christianity, to reflection on ethical dilemmas and issues relating to the philosophy of religion. The Master’s degree programme in diaconia interacts with the theological disciplines and is managed in cooperation with the social sciences.

The academic staff’s research competences include a wide range of methodological approaches, including the fields of history, philology, literature, philosophy, sociology, political science and psychology. Theology at Aarhus University is highly ranked internationally and is one of the largest environments for theological research in Europe, attracting internationally recognised researchers. The environment is nationally and internationally renowned for its research activities in a number of areas such as Christianity in antiquity, Reformation theology and systematic theology – including theological ethics and dogmatics, missiology and ecumenical theology and practical theology as well as the study of N.F.S. Grundtvig and K.E. Løgstrup. Across its disciplines, the department is characterised by its engagement with contemporary and public issues.

The research programme at the Department of Theology comprises researchers who are often involved in interdisciplinary groups and networks with researchers from other fields, including the study of religion, the humanities in general, medicine and social science.

Within the academic field of theology, Aarhus University offers Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes in theology (cand.theol.), the Master’s degree programme in diaconia, the joint Nordic professional Master’s degree programme in Religious Roots of Europe, as well as a number of supplementary and continuing education courses.

For a more detailed description, please see http://cas.au.dk/en/about-the-school/departments/theology/

The School of Culture and Society
At the School of Culture and Society the object of research and teaching is the interplay between culture and society in time and space:

- From the traditional disciplines of the humanities and theology to applied social research

- From Antiquity to the issues facing contemporary societies

- From familiar Danish cultural forms to other very different worlds

- From local questions to global challenges

The school’s goal is to produce compelling research with an international resonance, as well as offering teaching and talent development of high quality. The school has a broad cooperative interface with society, both in Denmark and abroad, and contributes to social innovation, research communication and further and continuing education.

Qualification requirements
Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent academic qualifications.

Formalities
Faculty of Arts refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities (the Appointment Order).

• Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.
• Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities .
• Further information on the application and supplementary materials may be found in Application Guidelines.

The application must outline the applicant's motivation for applying for the position, attaching a curriculum vitae, a teaching portfolio, a complete list of published works, copies of degree certificates and no more than eight examples of academic production (mandatory). Please upload this material electronically along with your application.

If nothing else is noted, applications must be submitted in English. Application deadline is at 11.59 pm Danish time (same as Central European Time) on the deadline day.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background.

Shortlists may be prepared with the candidates that have been selected for a detailed academic assessment. A committee set up by the head of school is responsible for selecting the most qualified candidates. See this link for further information about shortlisting at the Faculty of Arts: http://medarbejdere.au.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Proces_for_shortlisting_december_2017.pdf

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners: http://ias.au.dk/au-relocation-service/. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here: http://international.au.dk/research/

Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts is one of four main academic areas at Aarhus University.

The faculty contributes to Aarhus University's research, talent development, knowledge exchange and degree programmes.
With its 500 academic staff members, 260 PhD students, 10,500 BA and MA students, and 1,500 students following continuing/further education programmes, the faculty constitutes a strong and diverse research and teaching environment.

The Faculty of Arts consists of the School of Communication and Culture, the School of Culture and Society, the Danish School of Education, and the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media. Each of these units has strong academic environments and forms the basis for interdisciplinary research and education.

The faculty's academic environments and degree programmes engage in international collaboration and share the common goal of contributing to the development of knowledge, welfare and culture in interaction with society.

Read more at https://international.au.dk/

Deadline
15 September 2019

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.

Aarhus University
Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,000 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 885 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/
Kilde: Jobnet.dk