Postdoctoral Fellow in the Danish Industry Foundation Funded Project Cybersecurity and Business Continuity

The Center for War Studies (CWS), Department of Political Science and Public Management at the University of Southern Denmark, Odense, wishes to appoint a Postdoctoral Fellow (100%) as part of the Cybersecurity and Business Continuity project recently funded by The Danish Industry Foundation. The starting date for the position is 1 February 2024. The position is available for a fixed term of 24 months and comes with a competitive, full-time salary.

The Cybersecurity and Business Continuity project is one of five projects recently supported by The Danish Industry Foundation to increase cybersecurity in the value chains of Danish small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) through the creation of practically applicable knowledge.

The goal of the Cybersecurity and Business Continuity project is to develop digital tools and simulation games that help Danish SMEs identify and respond to cybersecurity and geopolitical risks in their supply chains. The project has a special focus on the defense, IT, and communication technology industries, as well as adjacent industries, of which many Danish SMEs are subcontractors. The project will run for 2.5 years, with a budget of 8.5 million Danish kroner. For more information about the project, please see the project website.

Key responsibilities:

• Conduct independent research on the subject matter of the project;
• Take active part in the production of literature reviews;
• Take active part in design of questionnaires and surveys;
• Take active part in preparation and delivery of workshops and training programs;
• Take active part in development of teaching materials for simulation games;
• Take active part in development of cybersecurity readiness tools;
• Take active part in knowledge dissemination activities;
• Take active part in overall data analysis;
• Take active part in creation of case vignettes and project reports.

Selection criteria

For applicants to qualify for the position, the following criteria must be met:

• A PhD in a field of social science or business, with a thesis topic aligned to some of the goals of the project, awarded by the time of appointment;
• Documentation of an emerging publication record at an internationally recognized level;
• A delineated research profile aligned with the strategy of the International Politics Section indicating a potential to make an international scholarly impact and facilitate research cooperation within the Centre for War Studies (CWS);
• Documentation of experience with and genuine interest in outreach or knowledge-sharing activities and/or cooperation with external partners;
• A proficient or near-proficient speaker of English;
• Expertise or experience in cybersecurity (desirable);
• Expertise or experience in business development and international supply chains (desirable);
• Expertise or experience in international security (desirable);
• Expertise or experience engaging with small and medium sized enterprises (desirable);
• A proficient or near-proficient speaker of Danish, or proficient or near-proficient speaker of a Scandinavian language and ability to operate in a Danish environment (desirable).

About the University of Southern Denmark and the Centre for War Studies

The postdoctoral fellow will be associated with both the Center for War Studies (CWS) and the international politics section of the Department of Political Science and Public Management at SDU. As the project funding is held across several departments, the postdoctoral fellow will furthermore be expected to work closely with project team members from the Department of Entrepreneurship and Relationship Management.

CWS is a multidisciplinary research unit promoting research into fundamental questions of war and peace. The international politics section of the Department of Political Science and Public Management offers introductory international politics courses to bachelor students in political science and specialized graduate courses in political science, especially in the Master's programme in International Security and Law. The section trains doctoral candidates, sometimes in partnership with other Danish and European institutes and universities. Research is multidisciplinary and focuses mainly, though not exclusively, on contemporary security issues. For a detailed description of the research profile and activities, please visit the CWS website.

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.

Information

Enquiries about the project and the position can be addressed to the Principal Investigator, Jan Stentoft ([email protected]) or the Co-Investigators in CWS, Olivier Schmitt ([email protected]) and Vincent Keating ([email protected]). For further information about the Department of Political Science and Public Management, please contact the Head of Department, Signe Pihl-Thingvad ([email protected]) or Head of Section, Vincent Keating, ([email protected]). For further information about the Department of Entrepreneurship and Relationship Management, please contact the Head of Department Steffen Korsgaard ([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.

Researchers who have not worked in Denmark before taking up this position may be eligible for a special tax scheme that reduces Danish income tax for 7 years. You can find more information about this tax scheme here.

An application must include:

• A detailed CV;
• A cover letter (max. 2 pages);
• A research plan (max. 1 page) for the next 2 years that describes the applicant's:
• Potential to advance the field (both empirically and theoretically),
• Relationship to the aim and goals of Cybersecurity and Business Continuity project.


• Certificates/Diplomas (MA and PhD degree);
• A complete list of publications, which indicates which publications are most relevant for the position;
• Up to 5 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.

All non-Danish documents must be translated into English.

Applications that are incomplete may be rejected without any substantive evaluation.

Assessment of applications will be done under the existing Appointment Order for universities. Applications will be assessed by an academic assessment committee that determines whether applicants are qualified to be a postdoctoral fellow according to the Scholarly Qualification Matrix. 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 them. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of Department who will assemble an appointment committee. The appointment 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 appointment committee, the Head of Department determines which candidate will be offered the position.

Upgrading of pedagogical qualifications is not a part of this position. Employment as Postdoc alone will thus not qualify to appointment as Associate Professor/Senior Researcher.

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than November 10, 2023, using the "Apply online" button. 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.