Assistant Professorship (tenure track) in International Politics

The Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark, invites applications for one or more assistant professorships (tenure track) in International Politics. The successful candidate(s) will be affiliated with the Center for War Studies (CWS), one of the department's research centers located at the SDU Odense campus.

We are looking for talented and dynamic individuals with the ambition of establishing themselves as internationally leading scholars in their field of research. We welcome applicants working across the field of international politics, with particular interest in candidates whose research engages with international security broadly understood. The successful candidate(s) will contribute to strengthening research and teaching in International Politics across the department while becoming active members of CWS. The Center currently hosts internationally leading research on, among other topics, emerging technologies, intelligence studies, and the changing geopolitical landscape.

Starting date is planned for August 1, 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter.

CWS is part of the Department of Political Science and Public Management under the Faculty of Social Sciences. The Department is organized around six cross-disciplinary research centers and research groups, including CWS. Currently, the department employs around 115 staff and attracts approximately 2,000 students in its various full-time bachelor and master programs as well as part-time professional master programs. For a detailed description of the department's profile and activities and more information about its strategy , please visit the department's website . Please note that the department is preparing a new strategy that will go into effect on January 1, 2027.

Research at CWS focuses mainly, though not exclusively, on contemporary security issues, peace, conflict and war studies. The researchers have strong research profiles and a dynamic doctoral training program and extensive partnerships with other Danish and European institutes and universities. Faculty affiliated with CWS contribute extensively to the department's teaching in International Politics at both bachelor's and master's levels, including the Master's program in International Security and Law and in the professional Master program in Intelligence and Cyber Studies. CWS strives for interdisciplinary research that is relevant to policymakers and the society at large. We aim to contribute to ongoing debates on war and peace by illuminating their multiple dimensions. For a detailed description of the research and activities of the Center for War Studies, please visit the CWS website or the CWS LinkedIn profile .

We are looking for candidates who can contribute to realizing the department's strategic objectives in research, education, and societal engagement. The successful candidate(s) will develop an ambitious and independent research agenda in International Politics, contribute actively to the research environment at CWS and to relevant collaborations across the department, and engage in effective knowledge exchange through our study programs and through genuine engagement with societal actors and the wider public. The successful applicants will be tasked with a range of obligations at the center and in the Department of Political Science and Public Management, including:

- Conduct and publish research at a high international level within International Politics. Research that contributes to the broader field of international security and creates synergies with existing strengths at CWS—including, but not limited to, emerging technologies, intelligence studies, and the changing geopolitical landscape—is particularly welcome.

- Conduct relevant teaching and supervision within the department's entire portfolio of study programs, including the full-time political science program, the Master program in International Security and Law, and the professional Master in Intelligence and Cyber Studies

- Apply for individual and collaborative external research funding and contribute to developing strong research environments within International Politics and related fields at the Department.

- Conduct administrative tasks at the department.

- Engage in knowledge exchange activities with societal actors and the wider society.

- Engage in and contribute to a good work environment at the section and the department level.

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

- Present a clear and ambitious research profile within International Politics, demonstrating the potential for international scholarly impact and for developing productive research collaborations at CWS and across the Department.

- Publications of research at an inter­nationally recognized level

- Documented experience with teaching and/or supervision

- A strong teaching potential aligned with the department’s educational profile and a keen interest in developing teaching skills, new teaching formats, and/or courses.

- Documented experiences with applying for smaller grants.

- Contributions to collaborations and networks internationally and nationally

- A demonstrated willingness to contribute actively to the academic, professional, and social life of CWS and the Department more broadly.

- Experience with and genuine interest in outreach or knowledge-sharing activities and/or cooperation with external partner.

An assistant professorship is an early career position, and we will evaluate both documented track record and potential and planned research. We expect applications to include a 4-year research plan that describes research themes, publication strategy, potential cooperation, and plans for external funding.

Within a three-year period, non-Danish-speaking 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 section, Professor Kira Vrist Rønn, [email protected] or Head of Department Lars Tønder, [email protected]

The Danish tenure track employment

Appointment as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor is temporary and for an initial 6-year period. The Danish tenure-track employment is a focused assistant professorship with a guaranteed assessment for a position as an associate professor, not limited in time, within the tenure-track assistant professor's field of study.

The tenure-track assistant professor will be assigned a mentor upon employment, and annual performance and development reviews will be held to ensure the progress of the assistant professor's development towards meeting the qualifications of an associate professorship. A formal midterm evaluation will be conducted by a committee, consisting of external researchers with relevant qualifications, with the purpose of ensuring the focus of the assistant professor's activities, as well as to create the basis for the planning of the remaining period.

The transition from assistant professor to associate professor

No later than at the end of the 6th year of employment, the tenure-track assistant professor is expected to transition into a position as an associate professor, based on a positive assessment conducted by a formally approved assessment committee, consisting of a chair, appointed by the University of Southern Denmark, as well two external committee members approved by the dean, the academic council, and the tenure-track committee of the university. Promotion to associate professor may take place earlier depending on the outcome of the midterm evaluation.

The assessment committee evaluates the tenure-track assistant professor based on the promotion guidelines of the department. The Faculty of Social Sciences at SDU expects the successful tenure-track assistant professor to have performed, progressed, and achieved an acceptable record in accordance with requirements stated in the promotion guidelines.

The Recruitment Process

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:

- Application letter

- Detailed CV

- A research plan (max 3 pages) for the next 4 years that includes:

Overall ambitions and potential to advance the field (both empirically and theoretically)

- Major sub-projects

- Publication strategy

- Planned national and international collaborations

- Potential for obtaining external funding

- Plan for knowledge exchange activities with societal actors and/or the wider society

- 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 4 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 (http://misc.sam.sdu.dk/fak/co-author-statement-EN.docx).

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.

Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

Applicants are encouraged to read the information "How to apply" before applying. If you experience technical problems when uploading the application, please contact [email protected] .

UPLOAD GUIDE: Motivated application should be uploaded as ‘Cover letter’, Curriculum Vitae should be uploaded as ‘Resume’. All other documents should be uploaded as ‘Miscellaneous documents’.

Application deadline is January 15, 2027, at 11:59 PM/23:59 (CET/CEST)

Assessment and selection process

Assessment of applications will be done under the existing Appointment Order for universities. Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. Shortlisting may be applied, and only shortlisted candidates will receive a written assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material. Incomplete applications may be rejected without any substantial evaluation.

When 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 the Department of Political Science and Public Management, who will form an appointment committee. Interviews and tests may be part of the overall evaluation by the appointment committee.

Based on information from the entire recruitment process, the Head of Department determines which applicants will be offered a position.

Conditions of employment

Appointment to the position will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the protocol for the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for assistant professor as described herein. Please check links for more information on salary (only available in Danish) and taxation .

The person employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a “self-organizer”.

An assistant professor is expected to complete the Lecturer Training Programme during their employment.

SDU recommends that international applicants take the time to visit Work in Denmark , where there is information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU .

Salary

Salary is determined in accordance with the applicable collective agreement and based on objective and gender-neutral criteria, including the content of the position, responsibilities, and qualification requirements.

As an applicant, you are entitled to information about the starting salary and salary range for the position. This information will be provided during the recruitment process.

SDU does not collect information on applicants’ previous salary.

About SDU

The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.