Professorships in Political Science | Denmark

We invite applications for one or more positions as Full Professor or fixed-termed Professor with Special Responsibilities at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen. The positions are available from 1 March 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Applications are sought from eminent candidates, who can enhance the Department’s research, education and societal impact in any field of specialization within the field of Political Science. In the context of the impact of new digital technologies on the politics and administration of welfare states, the Department seeks to strengthen its research in the fields of public administration, public policy and comparative politics and therefore especially welcome applications for candidates within those fields.

For more on the Department and its pluralistic academic environment, please consult our webpage: politicalscience.ku.dk/about

The deadline for applications, including enclosures is 1 October 2018 (at Midnight 23.59 Danish Time)

Job Description  

General duties attached to the position as Professor or Professor with Special Responsibilities (MSO) are:

• Research within the field of Political Science
• Teaching, supervision and examination of undergraduate, post-graduate and PhD students
• Administrative tasks related to the position as Professor or Professor with Special Responsibilities
• Knowledge sharing with wider society
• Research and teaching management
• Fundraising

Applicants for a full professorship must be able to document a very high degree of original scholarly production at international level and have a highly recognised international reputation. Applicants for a MSO professorship must have the potential to make progress in the subject area and being able to document original scholarly production at an international level. The position is established to appoint particular talent, preferable younger researcher to develop a subject area full of perspectives at an international level.

In addition to the general professorial duties, the position as Professor with Special Responsibilities includes special responsibilities to make a specific contribution to realising the Department’s strategic goals by either increasing societal impact or innovation in teaching by including problem-solving competences or internationalization.

Qualifications  

• An aspiration to increase our understanding of the world and its problems based on a proven record of outstanding research, as evidenced by a recognized international reputation in Political Science or a relevant subfield and demonstrated by a considerable number of existing high-quality publications, which constitute a significant contribution to the field and complements the existing research strengths of the Department. Publications should be published on a continuous basis in top-ranked journals and/or a highly influential publication record with leading book publishers.
• A commitment to contribute to the delivery and further development of an excellent student experience based on a significant track record of excellence in teaching in one or more of the main areas covered by the Department. The Department prefers candidates, who can cover more than one of the main courses taught at BSc level.
• An engagement in knowledge exchange and policy-impact in Denmark as well as in an international context. We encourage proactive engagement with government, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students.
• Proven ability to provide leadership of research groups as well as an ability to operate in leadership roles at the Departmental, Faculty and University levels.
• The ability and willingness to attract external funding on a larger scale and to lead research projects.
• Robust interpersonal skills which enables the candidate to be a constructive and empathic colleague in a diverse and vibrant working environment.

The Department  

The Department is a top-ranked European political science departments which offers a vibrant and collegial working environment for ambitious scholars. The pluralism of Political Science in Copenhagen is evidenced in the various epistemological and methodological approaches as well as a wide-range of sub-fields adopted by faculty which is reflected in a wide-range of core subjects in the MSc programme. The Department is placed on an attractive, historic campus in central Copenhagen – a city which is continuously voted as one of the most liveable European capitals. Its location in a capital means that the Department has a strong tradition for engagement in policy development and in public debate –in Denmark as well as on the European policy-scene. The Department has 1,800 students in its BSc and MSc programmes in Political Science, 200 in the BSc and MSc programmes in Social Studies and 100 in the MSc programme in Security Risk Management. Furthermore, the department welcomes annually approximately 200 exchange and guest students from abroad. The Department is also actively participating in developing a new MSc programme in social data science. The Department consists of 76 faculty and 41 PhD students, and there are 20 administrative staff. See more on the Department’s strategy on our webpage polsci.ku.dk/bilag/StrategiFinalVersion.pdf. For more on the Department’s study programmes, see here: politicalscience.ku.dk/study

Conditions of employment  

Salary and conditions of employment will be in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The annual salary is currently DKR 605.528 (EUR 81,300 app.). In addition to the salary paid directly to you, the University will also pay a monthly contribution to your pension fund corresponding to 17.1 % of your salary. Negotiation for additional supplements will be possible. A special tax scheme is offered to researchers recruited abroad, see ism.ku.dk/onarrival/taxes

Please note that a position as professor with special responsibilities is offered as a 5-year professorship with special responsibilities, with the possibility of extension for up to 3 years. On expiry of the professorship period, the appointee is offered employment and remuneration as Associate Professor.

Applications – both positions  

Applications must be in English and must include the following information and documentation:

• A cover letter that indicates whether you wish to apply for the professorship with special responsibilities or the full professorship – or a priority between the two positions.
• A full CV, including name, address, telephone number, e-mail, previous and present employment and academic background, including a record of research and international research cooperation, with and within academic institutions as well as private corporations, organisations, etc.
• A complete and numbered list of publications. The publications enclosed in the application – a maximum of 10 – that the applicant would like the assessment committee to consider, should be marked with an asterisk (*).
• Documentation of experience with managing research and/or teaching within and beyond academic institutions.
• Teaching portfolio in accordance with the Faculty’s rules: socialsciences.ku.dk/faculty/publications/teaching_portfolio
• Documentation of the ability to collaborate and share knowledge with society at large, and with partners in the private sector particularly.

If publications marked by an asterisk (*) are the result of a joint effort, the extent and the nature of the applicant’s contribution to each individual work must be clarified in the application, and if possible, a declaration from the co-authors or the head of the institution or office at which the work was completed should be enclosed as well.

Applications – Professor with Special Responsibilities: Please note that additional information is required:

The applicant should enclose a short paper (2 pages) outlining how (s)he will make a specific contribution to realising the special responsibility for increasing societal impact and/or innovation in teaching by including problem-solving competences and/or internationalization.

Application procedure  

After the expiry of the deadline for applications, applicants are selected for assessment on the advice of the Appointments Committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an expert assessment committee. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee, and each applicant will be given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him-/herself. The recruitment process is presented at employment.ku.dk.

The terms of reference of the appointment process include that interviews and seminars may be held. Interviews are scheduled to be held primo January 2019.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to encourage everyone interested in this post to apply, regardless of personal background.

Additional information can be obtained from Head of Department, Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, Tel: +45 2118 1048, email: institutleder@ifs.ku.dk.

The deadline for applications, including enclosures is 1 October 2018 (at Midnight 23.59 Danish Time)

Please note: Applications must be submitted and documents must be uploaded online. Press “Apply now” and fill in the application form. Applications received after deadline will not be taken into account.