Assistant Professor in Special Needs Education within the field of Educational Psychology

The Danish School of Education (DPU) at the Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, invites applications for a position as an assistant professor in special needs education within the field of educational psychology. The assistant professorship is a full-time, three-year training position which begins on 1 December 2024.

The position is based at the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology at DPU’s campus in either Emdrup (Copenhagen) or Aarhus (Jutland), and the selected applicant should expect some travel activity between the two campuses.

The position

The position will be affiliated with the educational psychology section at the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology, which is responsible for the Master’s degree programme in educational psychology as well as the professional Master’s degree programme in the psychology of well-being and capabilities. The selected applicant will be expected to contribute to these programmes in a teaching and a supervisory capacity.

The educational psychology section aims to be at the forefront regarding research in and the development of the field of special needs education and educational psychology. The selected applicant will therefore join the common ambition to develop a high profile of research within the field, including strengthening the research activities and output. The selected applicant should be able to document research qualifications within the fields of special needs education and educational psychology.

As an assistant professor in special needs education, you will contribute to building a strong national and international profile of the Danish School of Education in the field of special needs education. You will conduct independent and collaborative research within the broader field of special pedagogy and educational psychology. At the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology, we welcome applications from candidates with a background in psychology, educational psychology or similar. Besides outlining how your academic background is relevant for the position, your application should demonstrate a relevant research profile within educational psychology with a particular focus on special needs education, learning difficulties and educational psychological counselling (PPR).

Research

Your area of research will be special needs education concerning children and youth with special needs arising from difficulties in socio-cultural settings.

You are expected to engage in research grant applications and international network consolidation during your position as an assistant professor.

The selected applicant will be required to document research qualifications at international level within at least one of the following areas: 

• Exploring relevant ways of collaborating on the needs of children and youth across mainstream and special educational arrangements.
   
• Educational psychological assessment in relation to the development of educational psychological counselling directed towards special needs education and interdisciplinary efforts to improve the wellbeing of children and young people with special needs.
   
• Research in one or more of the following subjects: wellbeing, learning difficulties, school absence, specific giftedness, and how to intervene.

Teaching

The selected applicant will be expected to play an important role in the development and coordination of the Master’s degree programme in educational psychology, including coordinating course modules and teaching and supervising students on this programme as well as other programmes offered by the Danish School of Education at Master’s and professional Master’s levels.

Talent development

The selected applicant will be expected to develop their supervision capabilities at MA level.

Knowledge exchange

The selected applicant will engage in knowledge exchange as mentioned in the strategy for the Faculty of Arts, for instance in research cooperation with practice fields, private companies, government consultancy, cooperation with civil society actors or public dissemination of knowledge. Applicants should document any prior experience within the field of knowledge exchange. In continuity of their research, the selected applicant will communicate research-based knowledge to practice fields, media and policymakers.

Qualifications

The selected applicant must demonstrate knowledge of the following:

• Collaboration across mainstream and special educational arrangements
• Testing and assessment within educational psychology, including screening tools (i.e. dyslexia) and tools for observing and improving learning environments
• Inter-professional collaboration in relation to children with special needs
• Cognitive psychology and neuropsychology in relation to mainstream/normal and special education problems and their development
• Inclusion and exclusion in pedagogical practice.

Your tasks will mainly include:

• Research of excellent and international quality, published in high-profile international and national journals
• Development of national and international research collaborations
• Research-based communication to and collaboration with practice fields, media and policymakers at a national level
• Development of grant applications in collaboration with internal and external partners
• Research-based teaching and development of teaching on the Master’s degree programme in educational psychology as well as the professional Master’s degree programme in the psychology of well-being and capabilities.
• Interest in developing new methods of teaching
• Supervision of Master’s and professional Master’s students
• Active involvement in the academic and collegial environment at the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology.

The selected applicant must be able to teach and publish in English. If the selected applicant cannot speak Danish, they will be required to learn Danish within a period of approximately two years.

Your application should furthermore outline your research plans and plans for the development of your academic profile in relation to these areas, as well as your empirical, methodological, and theoretical research contributions and interests.

About the Danish School of Education

The Danish School of Education at Aarhus University is Denmark’s largest centre for research and teaching in the fields of education, didactics and learning, with approximately 240 full-time researchers, including 80 PhD students, and 4,500 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students. The school’s activities are characterised by a high degree of interdisciplinarity and close interaction with society, including businesses, organisations, government agencies and institutions, both in Denmark and abroad.

The selected applicant will be expected to contribute to the department’s academic environment. We emphasise the importance of good working relationships, both among colleagues and with our students.

Further information

If you need further information, you are welcome to contact the head of the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology, Charlotte Mathiassen, at cham@edu.au.dk or +45 6186 3645, Campus Emdrup, Tuborgvej 164, 2400 København NV.

Read about the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology here Department of Educational anthropology and Educational pshychology (au.dk).

International applicants

International applicants are encouraged to read about family and work-life balance as well as the attractive working conditions and other benefits of working at Aarhus University and in Denmark, including healthcare, paid holidays and, if relevant, maternity/paternity leave, childcare and schooling. Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including a relocation service and career counselling for expat partners. For information about taxation, see the taxation aspects of international researchers’ employment by AU. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here: Research at AU

The application must be submitted in English.  

Qualification requirements

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 Taxation 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 examples of academic production (mandatory, but no more than five examples). Please upload this material electronically along with your application.

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 arts.au.dk/en

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 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/