Assistant or Associate Professor in Work and Organisational Psychology with a focus on Leadership in Educational Institutions

The Danish School of Education (DPU) at the Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, invites applications for an assistant professorship or an associate professorship in work and organisational psychology with a focus on leadership in educational institutions. 

The assistant professorship is a full-time, three-year training position. The qualified candidate is requested to complete a course in university teaching designed especially for assistant professors.

The associate professorship is a tenured permanent position. 

Applicants must state explicitly whether they are applying for the assistant or the associate professorship.

Our new colleague will be employed at the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology.  

The assistant professorship is a full-time, three-year training position. The selected applicant is requested to complete a course in university teaching designed especially for assistant professors. The associate professorship is a tenured, permanent position.  

We expect our new colleague to start on 1 December 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. 

The position is based at DPU at either Aarhus campus or Emdrup campus (see the description of DPU below). It is important that the selected applicant takes part in the daily activities at the department, including teaching, supervision, and research. Since the department is situated in both Aarhus and Copenhagen, the selected applicant should expect travel activity between the campuses. 

The position 

The selected applicant for the assistant professorship/associate professorship will complement and contribute to developing the existing research and teaching within work and organisational psychology with a focus on leadership in educational institutions. Furthermore, leadership of the psychosocial work environment and wellbeing at the workplace are of vital of importance.  

The selected applicant will conduct independent and collaborative empirical research focused on leadership in educational institutions, such as daycare centres, schools (ordinary area as well as special needs) or higher education institutions. 

The selected applicant will communicate research-based knowledge to the research community, to various practice fields, to the media and to policymakers. Furthermore, the selected applicant will teach and supervise students at Master’s and professional Master’s level, including coordinating course modules. The selected applicant is moreover expected to engage in research grant applications and international network consolidation. 

The position will be affiliated to the educational psychology section within the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology. The section is responsible for the Master’s degree programme in educational psychology and the professional Master’s degree programme in the psychology of well-being and capabilities.  

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 and in the teaching and supervision of 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 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. 

Qualifications 

In continuation of the overall job description above, we expect the selected candidate to cover one or more of the following areas:  

• Leadership and companionship in a contextual perspective 

• Ethics and practice of organisational interventions and ambitions to change workplaces 

• A variety of quantitative and qualitative methods, including interviews, participant observation and ethnography  

• Knowledge within the field of psychological tests and assessments of relevance for educational leadership and learning in organisational contexts.  

Assistant professorship – specific qualifications 

The selected applicant for the assistant professorship must have a PhD or the equivalent in psychology, educational psychology or a related field and will be required to document: 

• Experience in the field of work and organisational psychology with a special focus on leadership of educational institutions and arrangements, i.e. daycare, school, counselling etc. 

• Knowledge of theory, methods, and practice within the field 

• Experience of or interest in teaching in relation to the Master’s degree programme in educational psychology and the professional Master’s degree programme in the psychology of well-being and capabilities 

• An internationally oriented research profile  

• A relevant and internationally oriented publication profile 

• Experience of or interest in participating in national and international research networks 

• Experience of or interest in communication and knowledge exchange 

• Experience of interdisciplinary collaboration as well as interdisciplinary research  

• Experience of or potential for obtaining external research funding 

• Experience of or interest in interdisciplinary teaching, including innovative teaching methods 

• Experience of or interest in supervising student projects and interest in researcher talent development. 

The selected applicant for the assistant professorship will be expected to develop new research projects with immediate relevance to the field of research.  

Associate professorship – specific qualifications 

The selected applicant for the associate professorship must have a PhD or the equivalent in psychology, educational psychology, or a related field as well as research and teaching qualifications equivalent to those acquired through an assistant professorship, and must also be able to document: 

• Experience in the field of work and organisational psychology with a special focus on leadership of educational institutions and arrangements, i.e. daycare, school, counselling etc. 

• Experience with theory, methods and practice within the field 

• An internationally oriented research profile 

• A well-established, relevant international publication profile 

• Participation in collective research projects 

• Teaching experience at Master’s degree level within the field of educational psychology with a special focus on work and organisational psychology and leadership in educational institutions as well as skills in academic English in the classroom 

• Proficiency in languages relevant to the area of research 

• Participation in national and international networks 

• Experience of interdisciplinary cooperation  

• Experience of attracting external research funding 

• Experience of supervising student projects and an interest in researcher talent development. 

The selected applicant for the associate professorship will be expected to develop new research projects with immediate relevance to the field of research and will also be required to document scientific production at international level as well as scholarly contributions to the field of work and organisational psychology with a focus on leadership in educational institutions.  

The selected applicant for both positions must be able to teach and publish in English. If the selected applicant cannot speak Danish, they will be supported in learning Danish within a period of three years. 

We emphasise the importance of good working relationships, both among colleagues and with students. 

Further information

For further information about the position, please contact the head of the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology, Charlotte Mathiassen, by e-mail: cham@edu.au.dk or tel.: +45-6186 3645. Read about the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology. 

Applications must be submitted in English. 

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. 

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. 

An appointee who does not speak Danish will be required to acquire proficiency in Danish equivalent to level B2 (CEFR) to handle tasks, including administrative and managerial responsibilities, and to participate fully in the activities of the Danish School of Education within approximately three years of commencing the appointment. These include, but are not limited to, teaching and examining students, reading work-related texts, and participating in meetings and collegial gatherings in Danish. 

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/