The posting
The School of Culture and Society, Department of Global Studies, at Aarhus University invites applications for a permanent position as a part-time (25%) full professor in medical anthropology. The position is available from 1st April 20207.
Place of employment: Department of Anthropology, Moesgaard Allé 20, 8270 Højbjerg, Denmark.
The Faculty of Arts is committed to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc.
Position The part-time (25%) full professorship is offered with a view to attracting well qualified applicants with an extensive and documented extensive research experience in innovative and internationally recognized research in the area of medical anthropology.
The selected applicant will be expected to contribute to core activities at the Department of Anthropology, the School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University in general and to expand the research activities, outreach and output in the area of health research in particular.
Apart from research and out research, the professor will also be expected to take an active role in supervising and supporting early career scholars, and in teaching and developing the department’s educational programs within anthropology.
Research The selected applicant will be expected to provide academic leadership in the development of interdisciplinary research programs in the area of health and is expected to develop new research projects with internal and external partners, to raise external research funding, and to take part in the daily activities of the department. They will be expected to take an interest in brokering and entering inter- or transdisciplinary research cooperations both within and outside of the School of Culture and Society at the Faculty of Arts and AU in general.
The applicant’s research activities will be evaluated in relation to research time. We therefore encourage applicants to specify any periods of research leave they may have taken (for instance maternity/paternity leave) so that we can take these periods into consideration when evaluating research productivity.
The Department of Anthropology The Department of Anthropology offers a welcoming atmosphere, a close-knit and collegial environment, a superb student population, explorative and internationally orientated research and teaching environments, and good possibilities for career development, project funding, and administrative support at the school and the faculty levels.
The Department of Anthropology is one of Europe's largest and most vibrant teaching and research environments within its field. Scientific staff currently consists of 27 associate and full professors, 13 assistant professors and postdocs, and 28 PhD-fellows, we are also the temporary home of a number of visiting and affiliated researchers.
We are an open and dynamic community of staff and students that explores the fascinating diversity of the worlds that humans inhabit and addresses the burning issues of our time, developing new theoretical and methodological approaches along the way in order to understand and tackle them. We have broad collaborations with various disciplines, including philosophy and history of ideas, biology, and medicine and host numerous externally funded research projects. Our research is critically engaged attending to contemporary issues on a local and global scale while seeking to push the boundaries of the state-of-the-art within our field. See a more detailed description of our research activities here: Research. The department is located at the Moesgaard Campus in the beautiful woodlands south of the city of Aarhus, adjacent to Moesgaard Museum.
The work environment As a collegial environment, we emphasize the importance of mutual support and non-hierarchical interaction among all academic and non-academic staff. We are deeply passionate about our educational programs, and we are excited about our students, which is easy because they are brilliant, curious, and brave. We care about each other. Applicants are expected to contribute to the department’s academic and social environment, and the person appointed will therefore be expected to be present at the department a minimum of three days a week, in accordance with school policy.
Education The selected applicant will be required to teach and supervise at all levels of the department’s degree programs[BA, MA and PhD] and will be expected to have extensive teaching experience at university level. Furthermore, they will be expected to take a leading role in the teaching as well as the development of teaching didactics and to take responsibility for the further development of inter- or transdisciplinary educational programs, especially in collaboration with academic staff in the department.
We emphasise the importance of maintaining a professional and respectful relationship between staff and students, so the ideal candidate should be able to demonstrate and exemplify their commitment to participatory teaching initiatives and student involvement as part of their teaching portfolio.
Talent development and knowledge exchange The selected applicant will be expected to be able to identify the development potential of junior researchers, to contribute to the talent development and supervision of PhD students, and to design and teach PhD courses. Moreover, they will be expected to 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 the public dissemination of knowledge.
Qualifications Applicants should hold a PhD in anthropology or equivalent qualification, and research and teaching qualifications equivalent to those acquired for a professorship, according to the Faculty of Arts’ criteria.
Applicants must be able to document:
- an original and relevant academic production at the highest international level
- significant scholarly contributions to theoretical and thematic developments within medical anthropology
- a demonstrated research leadership and international research cooperation
- evidence of excellence in teaching and supervision skills at BA, MA and PhD level, including evidence of contribution to teaching innovation.
- skills within research management and a commitment to researcher talent development as well as the development and teaching of PhD courses.
- experience of attracting and administering external research funding.
Applicants will be asked to present their vision for future research and developments in the field of medical anthropology in Aarhus and beyond. Applicants must provide a research plan explaining how they will meet the expectations of the professorship.
A maximum of five submitted publications should be uploaded with the application. A list of publications is not sufficient and applications without submitted publications will not be assessed.
Only submitted publications will be assessed; a list of publications is not sufficient. Applications without submitted publications will not be assessed.
Professional references or recommendations should not be included. Applicants who are selected for interview may be asked to provide professional references.
Language and further information
Applicants can teach and supervise in English at university level.
If the selected applicant is not fluent in Danish, they will be expected to acquire the language within a period of approximately two years.
In order to maintain and develop the department’s research environment, the person appointed is expected to be present at the department on a daily basis.
Applications must be uploaded in English.
For further information about the position and the department, please contact Head of School Marie Vejrup Nielsen [email protected].
For further information about the application procedure, please contact [email protected].
School of Culture and Society The School of Culture and Society is a vibrant research community engaged in understanding the cultural and social conditions that shape human life. Our work examines how people interact with their environments, from prehistory to the present and across both local and global contexts. Through cross-sector and cross-disciplinary partnerships, we aim to support research innovation and contribute to addressing the major questions facing society. In both research and education, we are committed to bringing the humanities into active dialogue with partners beyond the university.
The School is committed to:
- Promoting an international environment characterized by active academic and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Encouraging innovative and experimental approaches to research, teaching, and communication.
- Cultivating environments that generate new knowledge and educate students for the future.
- Advancing broad engagement with digital humanities.
- Upholding a deep commitment to addressing both local and global societal challenges.
- Creating an inclusive, diverse, and sustainable workplace and organization.
Read more about the school here School of Culture and Society - Aarhus University
International applicants International applicants are encouraged to check Family and work-life balance in Denmark (au.dk) and Attractive working conditions (au.dk) for further information about the 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 and onboarding services for international AU staff and career counselling for expat partners. For information about taxation, see Taxation aspects of international researchers’ employment by AU.
Qualification requirements Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent academic qualifications.
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 Finance 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, research plan, copies of degree certificates and no more than five examples of academic production (mandatory). Please upload this material electronically along with your application. Please note that although the application process can be completed in the Aarhus University system without up-loading publications or a teaching portfolio, applications that do not include uploaded publications as well as a teaching portfolio (or equivalent documentation of teaching experience and qualifications) will not be considered.
If nothing else is noted, applications must be submitted in English. Application deadline is at 11.59 pm Danish time (same as Central European Time) on the deadline day.
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.
Shortlists may be prepared with the candidates that have been selected for a detailed academic assessment. A committee set up by the head of school is responsible for selecting the most qualified candidates. See this link for further information about shortlisting at the Faculty of Arts: Shortlisting
About Arts The Faculty of Arts is one of Northern Europe’s most significant faculties for research and higher education in the humanities, theology and education. Within this broad academic scope, the faculty comprises approximately 700 researchers, 200 PhD students, 9,000 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students, and 1,500 further and continuing education students. We believe that the best ideas arise when different perspectives meet – and that research, teaching and innovation are best developed in dialogue with the surrounding society.
You can find more information here: Faculty of Arts | Aarhus Universitet
The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.
