The posting
Job Description
The Department of Culture and Language at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Southern Denmark, invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professorship in Cultural Studies with a profile in health research. The position is related to the Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS) and is intended to strengthen excellent, interdisciplinary research at the intersection of cultural analysis and health-related societal challenges. The position is available from 1 September 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Who are we looking for?
We seek an ambitious and internationally oriented scholar whose research contributes to the study of health, illness, care, embodiment, ageing, disability, medical knowledge, public health, technologies, patient experience, or related fields from a cultural studies perspective.
About the position
The successful applicant will strengthen the Department’s research and teaching within Cultural Studies while contributing to the development of health humanities and culturally informed health research in close dialogue with relevant research environments at SDU, including DIAS. Framed by the Department’s profile in cultural studies, the position is intended to create productive links between cultural studies, health-related research agendas, and the interdisciplinary ambitions of DIAS.
The candidate will be expected to develop an independent research profile of high international quality, publish in recognised peer-reviewed outlets, attract external research funding, and contribute actively to collaborative research initiatives. The ambition is that the position should not only add capacity within an emerging field but also help establish a stronger and more visible connection and anchoring between Cultural Studies, health research, and DIAS, with the potential to support collaboration across the Faculty of Humanities and with relevant environments in health sciences, social sciences, technical sciences, public institutions, cultural organisations, and civil society.
The position will be associated with DIAS, SDU’s interdisciplinary institute for advanced study. The successful applicant is expected to engage actively with the DIAS research environment and to contribute to its ambition of fostering outstanding, curiosity-driven and challenge-oriented research across disciplines.
Research profile
Applicants should have a PhD or equivalent qualifications in Cultural Studies or a closely related field. Relevant areas of research may include, but are not limited to:
- health humanities, medical humanities, or cultural studies approaches to health, illness, care and wellbeing
- cultural analyses of narratives, imaginaries and public understandings of illness, disability, ageing, diagnosis, or recovery
- cultural histories and politics of medicine, public health, welfare, health technology, and healthcare institutions
- media, communication, and the production, circulation and contestation of health, bodily representations, and biomedical knowledge
- lived experience, patient cultures, participatory forms of knowledge production, or qualitative approaches to health and illness
- critical perspectives on the ethical, political, or social dimensions of health, technology, and everyday life, including questions of identity, inequality, expertise and citizenship
Teaching and supervision
The assistant professor will contribute to teaching, supervision, and curriculum development in programmes connected to Cultural Studies and related humanities programmes. The successful applicant is expected to teach at BA and MA levels and, over time, contribute to PhD supervision. Teaching may include courses in cultural theory, cultural analysis, qualitative methods, health humanities, cultural history, media and representation, or interdisciplinary health-related topics.
The successful candidate must be able to teach in English. Danish language skills are not required at the time of appointment, but the candidate will be expected to acquire sufficient Danish language proficiency within a reasonable period in accordance with departmental and university expectations.
Qualifications
Applicants will be assessed on the basis of their scholarly qualifications, research potential, teaching experience, and capacity to contribute to the department’s strategic development. The ideal candidate will demonstrate:
- a strong and original research profile within Cultural Studies or a related field
- a clear and promising research agenda connected to health research
- documented ability or strong potential to publish internationally
- experience with or potential for interdisciplinary collaboration
- relevant teaching and supervision experience
- interest in external research funding and knowledge exchange
- commitment to collegial collaboration and academic community-building
Tenure-track programme
The position is a tenure-track assistant professorship. During the tenure-track period, the assistant professor is expected to develop qualifications corresponding to associate professor level. Subject to a positive academic assessment before the end of the tenure-track period, the assistant professor will transfer to a permanent position as associate professor without a new advertisement.
The tenure-track process includes annual follow-up, mentoring, and a formal midterm evaluation aimed at supporting the candidate’s development in research, teaching, external funding, knowledge exchange, and academic citizenship.
The position is based at the Department Culture and Language and DIAS in Odense and includes regular participation in DIAS and interdisciplinary collaboration.
About the Department of Culture and Language
The Department of Culture and Language is a broad humanities department with research and teaching activities in language, literature, culture, history, philosophy, area studies, and related fields. The department values interdisciplinary research, international collaboration, and engagement with society. Through its relation to DIAS, the position will offer opportunities to participate in an ambitious cross-disciplinary research environment that supports intellectual exchange, international networking, and the development of innovative research agendas. The successful applicant will become part of a dynamic academic environment and will be expected to contribute to its continued development.
About the Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS)
DIAS at SDU is a hub for interdisciplinary excellence at and beyond the frontier of knowledge, bringing together outstanding researchers from various disciplines to foster groundbreaking interdisciplinary research and bold innovation. DIAS nurtures a collaborative and curiosity-driven environment, encouraging scholars to think outside the box and challenge conventional boundaries. The institute values open-minded exploration and an ambitious yet collegial atmosphere with a strong sense of community. Researchers affiliated with DIAS are expected to contribute actively to DIAS activities, and engage in interdisciplinary collaborations across faculties and departments, both nationally and internationally.
Contact information
Further information about the position may be obtained from Head of Department Per Krogh Hansen, [email protected] /+4560111451.
For further information about being a fellow at DIAS, please contact DIAS director Sten Rynning at +45 6550 2193 or via email at [email protected]
For questions related to CV, diplomas etc., please contact [email protected]
Conditions of employment
Employment is governed by the collective agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC).
The salary comprises a seniority-based base salary and a centrally agreed supplement.
Additional supplements may be negotiated locally.
As of 1 August 2026, the annual salary for an Assistant Professor is DKK 480,224.96 (salary level 6), consisting of a base salary of DKK 417,456 and a supplement of DKK 62,768.96.
All amounts are stated before tax, before added pension (18.07%), and any additional supplements. Pension contributions are paid by SDU, and both salary components (the annual salary and the supplement) are pensionable. For further information, please see SDU’s pages on salary, taxation, and general employment conditions.
Application
Applications must be submitted electronically and should include the following documents:
- application letter
- curriculum vitae
- certificates and diplomas
- complete list of publications
- research plan for the coming years
- Teaching portfolio – please read more here
- Documentation of experience with knowledge exchange, collaboration, and external funding, where relevant
- Up to 4 relevant publications. One pdf-file per publication should be attached. In case of co-authorship, a co-author statement must be submitted as part of the pdf-file.
- References letters and other relevant qualifications may also be included. References may also be sent directly to [email protected]
All non-Danish documents must be translated into English.
Application and all appendices must be in Danish, English or one of the Scandinavian languages. Please always include a copy of original diploma/certificates. We only accept files in pdf-format no more than 10 MB per file. In case you have more than one file per field you need to combine the pdf-files into a single file, as each field handles only one file. We do not accept zip-files, jpg or other image files. All pdf-files must be unlocked and allow binding and may not be password protected.
The assessment process
Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee, and the applicant will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns them. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of Department who will assemble an appointments committee. An interview may form part of the overall assessment of the applicants' qualifications.
The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material.
If the application does not meet the requirements mentioned above, the Faculty of Humanities may reject your application without further notice. Applications received after the deadline will neither be considered nor evaluated.
Shortlisting and tests will be used in the assessment process. Please note that only a shortlisted applicant will receive an assessment. Here you can read more about shortlisting at SDU
The application deadline is 1st March, 2027 at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET).
The University of Southern Denmark is committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of personal background, and strive to reflect the diversity of society in our staff
If you are not a Danish-speaking applicant, please ensure that you use the English website to access the electronic application form to receive further information in English.
We recommend that as an international applicant you take the time to visit Working in Denmark where you will find information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU.
About SDU
SDU was founded in 1966 and now has more than 27,000 students, almost 20% of whom are from abroad. It has more than 3,800 employees, and 115 different study programmes in the fields of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, and engineering. Its main campus is located in Odense, but SDU is present also in Kolding, Sønderborg, Esbjerg and Copenhagen.
The University is signatory of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). We wish our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.
