Associate Professorship (permanent) in Public Administration

The Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark, Odense invites applications for one or more associate professorship(s) in Public Administration as of August 1, 2024, or as agreed. 

The successful applicant(s) will be affiliated with the Public Administration Research Group. The Public Administration Research Group aims to improve decision-making, management, and organization in the public sector. We do this by (1) conducting high-quality research on topics of high societal relevance, (2) delivering high-quality research-based teaching and supervision at the Political Science programme and the professional master programme (Master of Public Governance), and (3) disseminating research knowledge to key stakeholders in and around the public sector and contribute to on-going public debates. 

Based on strong and rigorous methodological approaches, ranging from quantitative experimental approaches and advanced statistical techniques to various qualitative approaches, members of the Public Administration Research Group study public management, leadership, organization, governance paradigms, public employees, civil servants, public finances, citizen-state interactions, local and central government, and local elections. Members of the group publish both in leading public administration, management, and political science journals as well as Danish and English monographies and anthologies. The successful candidate is expected to support the Public Administration Research Group’s strategic objectives. For more information about the group’s strategy for 2022-2025, please see here. In alignment with the group’s strategy, we put great emphasis on successful applicant(s) being able to:

• Publish research at a high international level in areas of relevance to the Public Administration Research Group such as public administration, management, and political science,
• Contribute to development of collective research projects by, e.g., initiating the development of research projects within the group and/or seeking external funding,
• Strengthen the group’s national, international, and interdisciplinary network/research collaborations,
• Support the development of the group’s research, including helping young scholars (e.g., PhD students and/or postdocs) in their career via e.g., supervision, mentorship, co-authorship, and introduction to network, 
• Conduct teaching and supervision within the full-time political science programme and executive master programmes in public management (Master of Public Governance),
• Engage in knowledge exchange activities with the surrounding society.

For applicants to be deemed qualified for the position, they must meet the criteria in the department’s Scholarly Qualification Matrix (please consult the matrix): 

• Substantial publication of research at an inter­nationally recognized level (beyond the topic of and data used for the PhD dissertation),
• Proven ability to participate in and develop research collectives as well as international networks,
• A strong teaching profile that demonstrates ample experience with various teaching and supervision formats,
• Proven ability in the development and implementation of new pedagogical or didactical techniques,
• Documented participation in fundraising and coordination of research projects,
• An experience with and genuine interest in outreach or knowledge-sharing activities.

Applicants are expected to have good interpersonal skills and be dedicated to taking part in the everyday academic and social environment at the department. Within a three-year period, non-Danish-speaking applicants are expected to master the Danish language at a level which enables reading Danish exam papers and administrative documents. The department offers free language classes and a reduction in workload to support non-Danish speaking employees.

The department believes in fostering a stimulating and inspiring environment for both faculty members and students. The department's ambition is therefore to recruit, develop, and retain talented scholars committed to both academic excellence and departmental development. Furthermore, the department wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and, thus, welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

For further information, please contact Head of Department, Signe Pihl-Thingvad, [email protected] or Heads of Public Administration Research Group, Mette Kjærgaard Thomsen, [email protected]  

Application, salary, etc.
Appointment to the position requires a PhD or equivalent and will be in accordance with the salary agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.

An application must include:

• A motivated application
• Detailed CV
• A research plan (max 3 pages) for the next 4 years that includes: 
  • Overall ambitions and potential to advance the field (both empirically and theoretically)
  • Major sub-projects
  • Publication strategy
  • Planned national and international collaborations
  • Potential for obtaining external funding
• Certificates/Diplomas (Master and PhD degree)
• Teaching portfolio (please see below)
• Complete list of publications, indicating which publications are most relevant for the position
• Up to 5 of the most relevant publications. Please upload a pdf for each publication. NOTE: If publications have been co-authored, co-author statements must be a part of this pdf and must include information like in this example. 

Applicants applying for an associate professorship are requested to submit a teaching portfolio with the application as documentation for teaching experience as well as supervision qualifications. Formal application instructions and guide for teaching portfolio may be found here.

All non-Danish documents must be translated into English.

Applications that are incomplete with regard to the above requirements may be rejected without any substantive evaluation.

Assessment of applications will be done under existing Appointment Order for universities. Applications will be assessed by an academic assessment committee that determines whether applicants are qualified for an associate professorship. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material. The committee reserves the right to arrive at a decision solely based on the material submitted.

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process.

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, the applicant will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns him/her. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the head of department who will assemble an appointments committee. The appointments committee will manage and complete a series of job interviews with especially promising applicants. On the basis of the applications, the written assessments, the job interviews, and a deliberation within the appointments committee, the head of department determines which candidate(s) will be offered the position.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now" on our website. Uploaded files must be in Adobe PDF (unlocked). The application and CV must not exceed 10 MB.

Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

Read the guideline for the applicants