Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track) / Associate Professor (with tenure) in Ancient Judaism

Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen
The Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen, invites applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position or a permanent position as Associate Professor of Ancient Judaism to be filled by 1 August 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Department description
The department studies the scriptures of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which are considered — to varying degrees — foundational, normative, and sacred. Our focus is on: 

• the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and other formative documents of ancient Judaism (including, for example, Dead Sea Scrolls and Hellenistic Jewish sources),
• the New Testament and other formative documents of early Christian studies (including, for example, ancient Jewish and non-canonical Christian sources),
• the Qur'an and its earliest traditions and commentaries. 

Our research and teaching encompasses the various exegetical traditions, historical contexts, material cultures, and reception histories that emerge around each of these three collections of sacred writings.

Job description
The department seeks to appoint a new faculty member at either the rank of assistant professor (tenure-track) or at the rank of associate professor (with tenure) who specializes in any field of Ancient Judaism. We conceive of Ancient Judaism capaciously to include: second temple Judaism, Jewish apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, early Christ-devoted communities, Josephus, the Mishnah and rabbinic sources, etc. The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• an active research agenda,
• a high level of the implied language skills and history of scholarship,
• methodological sophistication and commitment to collaboration,
• a potential for research leadership, including grant application, and
• a capacity to teach courses related to the curricula of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible (all levels) as well as courses related to the curricula of New Testament and adjacent fields (e.g., Dead Sea Scrolls, Hellenistic Jewish sources).

The position involves commitment to take an active part in the Faculty’s research environment and research-based teaching, including examination and supervision related to the theology programmes at Bachelor, Master and PhD levels, open programmes, and any new areas of study. It also involves taking part in activities related to securing funding for and managing research projects, providing pedagogical supervision, and participating in academic assessments.

The candidate must be able to offer courses on Old Testament/Hebrew Bible (at all levels), New Testament writings, and related texts.

Qualification requirements
The successful applicant must have a PhD degree in a relevant field of study.

In connection with the overall assessment of the individual applicant, emphasis is placed on the applicant’s research and teaching potential within the fields described above.

Further information on qualification requirements as professor can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2019 here: Ministerial_Order_no._1443_of_11_December_2019_on_Job_Structure_for_Academic_Staff_at_Universities.pdf (ku.dk)

Applicants are encouraged to read the University guidelines for teaching portfolio when appointing staff at the UCPH: Job application portfolio – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Tenure-track assistant professors must hold an academic record demonstrating internationally competitive research, and/or have internationally recognized potential to make a future impact.
A tenure-track assistant professorship is a six-year, fixed-term academic position involving both research and teaching. The successful candidate post will be obliged to complete a teacher-training course designed especially for assistant professors and will be expected to be able to take part in all the activities of the Department, including examinations and administration.

Six months before the end of the six-year period as assistant professor at the latest, a committee set up by the Dean will assess whether the assistant professor can be considered for promotion to a tenured position as associate professor.

Six overall criteria apply for associate professor appointments at the University of Copenhagen. The six criteria (research, teaching, societal impact, organisational contribution, external funding and leadership) are considered a framework for theoverall assessment of candidates. Furthermore, each candidate must be assessed according to the specific requirements stated in the job advertisement.

You can read more about the criteria UCPH criteria here:
Criteria for recognising merit – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

You can read more about the criteria for recognising merit for associate professors here:
5b_Criteria_for_recognising_merit_-Associate_professors.pdf (ku.dk)

You can read more about the criteria for recognising merit for assistant professors here:
5a_Criteria_for_recognising_merit_-Assistant_professors.pdf (ku.dk)

Within a reasonable period (max 3–5 years), a non-Danish-speaking appointee will be required to acquire proficiency in Danish sufficient to teach in Danish as well as interact in Danish with colleagues and students.

Terms of employment
The candidate will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikernes Centralorganisation, AC). In additional to the basic salary, you will receive an annual increment of DKK 38.300 as tenure track professor and DKK 42.300 as associate professor (as of 1 October 2023) and a total contribution to your pension fund, equal to 17,1 % of your salary and annual increment.  

Application
Applications must be submitted via the electronic application system. Click on the link provided below to be taken to the online application form.

The application must include the following enclosures:

• Letter of Motivation (applicants are encouraged to consult UCPH criteria for recognising merit Criteria for recognising merit – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
• CV, highlighting experience with interdisciplinary and collaborative research, teaching and language skills.
• Documentation of degrees/diplomas, etc.
• Publication list (a complete list of publications)
• Teaching portfolio. For more information regarding the expected contents of the teaching portfolio, applicants are encouraged to consult Job application portfolio – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
• Research plan. An outline of planned research activities, including publication plans and plans for applications for external funding. The research plan should include a presentation of the applicant’s envisaged contribution to the research in the Section.
• Publications. A maximum of five (5) scientific publications that the applicant wishes to have included in the assessment, of which no more than two (2) may be monographs.
• Co-author declarations. If citing work where the applicant has been a co-author, a co-author declaration, which addresses the applicant's share of these works, must be submitted. Material that has not yet been published can be submitted. However, please indicate the precise status of each publication.

Application procedure
The application, appendixes and the submitted scientific publications must be uploaded electronically using the link below. We advise you to have the above-mentioned documents ready before you begin to fill out your online application, and it is essential that all required documents are enclosed.

Following the application deadline, the Dean selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Appointments Committee. Applicants are selected on the basis of an overall assessment of the applicants that best match the recruitment needs of the Faculty as described in this advertisement for the post. This is compared with the applicant's research and teaching profile as set out in the application, CV incl. list of publication, teaching portfolio and any research/development plan. 

The applications of candidates considered at the Associate Professor level will undergo an additional assessment for qualification of a permanent position (tenure) by an appointed committee comprised of international scholars in the field. The assessment committee will write a written report, to which the candidate will have opportunity to respond.

University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding society and therefore encourages all interested parties regardless of personal background to apply for the position. Candidates from historically underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.

For further information on the recruitment process please contact academic officer [email protected]
ID no. 211-0572/23-2E

Application deadline
Applications must be submitted by 7 March 2024, 23:59 GMT+1

Applications received after the deadline has expired will not be accepted.

If your application does not include all the required supporting documents, your application will be rejected and will not be considered by the assessment committee.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.