Associate professorship in the Study of Religion with a primary focus on Norse Religion

The School of Culture and Society invites applications for an associate professorship in Norse Religion at the Department of The Study of Religion and Arabic and Islam studies. The associate professorship is a permanent position which begins on the 1. January 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Place of employment: Aarhus University, Department of The Study of Religion and Arabic and Islam studies in Denmark.

In its pursuit of academic excellence, 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.

The position

We are seeking an innovative and dedicated candidate with a strong research profile and research-competences in Norse Religion, who will contribute to the development of the Department of The Study of Religion and Arabic and Islam studies and its core activities in the areas of research, education, talent development and knowledge exchange. The associate professor will be expected to develop collaborative research initiatives with other fields in the Study of Religion in its widest sense as well as other researchers focusing on Norse Religion at the School of Culture and Society and to develop projects with external financing.

The Department of at Aarhus University offers a dynamic, collegial, and internationally orientated research and teaching environment with good possibilities for career development, project funding, and administrative support.

Research

The successful applicant will be expected to contribute to core activities at the School of Culture and Society and Aarhus University in general and to strengthen the Department of the Study of Religion and Arabic and Islam studies research activities and its output in particular. The applicant will be expected to take an interest in research collaboration within the Department of the Study of Religion and Arabic and Islam studies research program, the School of Culture and Society, the Faculty of Arts, and beyond.

 It is expected that the applicant can cover the following:

• Thorough knowledge of pre-Christian Scandinavian religions, including relevant philological skills and concomitant theoretical literature as well as comparative perspectives
• Comprehensive knowledge of the study of religion, including theoretical, methodological and comparative perspectives
• Comprehensive knowledge of the general history of religion and comparative religion
• A relevant and internationally oriented research profile
• Experience with and interest in collaboration and research with other fields within the study of religion and with other disciplines

Experience with and interest in:

•  Active participation in international research collaboration
• Obtaining external funding
• Interdisciplinary teaching, including innovative teaching methods
• Digital/computational humanities
• Building up a centre for Norse Religion and Viking studies
• Supervising student projects, and interest in research talent development

In the application, the applicants should explicitly present their vision and plans for the development of Norse Religion in relation to the study of Religion in general at Aarhus University with respect to research and teaching.

Past research achievements will be assessed based on the active research time of the applicant in question. We therefore ask applicants to specify any career breaks they have had (for instance due to maternity/paternity leave) in order to gauge their research productivity.

Education

The associate professor will be expected to teach and supervise students at all levels (BA, MA, and PhD) and contribute to the development and application of innovative teaching methods. The Department of The Study of Religion and Arabic and Islam studies expects that the successful candidate participates actively in the development of a dynamic teaching environment in dialogue with students and other associate professors/professors. The position involves teaching duties in Norse religion, in other areas within the history and comparative studies of religion as well as methods and theories within the field. The applicant will also have responsibilities in developing interdisciplinary teaching activities.

We emphasise the importance of maintaining a dedicated and respectful relationship between staff and students, so applicants should be able to demonstrate their commitment to participatory teaching initiatives and student involvement as part of their teaching portfolio.

Talent development

The associate professor is expected to contribute to talent development and will be expected to recruit and supervise PhD students as well as teaching and developing PhD courses.

Knowledge exchange

It is expected that the successful applicant will engage in knowledge exchange as described in the strategy for the Faculty of Arts

https://arts.au.dk/om-arts/strategi-arts-2020-2025/

, for instance research cooperation with private companies, government consultancy, cooperation with civil society partners or the public dissemination of knowledge.

Applicants should document prior experience within the field of knowledge exchange.

Qualifications

Applicants must have a PhD and preferably also a Postdoc or equivalent qualifications in Norse Religion or related areas of research as well as research and teaching qualifications equivalent to those acquired for an associate professor.

Applicants must furthermore be able to document: 

• An internationally oriented research profile.
• A strong, relevant international publication profile.
• Experience with participation in collective research projects.
• Successful teaching experience in areas of relevance.
• Participation in national and international networks as well as experience of interdisciplinary cooperation.
• Experience with attracting external research funding.
• Experience with supervising student projects.
Only submitted publications will be assessed; a list of publications is not sufficient. As a result, applications without submitted publications will not be assessed.

References or recommendations should not be included with the application. Applicants who are selected for a job interview may be asked to provide professional references.
Applicants are expected to contribute to the department’s academic environment. We emphasize the importance of good working relationships, both among colleagues and with our students. 

In order to maintain and develop the department’s research environment, the person appointed is expected to be present at the department on a regular basis.

Language and further information

Applicants must be able to teach and supervise in English at a university level.

If the successful applicant is not fluent in Danish, s/he must learn sufficient Danish to participate in the daily administrative and academic business of the department within a period agreed upon between the applicant and the department. The acquisition of sufficient Danish is a condition for employment.

Applications must be uploaded in English.

For further information about the content of the position, please contact Head of Department Marianne Qvortrup Fibiger ([email protected])

For further information about the application procedure, please contact HR supporter Helle Sindal ([email protected]) 

The Department

The associate professor will be part of a strong international research environment at the department and will be expected to contribute to ongoing research activities by participating in meetings, seminars, etc., and to stimulate the development of new research projects at all levels within the field of the study of religion. The Department at the Study of Religion is a strong research environment including research competences in the history of religion as well as contemporary religion, the sociology of religion, the psychology of religion, contemporary religion, Islamic studies, cognition, and experimental studies. The environment is interdisciplinary and comparative in its organization and working methods, and the researchers are involved in a wide range of research projects with colleagues from other fields, such as theology, the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences.

The School of Culture and Society

At the School of Culture and Society, the object of research and teaching is the interplay between culture and society in time and space:

- From the traditional disciplines of the humanities and theology to applied social research

- From Antiquity to the issues facing contemporary societies

- From local questions to global challenges

The school’s ambition is to produce compelling research with an international resonance as well as to offer teaching and talent development of the highest quality. The school has a broad cooperative interface with society as a whole, both in Denmark and abroad, and contributes to social innovation, research communication and further and continuing education.

For further information about the school, please see http://cas.au.dk/en/ .

International applicants

International applicants are encouraged to check

Family and work-life balance

and

Attractive working conditions

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 service

and career counselling for expat partners. For information about taxation, see

Taxation aspects of international researchers’ employment by AU

.