Tenure-track Assistant Professor in digital global history

The Saxo Institute, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) invites applicants for a tenure-track assistant professorship in digital global history to be filled by 1 August 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Position description
The Saxo Institute seeks an outstanding researcher to fill a position in digital global history (late-19th c. to the present) at assistant professorial level. We seek a strong candidate with a dynamic profile in the field, who can document an impressive track record of humanities research on questions relating to global historical dynamics and processes.

Digital methods for studying the past have become an integral part of historians’ working lives, transforming the discipline through greatly enhanced access to big data across multiple knowledge sectors. Innovation at the level of national history has been a major feature of this development, anchored in national institutional frameworks and source repositories. But in the rapidly expanding field of global history, where it has become easier than ever to access vast holdings of digital material, a range of challenges and opportunities present themselves. Global collaboration beyond national-institutional frameworks, particularly new modes of collaboration with the Global South, are still in their infancy. Enormous scope exists to bring about a step-change in how digital sources, tools and methods are operationalized in the field of global history. We therefore seek applicants capable of staking out an agenda for ensuring that digital global history develops in ways that are simultaneously intellectually innovative and methodologically sustainable.

Applicants with expertise in one or more of the following areas are particularly encouraged to apply:

• cross-border encounters and conflict resolution
• international humanitarian agencies and non-government organizations
• global capitalism and commodity exchange
• global environmental advocacy
• international social movements
• international political organization and systems of global order

Experience with digital teaching and research methods and a capacity to take on the challenge of applying digital history to global historical contexts is an essential requirement.

For the six-year tenure-track period the successful applicant must document an original and compelling research plan, which complements and strengthens the research profile of the history division at Saxo. The candidate will be expected to play an active role in the Institute’s activities and contribute to its strategic development. In particular, we are looking for an applicant with an excellent international publishing record and an active outreach profile, demonstrating a capacity for working across various sectors with knowledge of different stakeholders and third sector collaboration. Documented experience in cultivating international research networks, involvement in collaborative research initiatives, and grant applications will be a distinct advantage.

The Saxo Institute is dedicated to the study of human societies past and present, with degree programs ranging from History to Ethnology, Archeology, Classical Languages and Migration Studies. With some 1400 students and a staff of 100 employees, the Institute offers a variety of research and library facilities, servicing a vibrant community of tenured scholars, graduate students, visiting researchers and externally funded projects. The institute also hosts a range of leading research centres and externally funded research projects.

About Tenure-track
A tenure-track assistant professorship is a six-year, fixed-term academic position involving both research and teaching. The successful candidate will be obliged to complete a teacher-training course designed especially for assistant professors and will be expected to take part in all the activities of the Institute, including administrative tasks.

Approximately six months before the end of the six-year tenure-track period, 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. 

Read more about the tenure-track program at the UCPH at this homepage: https://employment.ku.dk/tenure-track/tenure-track-at-ucph/ .

Qualification requirements
The successful applicant must have completed a PhD degree in the field of history. Six overall criteria apply for assistant professor appointments at the University of Copenhagen, as follows:

• An internationally recognised research profile in the field of global history, demonstrating intellectual innovation and originality
• Relevant teaching experience, including examination work and course development
• Experience of communicating research to relevant stakeholders and external partners to enhance societal impact
• Evidence of an organisational contribution to previous academic environments
• Experience of applying for external research funds
• Evidence of potential to develop a position of leadership in the field

The above criteria are considered a framework for the overall assessment of candidates, and should therefore be addressed directly in the application. You can read more about the UCPH criteria here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit/

The Saxo Institute’s degree programs are taught in Danish and English, and a high level of English language proficiency is therefore a requirement of the position. Within a reasonable period of time (3-6 years), non-Danish-speaking appointees are expected to acquire proficiency in Danish sufficient to be able to interact with colleagues and students.

For further details about the qualification requirements for assistant professorships, please read the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2019: here

For further information about the position, please contact Head of Department Professor Stuart Ward, e-mail: [email protected] .

Application 
Please click on the “Apply Now” icon at the bottom of the page.

The application must be written in English and include the following:

• Application letter/cover letter
• Curriculum vitae (with the applicant’s email address, telephone number and list of at least two academic referees)
• Documentation of qualifications (examination certificates/PhD diploma, etc.).
• Complete and numbered list of publications. The enclosed publications must be marked with star*.
• Research plan, including a short description of previous research and a plan for the coming years that includes an account of involvement in organising research, establishment of research seminars, symposia and congresses, etc.
• Teaching portfolio. Documentation of teaching qualifications and research dissemination (organisation of classes, materials, courses and other forms of teaching). See the University guidelines for compiling a teaching portfolio at UCPH: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/job-application-portfolio/
• Publications. Applicants may choose a maximum of five publications for assessment, of which at least two must have been published within the five years immediately preceding the deadline for applications. Publication dates must be clearly marked on the publication list. The publications selected must be uploaded as attachments and listed from 1 to 5.

Should any material submitted consist of work with named co-authors, or work that is otherwise the result of collective academic endeavours, the extent of the applicant’s contribution to the work must be clearly stipulated. The Faculty may ask for a signed statement from the co-authors stipulating the extent and nature of each individual’s contribution.

Only material in English, German, French, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish will be assessed.

Appointment procedure
After the application deadline, the Head of the Department selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Appointment Committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been accepted for assessment. The Dean subsequently appoints an expert assessment committee tasked with carrying out an assessment of the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee. Applicants are ultimately offered the opportunity of commenting on the part of the assessment relating to themselves before the appointment is finalized.

Further information about the application procedure is available from HR, email: [email protected] . Please refer to ID number 211-0150/22-2N #1.

Salary and conditions of employment 
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 35,700 + a 17,1% contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) have further agreed on a protocol that makes it possible for international researchers employed by the University to achieve a pension exemption, whereby the pension contribution will be paid out as salary. For more information about the different pension schemes, please read more here: https://ism.ku.dk/salary-tax-pension/pension/

A special tax scheme is offered to researchers recruited abroad, read more at this homepage: https://ism.ku.dk/salary-tax-pension/tax/

If you consider applying from abroad, you may find useful information on how it is to work in Denmark and at UCPH. Find more information here:
New to Denmark (nyidanmark.dk)
Workindenmark
For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

The UCPH wishes to encourage everyone interested in this post to apply, regardless of personal background.

The closing date for applications is 17 January 2023 at 23:59 [CET]

Applications or supplementary material received thereafter will not be considered.

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.