Tenure Track Assistant Professor within chemical biology at Aarhus University

Applications are invited for a position as tenure track Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University (AU) (chem.au.dk). The opening is within the fields of chemical biology and protein chemistry, including areas such as protein-design, drug-discovery, chemo- and/or optogenetics. The intended start is November 1st 2024 or as soon as possible, and the place of work is Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.

The Department of Chemistry at Aarhus University is a leading European chemistry department with a broad research portfolio. It has a permanent staff of ~35 full, associate and assistant professors, a support-staff of ~35 technical and administrative staff, ~100 PhD-students and ~50 postdocs and around 300 students. In addition to excellence in research, teaching and supervision, the Department of Chemistry values equal opportunities, a collegial atmosphere, and a student-friendly mindset of future colleagues.

The Department of Chemistry seeks to strengthen our programs by appointing a tenure track Assistant Professor to lead and develop research in chemical biology. The candidate is expected to build an independent research group and conduct an active research program, which is internationally recognized and can attract external funding. Ideally, the candidate will combine experimental methods in chemical biology with computational approaches.

The Department has a strong focus on research that targets the major societal challenges, e.g. improved future health, green transistion and climate changes.

Applicants for a tenure track Assistant Professor must be able to demonstrate potential for excellent research and teaching. International experience and extensive postdoctoral training are expected (see below for tenure-track program).

Interest and competences in teaching chemistry at all levels of university education is essential. Accordingly, a successful candidate must be able to teach all topics of introductory chemistry courses. Teaching can be in Danish and English, depending on the course. We offer didactics course to applicants who have not yet fulfilled such requirements, and we offer Danish courses, expecting non-Danish speaking colleagues to learn Danish in a 3–5-year time span.

We expect our new colleague to value and participate in the general academic work at the Department of Chemistry. This includes serving on committees, solving tasks with colleagues, helping with and giving feedback to colleagues etc. Similarly, the colleagues may help you as well, for example in relation to applications for external funding.

At Aarhus University, we strive to improve gender balance. In particular, we encourage female researchers to apply for the position. Both women and men are welcome to apply for the position. No one will be given priority, and all applicants will be assessed in accordance with the requirement profile for the position.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Candidates who have secured funding covering own salary for a period of a few years will be prioritized.

For further information on the position, please contact head of search committee Thomas Poulsen ([email protected] ) or Acting Head of Department Jørgen Skibsted ([email protected] ).

Work and life in Denmarkand Aarhus
All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. We see diversity as a strength. It is a priority that the successful candidate has a personality that promotes positive interactions with students and staff, as well as being a good colleague in general. Together, we define the future of the Department of Chemistry, both scientifically and with respect to thriving in our day-to-day work.

Working in Denmark offers opportunities for a good work-life balance. In Denmark there is a system of guaranteed and affordable daycare. Education is free, including universities. English is widely spoken, though Danish is the common language off campus. A fraction of the courses at the Department of Chemistry is given in English. The majority of BSc and MSc thesis works are written in English, as are all PhD theses. We offer free Danish courses to all non-Danish speaking employees for helping in integration and for use in teaching.

Aarhus University offers Relocation service to International researchers. You can read more about it here: http://ias.au.dk/au-relocation-service/ . 

Aarhus is Denmark’s second largest city, and forms the center of the western parts of the country on the Jutland peninsula. It is situated beautifully at the Aarhus Bay near Mols National Park and the Lake District around Silkeborg. Recently, Aarhus has attracted international attention as a travel destination due to its unique combination of a thriving food-scene, high-quality museums, surrounding beautiful nature, a lively city due to the “young population”, and many cultural events including music festivals. etc. See e.g. the recent recommendations by CNN (https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/aarhus-denmark-things-to-do/index.html ) and Time https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places-2023/

Aarhus is easily reached through local international airports in Jutland within 1 hour of Aarhus, or through either Copenhagen or Hamburg Airports, both situated about a 3-hour train-journey from Aarhus.

Aarhus University is consistently ranked as a top-100 university in the World and it houses both an engineering and a medical school, as well as divisions for the traditional natural sciences, business, social sciences, arts, and environmental and agricultural sciences.

Natural Sciences Tenure Track

Aarhus University offers talented scientists from around the world attractive career perspectives via the Natural Sciences Tenure Track Programme. Highly qualified candidates are appointed as Assistant Professors for a period of six years with the prospect of performance- based advancement to a tenured Associate Professorship.

The aim of the Natural Sciences Tenure Track Programme is to:

• attract outstanding talented individuals that are competitive at an international level
• to promote the early development of independent research success early in the career of scientists
• to create transparency in the academic career path

As part of the tenure track position, the candidate is offered:

• access to research infrastructure
• capability development, including postgraduate teacher training
• a mentoring programme
• support to develop scientific networks and to secure interdisciplinary research at the highest level

As part of the Aarhus University Tenure Track Programme, the University carries out a mid-way evaluation to review the progress of the tenure track candidate after three years, according to the same criteria used in the final tenure review. The final tenure review is conducted after five and a half years. If the review is positive, the candidate will be offered a tenured position as Associate Professor at Aarhus University.

Please refer to the tenure track guidelines for the tenure review criteria and for the tenure review process.

Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the assessment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. The selection is made on the basis of an assessment of who of the candidates are most relevant considering the requirements of the advertisement. All applicants will be notified within 6 weeks whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee and will receive his/her assessment. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.

Letter of reference

If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline. Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.

Formalities and salary range

Natural Sciences refers to the

Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities .

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

At the Faculty of Natural Science at Aarhus University, we strive to support our scientific staff in their career development. We focus on competency development and career clarification and want to make your opportunities transparent. On our website , you can find information on all types of scientific positions, as well as the entry criteria we use when assessing candidates. You can also read more about how we can assist you in your career planning and development.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here . Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here .

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.