Tenure Track Assistant Professorship in Developmental Social Cognition

The Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen seeks excellent candidates for a tenure-track assistant professorship in Developmental Social Cognition.

The position is available from 1st May 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

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 be able to take part in all the activities of the Department, including examinations and administration.

Approximately six months before the end of the six-year period as tenure-track assistant professor, 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 Copenhagen University here: https://employment.ku.dk/tenure-track/tenure-track-at-ucph/

Introduction
The Department of Psychology has a strong commitment to basic and applied research and is organised in research clusters and groups with associated post-graduate students and postdocs.

Education at the Department of Psychology is directed towards the psychological profession and is characterized by a high level with respect to theoretical, methodological, and applied contents. Teaching is also oriented towards other scientific disciplines and the department takes part in several interdisciplinary academic programmes.

Research at the Department of Psychology is of high international and ethical standards and is characterized by a fundamental curiosity to shed light on various phenomena from a psychological perspective. Further, the research takes advantage of a strong synergistic interaction between basic and applied psychological research and knowledge, as well as of interdisciplinary approaches.

The Department of Psychology is internationally oriented and is characterized by strong and elaborate collaboration with other internationally leading researchers as well as working in close partnerships with public and private institutions and organisations in Denmark and abroad.

The Department of Psychology has a strong programme of research in developmental psychology, in particular in very early development, including from a cognitive, social, and neuroscientific perspective. 

For further information, please see: https://psychology.ku.dk/

Duties and responsibilities
Duties and responsibilities of the post include contributing to the scholarship and intellectual life of the University by conducting world-class research and teaching. An assistant professor also has administrative responsibilities.

The successful candidate will strengthen the Cognition and Neuropsychology cluster at the Department of Psychology. The cluster has a long history and strong background in experimental cognitive psychology, as well as a strong developmental research group. We expect the applicant to conduct and develop their research in synergy with the ongoing work within the Cognition and Neuropsychology cluster. In particular it is expected that the candidate’s work will complement and strengthen existing research in developmental psychology within the department

With regards to research, it is expected that the candidate has a strong background in empirical developmental psychology. It is vital that the candidate has the capacity for, and interest in, doing research at the intersection between developmental psychology and social cognition. We anticipate that this post will appeal to candidates whose work is informed by a range of methodologies, including neuroscientific approaches.  In addition to their own research, it is important that the candidate can support ongoing and possible future research projects at the department with data analyses and project applications.

With regards to teaching, the successful candidate is expected to contribute to teaching in Developmental Psychology at all levels at the Department of Psychology, as well as supervising students. In addition, the candidate is expected to be able to contribute to future interdisciplinary courses within the new education of Cognitive Data Science at UCPH. These include courses in advanced theories and methods in social cognition, cognitive psychology, and experimental methods, which are taught as a collaboration between the Department of Psychology and other departments at the UCPH, e.g., the Department of Computer Science.

Your Competencies and Opportunities
For the position, the candidate must hold a master’s degree in psychology, or equivalent qualifications, and a PhD degree in psychology, data science, or a related field.

The candidate must have an excellent track record of successfully doing research and research-based teaching within the field of cognitive development. It is essential that the candidate has strong collaborative skills to support ongoing and future research projects at the Department of Psychology.

The candidate has a strong background in experimental methods at the intersection of developmental and cognitive psychology. Therefore, a demonstrated track record in carrying out high-calibre empirical studies with children are required.

The Department of Psychology views teaching as an integral part of employment at the department. Therefore, the candidate should be able to demonstrate teaching experience.

In order to be qualified for an Assistant Professor position at the University of Copenhagen, the candidate must meet the University’s criteria of academic merit.

Six overall criteria apply for 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 the overall 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 for recognising merit for assistant professors here:
https://jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabelige-stillinger/kriterier-for-videnskabelige-stillinger/dokumenter-til-meritering/5a_Criteria_for_recognising_merit_-Assistant_professors.pdf

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences
The Department of Psychology is part of the Faculty of the Social Sciences. The Faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by: 

• Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning and social change.
• Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge and the competences to change society for the better.
• Energising global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact 

For more on the Faculty strategy, see: https://samf.ku.dk/fakultetet/strategi/ . See the strategy for the Department of Psycholoogy here: https://psychology.ku.dk/the-department/strategy/

Terms of Employment

• Employment with the Faculty of Social Sciences and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit. We do this by applying academic criteria of the University of Copenhagen which are related to the duties and conditions of each particular post and the needs of the Department concerned.
• As this is a tenure track position, and therefore we strongly encourage the appointed assistant professor to acquire the proficiency in Danish required to teach and interact with colleagues in that language in 3-6 years. The Department will provide and pay for the necessary language training
• Further information on qualification requirements as assistant professor can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities here:https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit/dokumenter/Ministerial_Order_no._1443_of_11_December_2019_on_Job_Structure_for_Academic_Staff_at_Universities.pdf  
• Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• The salary range starts at DKK 35,003.43 (Euro 4706,32) per month + a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The recruitment process
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here:  https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and 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. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/

International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: https://ism.ku.dk/

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: [email protected] please refer to ID number: 211-0109/21-2N #1

Additional information about the position can be obtained from Head of research cluster Thomas Habekost, e-mail: [email protected] , phone: +45 35 32 48 60

How to Apply
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply. 

Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:

• Motivated application
• Curriculum vitae 
• Certificates and Diplomas 
• Publications. The 6 most important publications, of which at least three must have been published within the five years immediately preceding the deadline for application. The publications selected must be uploaded as attachments and named from 1 to 6.
• Publication list. A complete list of all publications with clearly marked publication dates. The uploaded publications must be marked with * on the list to be assessed.
• Teaching portfolio. Documentation of teaching qualifications in accordance with https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/job-application-portfolio/

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

The closing date for applications is 23:59 CET, 1 December 2021

Applications or enclosures 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.