Two Assistant Professorship in Educational Sociology with a focus on the Application of Quantitative Methods

The Department of Educational Sociology at the Danish School of Education (DPU), part of Faculty of Arts at Aarhus University, invites applications for two Assistant Professorships in educational sociology with a focus on the application of quantitative methods.

The Assistant Professorships are full-time, three-year training positions which begin on 1 September 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Both positions are based at DPU’s campus in Aarhus. It is important that the chosen candidates take part in the daily activities of the department, including both teaching and supervising. Since the department is located in both Aarhus and Copenhagen, the chosen candidates should expect some travel activity between the two campuses.

The positions

The positions will be affiliated with the Department of Educational Sociology, which is responsible for the Master’s degree programme in educational sociology. The chosen candidates will be expected to contribute to this programme in a teaching and a supervisory capacity.

The Department of Educational Sociology aims to be at the forefront of research in fields such as social pedagogy, stratification, mobility, school research and transitions as well as teacher education and adult education. The chosen candidates will therefore join a thriving research community and are expected to contribute to ongoing research activities through participation in meetings, conferences, seminars, etc. In particular, the chosen candidates should be able to contribute to the further development of the department by applying quantitative methods in the field of educational sociology.

Applicants should be able to document research qualifications within the fields of educational sociology and quantitative research methods and optionally mixed methods with solid quantitative qualifications.

Research

We are looking for candidates with a research profile that can contribute to strengthening DPU’s quantitative research profile, and the chosen candidates will be expected to develop new research projects with immediate relevance to the field.

Applicants will be required to document research qualifications at the highest international level within at least one of the following substantial areas in the perspective of educational sociology with a quantitative or mixed methods approach and must have contributed substantially to the methodological part of the research:

• Experience in research on teachers or teacher education
• Experience in research in pedagogics and education within the field of school research
• Experience in research targeted at pupils enrolled in pre-primary, primary or lower-secondary education (equivalent to ISCED levels 0-2), e.g. within the area of school effectiveness research
• Experience in cross-national comparisons in large-scale assessments (ILSA)
• Experience in research on stratification or mobility in education
• Experience in research in social pedagogy
• Contribution to methodological development within the application of quantitative approaches.

Experience with and knowledge of register and survey-based studies will be regarded as a beneficial asset. The chosen candidates are expected to be willing to contribute to existing research projects at the department.

Teaching

The Assistant Professors will be obliged to complete a course in university teaching designed especially for Assistant Professors.

The Assistant Professors are expected to teach and supervise students at Bachelor’s and Master’s level and to contribute to the development and use of innovative teaching methods. The positions involve teaching activities as well as responsibility for the development of courses that relate to the above-mentioned fields of study. The chosen candidates must have teaching experience in quantitative methods relevant to educational sociology or similar disciplines and will be expected to expand the range of courses offered by the department in this area.

Talent development

The Assistant Professors will be expected to develop their supervision capabilities at Master’s level within the field of educational sociology.

Knowledge exchange

The chosen candidates will be expected to engage in knowledge exchange as mentioned in the strategy for the Faculty of Arts, for instance in research cooperation with private companies, government consultancy, cooperation with civil society actors or public dissemination of knowledge. Applicants should document any prior experience within the field of knowledge exchange.

Qualifications

The chosen candidates for the Assistant Professorships must have a PhD or the equivalent in educational sociology or related fields and will be evaluated in relation to:

• Research experience within the above-mentioned fields of research
• Strong applied quantitative research qualifications
• An internationally oriented research profile
• A relevant and internationally oriented publication profile
• Experience or an interest in participation in national and international research networks
• Experience or an interest in communication and knowledge exchange
• Experience in interdisciplinary collaboration as well as interdisciplinary research
• Experience in or the potential to obtain external research funding
• Experience or an interest in interdisciplinary teaching, including innovative teaching methods
• Experience or an interest in supervising student projects and an interest in researcher talent development.

In relation to the two positions, the following elements will be regarded as a further advantage:

• Research with a focus on social inequality in education and social mobility or stratification
• Research related to the teacher profession and in particular teacher education
• Research in school development related to pre-primary, primary or lower secondary education, including research within the school effectiveness approach
• Experience in conducting secondary analyses of large-scale assessment data
• Research contributing to the methodological development of quantitative methods within the field of educational sociology
• Teaching qualifications which are relevant to the Master’s degree programme in educational sociology, especially in relation to teaching quantitative methods
• Documentation of the ability to collaborate and form part of an enthusiastic, cross-disciplinary research environment and teams of researchers and teachers
• Experience in or the potential to obtain external research funding for and execute research projects at both national and international level.

The chosen candidates will be required to teach and publish in English. If they cannot speak Danish, they will be required to learn Danish within a period of approximately two years.

The chosen candidates will be expected to contribute to the department’s academic environment. We emphasise the importance of good working relationships, both among colleagues and with our students.

For further information about the position, please contact the Head of the Department of Educational Sociology, Rune Müller Kristensen, by email: ruvk@edu.au.dk or tel.: + 45 6166 9793.

Read about the Department of Educational Sociology here: Department of Educational sociology | The Danish School of Education (au.dk)

The application must be submitted in English.

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.

An appointee who does not speak Danish will be required to acquire proficiency in Danish equivalent to level B2 (CEFR) in order to handle tasks, including administrative and managerial responsibilities, and to participate fully in the activities of the Danish School of Education within approximately three years of commencing the appointment. These include, but are not limited to, teaching and examining students, reading work-related texts and participating in meetings and collegial gatherings in Danish.

Qualification requirements

Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent academic qualifications.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners: Relocation Services for Professors and Postdocs at Aarhus University (au.dk). Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here: http://international.au.dk/research/.

Formalities

• Faculty of Arts refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities (the Appointment Order).
• 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 
• Further information on the application and supplementary materials may be found in Application Guidelines.
• The application must outline the applicant's motivation for applying for the position, attaching a curriculum vitae, a teaching portfolio, a complete list of published works, copies of degree certificates and examples of academic production (mandatory, but no more than five examples). Please upload this material electronically along with your application.

If nothing else is noted, applications must be submitted in English. Application deadline is at 11.59 pm Danish time (same as Central European Time) on the deadline day.

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.

Shortlists may be prepared with the candidates that have been selected for a detailed academic assessment. A committee set up by the head of school is responsible for selecting the most qualified candidates. See this link for further information about shortlisting at the Faculty of Arts: shortlisting

Faculty of Arts

The Faculty of Arts is one of five main academic areas at Aarhus University.

The faculty contributes to Aarhus University's research, talent development, knowledge exchange and degree programmes.

With its 550 academic staff members, 240 PhD students, 9,500 BA and MA students, and 1,500 students following continuing/further education programmes, the faculty constitutes a strong and diverse research and teaching environment.

The Faculty of Arts consists of the School of Communication and Culture, the School of Culture and Society, the Danish School of Education, and the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media. Each of these units has strong academic environments and forms the basis for interdisciplinary research and education.

The faculty's academic environments and degree programmes engage in international collaboration and share the common goal of contributing to the development of knowledge, welfare and culture in interaction with society.

Read more at arts.au.dk/en

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

Aarhus University

Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/