Call for two or more open-rank academic positions in Sociology

The Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) seeks excellent candidates for two or more open-rank academic positions in Sociology.

We invite applications for two or more full-time open-rank positions (i.e., Tenure-Track Assistant Professor/Associate Professor/Full Professor) in Sociology. Specifically, we seek excellent candidates who introduce new research agendas to the Department or bring complementary perspectives to areas already represented. We expect candidates to be able to teach a wide variety of courses. We further expect candidates for Full Professor to be agenda-setting in their field of sociology.

The positions are available from 1 May 2026, but an earlier or later starting date is also possible.

The call includes the following types of positions:

• Tenure-Track Assistant Professor: The position comes with research and teaching obligations and offers the candidate a contract of six years that can result in a tenured associate professorship (contingent on positive evaluation).
• Associate Professor: The position is a permanent position with research and teaching obligations. 
• Full Professor: The position is a permanent position with research and teaching obligations.

Please note that candidates will only be evaluated at the level of position(s) that they apply for, but that candidates can apply for more than one level. Hence, it is important that candidates clearly indicate the position(s) they are applying for. If you are applying for several different positions or positions at several levels, please indicate your 1st and 2nd priority.

For candidates applying for Associate Professor, note that, once employed, the job structure gives UCPH the opportunity to offer particularly talented associate professors a promotion programme.​

The Department
The Department of Sociology is one of the leading sociology departments in Northern Europe and covers a broad range of sociological topics, theories, and methods in research and teaching. The Department emphasizes research excellence, and its faculty conducts research on several topics, deploying a variety of state-of-the-art methods. The Department currently has around 30 faculty members, about 20 postdoctoral researchers and PhD students combined, and a dedicated administrative team. Faculty members represent several nationalities, and the Department’s working language is English. We value an ambitious, collaborative, and friendly atmosphere.

The Department is located in the very center of the old city of Copenhagen and shares a campus with the other departments at the Faculty of Social Sciences—Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, and Psychology—with which we have close collaborations.

For further information about the Department, please see: https://www.sociology.ku.dk/  

Duties and Responsibilities:
Duties and responsibilities of the posts include contributing to the scholarship and intellectual life of the University by conducting high-quality basic or applied research; delivering excellent teaching and support to students across undergraduate and postgraduate levels and fulfilling additional roles and responsibilities depending on the level of appointment.

To fulfill the research requirements of the position the applicants chosen are expected to be physically present on a regular basis, so they can actively participate in the teaching and research activities of the Department throughout the year.

Your Competencies and Opportunities:
To apply for the position(s), candidates must hold: a PhD degree in Sociology, or a neighboring field; an active research programme of relevance to Sociology, and an ability to contribute to and develop new courses in the domain of Sociology. Additional required qualifications and experiences are commensurate with rank.

Candidates must have an emerging (Tenure-Track Assistant Professor) or established (Associate Professor and Full Professor) track record of successful research and research-based teaching within the field, as well as experience with supervision of early-career researchers for Associate and Full Professor appointments.

It is essential that candidates have strong collaborative skills and are willing to take on academic and organizational citizenship or leadership roles (commensurate with rank) within the Department of Sociology.

The Department of Sociology views teaching as an integral part of employment at the department. Therefore, candidates should be able to demonstrate experience with teaching and teaching planning and coordination. Associate and Full Professor appointments would be expected to have undergone a formal education in teaching and learning in higher education. Successful candidates will have strong interpersonal skills as well as an aptitude for working collaboratively with colleagues in planning and delivering teaching, in research projects and in the discharge of administrative duties.

Furthermore, candidates must demonstrate a commitment to student learning, supporting student welfare and enhancing the student experience.

Merit criteria and career progression:
Six general criteria apply to the employment of Tenure Track Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Full Professors at the University of Copenhagen. The six criteria (research, teaching, societal impact, organizational contribution, external funding and leadership) are considered as a framework for an overall assessment of the applicant. In addition, each applicant must be assessed according to the specific requirements set out in the advertisement.

Information about the criteria for recognizing merit at Tenure Track Assistant Professor, Associate, and Full Professor levels can be found here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit/ 

Employment as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor requires academic qualifications at PhD level. The Tenure Track Assistant Professorship is an educational position where the main tasks are research (including publication/academic dissemination duties) and research-based teaching (with related examination duties). Tenure Track Assistant Professors are employed for six years. At the end of the six-year term, the assistant professor is promoted to associate professor if an expert review confirms that the associate professor has acquired the international level of scholarly excellence characteristic of associate professors. The department will continuously follow up on the Tenure Track Assistant Professor’s development in relation to the set criteria.

More information about the tenure-track Assistant Professor programme for promotion to Associate Professor can be found here: https://employment.ku.dk/tenure-track/tenure-track-at-ucph/ 

Employment as an Associate Professor requires research and teaching qualifications at the level that can be achieved through the satisfactory completion of a period of employment as an assistant professor. An Associate Professor must be able to participate in the department’s general administration and examinations as well as in assessment committees.

Employment as a Full Professor requires a documented high degree of original academic production at an international level and experience from teaching at different levels, including tests/exams, course/study programme management as well as contributions to the development of teaching activities and teaching material. A Full Professor is expected to participate in all activities of the department, including examinations and administration as well as manage research projects, guidance and supervision as well as assessment committees.

Further information on qualification requirements as Tenure Track Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Full Professor can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2025 (in Danish) here: https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2025/375

Who to Contact
Additional information about the position(s) can be obtained from the Head of Department, Bjarke Oxlund (box@soc.ku.dk). Please write an e-mail to set up an appointment for a bilateral dialogue over phone or Teams.

Terms of appointment
Terms of appointment and salary are in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne). In addition to the salary, an 18.07 % contribution to the pension scheme is paid. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis. 

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/

Non-Danish speaking employees are strongly encouraged 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.

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 workplace 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/

How to Apply
Submit the application online in Adobe PDF or Word format.

Please note that each field in the application form must only contain a single file of max. 10Mb.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the submitted material reflects the UCPH criteria for appointment of faculty.

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

• Motivated application/cover letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Publications. Applicants at the Tenure Track Assistant or Associate Professor levels may submit up to 6 publications; applicants at the Full Professor level may submit up to 10. Of these, at least three must have been published within the past five years. The publications selected must be uploaded as attachments and named from 1 to 6/1 to 10.
• 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 the University guidelines for teaching portfolios when appointing academic staff at the University of Copenhagen
• Research plan. Max 3 pages: Provide a research statement that describes your previous work and what you bring to the Department. Outline your vision and provide a concrete plan for future research, including how you plan to develop the field of Sociology within the Department. Explain how you will contribute to the department’s scientific and educational activities.
• Documentation of societal impact. Max 3 pages

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

Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: hr-soendre@adm.ku.dk, please refer to ID number: 211-0332/25-2K #1

The closing date for applications is 23:59 [CET] 15 November 2025

Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.