162563 Associate Professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Copenhagen

The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, seeks to appoint one or more group leaders to commence on 1 January 2027, or at a later date by negotiation. The permanent appointment(s) will be made at the Associate Professor rank.

The vision of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine is to be an internationally leading research department that uses cutting-edge technology to understand the molecular basis of human disease and to drive improvements in human health. The staff at the department also deliver research-based and clinically relevant undergraduate teaching, and are responsible for course development, within molecular/cell biology, biomedicine and anatomy. The Department is supported by a strong team of laboratory technicians and administrative staff. 

Information on the research fields and teaching activities of the department can be found at the Department’s website (https://icmm.ku.dk/english/).

Job description
We seek highly motivated candidates with an independent, internationally recognized and original research portfolio within a research field linked to one or more of the Department’s research themes, including tissue homeostasis, disease mechanisms and molecular pathology. Within a reasonable period of time after being appointed, we expect the candidate to fully engage in delivering and developing high quality teaching, and to seek opportunities to conduct research-focused innovation and translation of basic research findings.

Responsibilities
The associate professor’s responsibilities will primarily consist of:

• Research within one or more of the Department's research themes, including publication, academic dissemination and securing external funding.
• Research-based teaching within the Department’s portfolio of courses.
• Sharing knowledge with the rest of society.
• Contribution to academic assessments and departmental organisational tasks.
• Leadership in research, teaching and academic citizenship.

Required qualifications
A key selection criterion is documented evidence of original scientific work at a high international level in an area of relevance to the Department's research themes, as well as documented relevant teaching experience and didactic/pedagogical competences. Five overall criteria apply for such appointments at the University of Copenhagen. The five criteria (research, teaching, innovation and societal impact, organizational contribution and leadership) are considered a framework for the overall assessment of candidates. Information about each criterion can be found here - click here. 

The successful applicant should be able to:

• Document a high degree of original academic achievements at an international level and in high-impact journals, including considerable contributions to the development of the academic discipline.
• Research qualifications at the level that can be achieved by satisfactorily completing a period of employment as an assistant professor/postdoc, but may also be obtained in other ways.
• Document experience with research management and other organisational functions, e.g. engagement in external academic activities, innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as knowledge transfer and public outreach activities.
• Develop, organise, manage and provide research-based teaching.
• Demonstrate and document good interpersonal and communicative skills, including a high level of proficiency in English.

Candidates with an international background will be offered Danish language classes to allow them to contribute to teaching activities that are conducted in Danish, such as grading exams.

Applications are welcome from candidates with either a medical or basic science background.

Terms of employment
The position(s) are permanent and the average weekly working hours are 37. 

Salary and other terms and conditions of appointment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant professional organisations.

The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2025.

Questions
For further information, please contact Head of Department, Ian Hickson, by email (iandh@sund.ku.dk).

The application must be submitted in English, by clicking on “Apply online” below, and must include the following:

• Letter of Application, including reasons for applying for this position, and particularly how you see your research fitting into and complementing the department´s research themes and how you can contribute to the department´s teaching activities (max 2 pages).
• Curriculum vitae, including information about external funding, positions of responsibility, research presentations given, experience with entrepreneurship and innovation and academic leadership experience. Please include an H-index with an explanation of how it has been calculated (e.g. Web of Science etc.). (max 3-4 pages).
• Diplomas (Master’s, PhD, and other relevant certificates).
• A complete list of publications including citations numbers both for individual papers and total with an indication of how these metrics were calculated.
• Research proposal detailing recent major activities and future plans (max. 3-5 pages).
• Copies of selected publications (maximum 10) to be considered in the assessment.
• A teaching portfolio that outlines experience in delivering undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, as well as detailing training in the development of didactic/pedagogical competency.

Application procedure
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Appointments Committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment. The Vice Dean for Research then appoints an expert assessment committee in order to make an assessment of the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee, and each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant. You can read about the recruitment process at the University Job portal.

Please note that the applicant will be contacted if the assessment committee requires further documentation.

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

The University of Copenhagen encourages all interested applicants to apply for this position. 

Please submit the application with the required attachments. Only online applications will be accepted.

Closing date for applications is 23.59pm CEST, 29 June 2026.

Applicants who are invited for an interview will be expected to give a research presentation and, in selected cases, a short teaching presentation.

International applicants may find the following link useful: https://www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility). The ISM website includes information about relocating to and living in Denmark, the taxation, healthcare and education systems, how to get help with finding housing etc., as well as information for accompanying spouses/partners.