Assistant Professorship in History of Ideas Full-time

Assistant Professorship in History of Ideas

The School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, invites applications for an Assistant Professorship in history of ideas with a focus on the history of science and technology broadly defined. The position is available from 1 August 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. An assistant professorship is a full-time, three-year training position that involves research and teaching at the BA, MA and PhD level and includes an obligatory course in university teaching for assistant professors. Following the assistant professorship period and subject to necessary funding, an associate professorship within the same academic field will be announced in open competition.

The successful applicant will be based at the School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Department of Philosophy and History of Ideas, Jens Christian Skous vej 7, 8000 Aarhus C. In its pursuit of academic excellence, the Faculty of Arts is committed to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or ethnicity.

The Position

The position is offered with a view to attracting talented applicants with a promising research profile and a commitment to university teaching. It is expected that the successful candidate will have experience at the doctoral level and shows readiness to transition to a new career stage and a more independent position. A core task in the position is to teach research-based courses in the history of science and technology within the BA and MA program in the history of ideas, contribute more broadly to other courses in these programs, and through research in the history of ideas contribute to strengthening the department's cross-faculty connections with the science and technology faculties and with other relevant stakeholders in the science, technology and innovation sectors, including for example science museums.

Research

The assistant professor is expected to develop and strengthen the department's research profile in the history of ideas. The applicant must document research skills in the history of science and technology. Moreover, the candidate should specify any other relevant areas of research and educational expertise within the history of ideas broadly defined, such as in relation to historical time periods and settings, knowledge of other intellectual historical fields of study and methodological approaches. In the application, applicants should explicitly present their vision for the position, including for both research and for cross-faculty collaborations.

Education

The assistant professor will be expected to teach and develop the teaching in the BA and MA programs in the history of ideas, including history of science and technology. In teaching, the assistant professor will be expected to contribute substantially to the interdisciplinary profile of the history of ideas program. The position includes an obligatory course in university teaching for assistant professors (if this has not yet been obtained). We emphasise the importance of maintaining a dedicated and respectful relationship between staff and students.

Knowledge Exchange

It is expected that the successful applicant will engage in knowledge exchange as described in the strategy for the Faculty of Arts, for instance in research cooperation with private companies, government consultancy, cooperation with civil society partners or public dissemination of knowledge.

Qualifications

Applicants must have a PhD or equivalent qualifications in history of ideas or a closely related field. Applicants must moreover be able to document:

• A solid research profile documented through relevant academic publications or writing samples, showing evidence of potential for excellent research
• Participation in national and international research networks
• Evidence of teaching experience at BA and/or MA level in relevant subjects
• A vision for the development of an independent research and teaching profile
• Experience of or interest in active participation in international research collaborations
• Experience of or interest in obtaining external research funding

A maximum of two publications or writing samples should be uploaded with the application. A list of publications is not sufficient and applications without submitted publications will not be assessed. A successful applicant that is not fluent in Danish will be expected to learn Danish within a period of approximately two years. The application must be uploaded in English. References or recommendations should not be included with the application. Applicants who are selected for a job interview may be asked to provide professional references. Applicants are expected to contribute to the department's academic environment. We emphasise the importance of good working relationships among colleagues and with our students and therefore expect the successful candidate to be present at the department on a regular basis.

Language and Further Information

Most of the department's BA and MA teaching is conducted in Danish, but applicants must also be able to teach and supervise in English at university level. To ensure that the pool of applicants is highly qualified and gender-diverse this position will make use of a search committee. For further information about the content of the position, please contact Head of Department Asbjørn Steglich-Petersen (filasp@cas.au.dk). For further information about the application procedure, please contact HR support (iks-hr-sag@au.dk).

The Academic Environment

The Department of Philosophy and History of Ideas at Aarhus University employs about 25 tenured full and associate professors, plus post-doctoral researchers and a cohort of approximately 15 PhD students. The department admits approximately 90 students to its two BA programmes every year. The Department of Philosophy and History of Ideas has clusters of expertise in a wide range of areas, including history of political and economic ideas; history of science and technology; philosophy of science, especially the medical sciences; history of philosophy, especially German idealism; epistemology; ethics, including applied ethics; metaphysics; philosophy of technology, especially artificial intelligence and social robotics; philosophical logic; phenomenology; and philosophy of psychiatry. We host a number of collaborative and externally funded research projects.

The School of Culture and Society

The focus of the teaching and research activities of the School of Culture and Society is the interplay of culture and society in time and space:

• from the classical research fields of theology and the humanities to applied social research
• through history from the earliest times to issues of topical interest
• from familiar Danish forms of culture to other and very different worlds
• from local issues to global challenges.

The school encompasses a range of strong research and degree programmes, which in dialogue with each other and with society work to develop innovative ways to solve issues of topical or perennial interest. It comprises a wide range of programmes, which makes it possible to approach cultural and social conditions from many different angles: Anthropology (incl. Human Security), Archaeology (Prehistoric, Medieval, and Renaissance), Asian Studies (Chinese, Japanese/South-East Asian Studies, Arab and Islamic Studies), Philosophy and the History of Ideas, History, and Classical Studies. The school's research competencies are dedicated in particular to global and regional cultural processes, and the school houses a number of the university's international and globally-orientated degree programmes and fields of research (anthropology, Asian studies, human security, the study of religion, history, European studies, and international studies). The school has a strong academic environment for teaching and research in the classical fields, which are decisive for understanding and manifesting Denmark's position in the world (theology, philosophy and the history of ideas, classical studies, archaeology, the study of religion and history). The school has a comprehensive network of contacts and partners in Danish and international society, and the department's research and degree programmes contribute to social innovation, the communication of research results, and continuing and further education. There is a constructive tension within the school between, on the one hand, a scholarly focus on the fundamental conditions of human life and the theoretical opportunities for research and, on the other hand, an empirical investigation of concrete and topical social issues. This tension serves to strengthen the academic quality of the department's research and degree programmes and is the point of departure for its contribution to resolving the problems facing modern society.

International Applicants

International applicants are encouraged to check the university's information pages on 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.

Qualification Requirements

Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent academic qualifications. Formalities:

• Faculty of Arts refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities.
• Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance 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