Associate professorship in Church History

The School of Culture and Society invites applications for an associate professorship in church history at the Department of Theology. The associate professorship is a permanent position which begins on 01 June 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Place of employment: Aarhus University, Department of Theology, Denmark.
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, ethnicity etc.

The position
We are seeking an innovative and dedicated candidate with a strong research profile and research agenda within the field of late medieval, early modern and modern church history, who will contribute to the development of the Department of Theology and its core activities in the areas of research, education, talent development and knowledge exchange. The associate professor will be expected to develop collaborative research initiatives with other fields in theology and history at the School of Culture and Society and to develop projects with external financing. 

The Department of Theology at Aarhus University offers a dynamic, collegial, and internationally orientated research and teaching environment with good possibilities for career development, project funding, and administrative support. In regard to research as well as teaching, church historians at the Department of Theology have traditionally covered international church history from the origins of Christianity in Antiquity until the present day, with a special focus on Danish church history in its Nordic as well as its general European context.

Research
The successful applicant will be expected to contribute to core activities at the School of Culture and Society and Aarhus University in general and to strengthen the Department of Theology’s research activities and output in particular. He/she will be expected to take an interest in interdisciplinary research collaboration within the department’s research program, the research unit of church history, and interdisciplinary research programs, e.g. Lumen – the Centre for the Study of Lutheran Theology and Confessional Societies – at the School of Culture and Society, the Faculty of Arts, and beyond.

Applicants should present a concrete plan for research, including their possible involvement in the above-mentioned programs and plans for external research funding for the coming years. 

Past research achievements will be assessed based on the active research time of the applicant in question. We therefore ask applicants to specify any career breaks they have had (for instance due to maternity/paternity leave) in order to gauge their research productivity.

Education
The associate professor will be expected to teach and supervise students at all levels (BA, MA and PhD) and contribute to the development and application of innovative teaching methods. The Department of Theology expects that the successful candidate participates actively in the development of a dynamic teaching environment in dialogue with students and other professors. The position involves teaching duties in church history as well as responsibility for the development of interdisciplinary teaching activities. 

In relation to teaching at BA level, applicants should be able to document their ability to teach general church history, especially covering the medieval, the early modern and modern period, including a special focus on Danish/Nordic church history. 

In relation to teaching at MA level and PhD supervision (cf. below on the difference in responsibility for PhD supervision between assistant and associate professors), the emphasis should be on church history from the late medieval, early modern and modern period with a strong preference for topics related to the Nordic cultural region. Knowledge of church history in this context will be of special relevance, but we also invite applicants specializing in the ecclesiastical history of other Northern European countries.

The successful applicant will be responsible for planning, developing and teaching church history at bachelor’s and master’s level. This includes sources and methods of special relevance for the ecclesiastical history of Denmark as well as other parts of Europe and the wider world. The successful applicant must be prepared to take part in interdisciplinary and methodological courses for students of theology alongside colleagues from other disciplines at the department. 

Applicants should present a teaching portfolio which also details their visions for teaching.

We emphasise the importance of maintaining a dedicated and respectful relationship between staff and students, so applicants should be able to demonstrate and exemplify their commitment to participatory teaching initiatives and student involvement as part of their teaching portfolio.

Talent development
The associate professor is expected to contribute to talent development in. The applicant will be expected to recruit and supervise PhD students as well as teaching and developing PhD courses.

Knowledge exchange
It is expected that the successful applicant will engage in knowledge exchange as described in the strategy for the Faculty of Arts Strategy Arts 2020-2025 (au.dk), for instance research cooperation with private companies, government consultancy, cooperation with civil society partners or the public dissemination of knowledge. Applicants should document any prior experience within the field of knowledge exchange.

Qualifications
Applicants must have a PhD or equivalent qualifications in theology, church history or related areas of research as well as research and teaching qualifications equivalent to those acquired in an assistant professorship.
Applicants must also document: 
•    Relevant academic publications, and possibly other research contributions, at top
     international level. 
•    Strong skills in working with primary sources (including handwritten sources), based on
     the necessary palaeographic and linguistic competences in Scandinavian languages,
     Greek and Latin
•    A knowledge of contemporary theoretical and methodological discussions within a
     historical discipline such as church history. 
•    A focus on the late medieval, early modern and modern period and on Danish/Nordic
     church history in its Nordic as well as its general European context.
•    Experience of active participation in international research collaboration.
•    Experience of research organisation, ideally including the obtaining and administration of
     external funding.
•    Strong teaching competences and experience of supervising at master’s level and, if
     possible, also at PhD level.
•    A commitment to teaching development, the supervision of student projects and talent
     development.
•    Experience of communication and knowledge exchange.
•    Experience of interdisciplinary teaching, including innovative teaching methods.

In addition, all applicants should submit:
•    A cover letter including a concise statement of motivation.
•    A maximum of five academic publications should be uploaded. The status of each
     publication must also be stated (published/being published/in manuscript form
     respectively).
•    A research plan for the next three years including plans for external funding.
•    A teaching portfolio demonstrating their approach to teaching within the field of church
     history.

Only submitted publications will be assessed; a list of publications is not sufficient. As a result, applications without submitted publications will not be assessed.

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 emphasize the importance of good working relationships, both among colleagues and with our students. In order to maintain and develop the department’s research environment, the person appointed is expected to be present at the department on a daily basis or otherwise agreed with the head of department.

Language and further information
Applicants must be able to teach and supervise in English at university level.

If the successful applicant is not fluent in Danish, s/he will be expected to acquire the language within a period of approximately two years. The school will provide hours and payment for the necessary language causes. 

Applications must be uploaded in English.

For further information about the content of the position, please contact Head of Department Jakob Egeris Thorsen (teojet@cas.au.dk)
For further information about the application procedure, please contact HR supporter Gerd Bech Thomsen (gebeth@au.dk)

International applicants

International applicants are encouraged to check Family and work-life balance in Denmark) 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 and onboarding services for international AU staff and career counselling for expat partners. For information about taxation, see Taxation when working or conducting research at Aarhus University.

The School of Culture and Society

At the School of Culture and Society, the object of research and teaching is the interplay between culture and society in time and space:

- From the traditional disciplines of the humanities and theology to applied social research
- From Antiquity to the issues facing contemporary societies
- From local questions to global challenges

The school’s ambition is to produce compelling research with an international resonance and to offer teaching and talent development of the highest quality. The school has a broad cooperative interface with society as a whole, both in Denmark and abroad, and contributes to social innovation, research communication and further and continuing education.

For further information School of Culture and Society - Aarhus University

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 (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 no more than eight examples of academic production (mandatory). 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 700 academic staff members, 200 PhD students, 9,000 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 and the Danish School of Education. 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 https://international.au.dk/

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/