Postdoctoral Position in the PowerAV Research Project at Department of Management

The Department of Management at Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University, invites applications for a 2-year postdoctoral position offering the candidate an exciting opportunity to join a new research project on stakeholder perception of Agrivoltaics (integration of photovoltaics (PV) with agriculture). 

The starting date is 01 January 2026 or subject to mutual agreement.

The research project

The Innovation Fund Denmark–funded “PowerAV” research project addresses growing challenges in operating and maintaining agrivoltaics. The project brings together partners from Norway, Germany, Turkey, and Denmark to assess stakeholder needs, create PV-integrated sensors to monitor agriculture-specific stressors, model stress impacts on PV performance, and develop innovative PV tracker controls. These elements will be integrated into a digital toolkit to improve AV/crop yields and reduce operation and maintenance costs.

PowerAV is expected to generate high-quality academic research on stakeholder perception of a sustainable technological innovation. The Aarhus University team leads the Work Package on stakeholder perception, which focuses on understanding the needs, challenges, and perspectives of diverse AV stakeholders in different regions identifying and categorizing O&M needs and challenges faced by AV operators and farmers across Europe.

The work package contributes to the general fields of management, marketing, stakeholder engagement, and socio-technical transition research, as well as to the study of perception and adoption of sustainable energy technologies in agricultural contexts.

Job description

The successful candidate is expected to contribute to the overall objectives of the project by being involved in the project management, data collection, and data analysis. The candidate is also expected to contribute to the other phases of the research process, including writing academic papers and reports, dissemination of results and participation in meetings and the ongoing tasks in the project in collaboration with other researchers in the project team. This includes conducting qualitative stakeholder interviews, media and publication analysis/reviews, and persona development; synthesizing findings; and ensuring that insights are integrated into subsequent work packages in close collaboration with international project partners.

The position is research-oriented but may involve teaching assignments.

Qualifications

Candidates must hold a PhD relevant to the academic areas of the Department of Management, preferably within marketing, sustainability transitions, and stakeholder engagement, or related social science fields.
Furthermore, we are looking for a candidate who has:

• Experience with qualitative research methods, particularly semi-structured interviews and stakeholder analysis, is required.
• Familiarity with agri-food systems or renewable energy systems is an advantage.
• Knowledge about media analysis is a plus, as is experience with industry.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English are essential; additional proficiency in German, Norwegian, or Turkish is an asset.
• Experience working in international, interdisciplinary projects is valued
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.      

Who we are

The Department of Management is one of the six departments at Aarhus BSS- one of the five faculties at Aarhus University. Aarhus BSS unites the business and social science-related research fields and brings them closer together to reflect the close relationship between society and the business community. As part of a Top 100 university, Aarhus BSS and the Department of Management have achieved the distinguished AASCB, AMBA and EQUIS accreditations.
 
The department’s research and teaching environment is highly international and culturally diverse with a mix of Danish and international academic staff members and PhD students. We employ more than 160 academic staff including researchers, PhD students, research associates and cover a broad range of disciplines within management. e.g. marketing, international business, organization, HR, strategy, management accounting, innovation management, entrepreneurship, digitalisation, and information systems. We aim to conduct high-quality research, and we give high priority to publishing our research in leading academic journals and presenting it at recognised conferences. In addition, we have a dynamic exchange of international researchers, who stay at the department for short or long periods of time. 

For more information about the Department of Management, please visit: http://mgmt.au.dk/.

Further information

For further information about the position and the department, please contact Assistant Professor Gabriele Torma, email: gabriele.torma@mgmt.au.dk.

If you need help uploading your application or have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR supporter Line Greve Brunhøi Tel.: +45 87150584, Email: lgb@au.dk

Place of work

Aarhus BSS
Department of Management
Fuglesangs Allé 4
8210 Aarhus V, Denmark

Application deadline

All applications must be made online and received by 8 October 2025.

International applicant?

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information here:
https://internationalstaff.au.dk/relocationservice/

Please find more information about research opportunities at Aarhus University here: http://international.au.dk/research/

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here:
http://talent.au.dk/junior-researcher-development-programme/

Terms of employment

The appointment is made in accordance with the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities as well as the circular on the Collective Agreement for Academics Employed by the State (in Danish).
The job content and qualification requirements are described in further detail in the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

Application procedure

When you apply for this position it is mandatory to attach the following:

• Application
• Curriculum Vitae. You are encouraged to declare any periods of leave without research activity, including, for example, maternity leave, since your research activities are assessed in relation to your actual research time
• Education (diploma for master's, PhD and possibly higher doctoral degree)
• List of publications (the enclosed publications must be clearly marked on the list of publications)
• Publications. Up to three publications can be included in the application. In the event of several authors the publications must be accompanied by a co-author statement concerning the applicant's share of the collaborative work with the consent of the co-authors. This template may be used for the purpose
• Teaching portfolio. The specific requirements regarding the documentation can be found here

Materials which cannot be uploaded together with the application may be submitted in three copies to Aarhus BSS HR & PhD, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 16, DK-8000 Aarhus C.

Read more about how to apply for an academic post at Aarhus BSS here

The evaluation process

After the application deadline, an assessment committee is appointed. Please note that the assessment of applicants is based solely on the material received prior to the application deadline. For further information, see Guidelines for Assessment Committee, Aarhus BSS.

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