Professor in Epidemiology/Pathology for Agricultural Crop Plants

The Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, Denmark, invites applications for a position as Professor in Epidemiology/Pathology for agricultural crop plants. The position is anchored at the section of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, where we combine fundamental and applied research within plant disease epidemiology, including evolutionary and molecular interactions between plants and microorganisms of relevance for crop resilience towards biotic and abiotic stresses. The professorship is a full-time and permanent position starting on 01-01-2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.

You are expected to contribute significantly to the department’s research and teaching and to promote the overall research strategy. You are expected to teach and supervise students at the bachelor’s, master’s and PhD levels and to carry out individual and group-based research of the highest international standard contributing to the development of our academic field.

You will be part of the Global Rust Reference Center (GRRC), which has a focus on plant pathogen biology, epidemiology and disease prevention under variable environmental conditions and climate change. The research interests of the group have until now been focused on cereal rust fungi, but new research directions may include other biotrophic or hemi-biotrophic and necrotrophic aboveground pathogens.

The main focus of your position will be to:

• Conduct research of high international quality, including publication in top international journals and communicating your research in national and international academic networks
• Teach, supervise and examine BSc, MSc and PhD students as well as contributing to the development of the department's PhD courses
• Attracting external research funding
• Assessment and committee work at Aarhus University
• Research-based collaboration with private and public-sector stakeholders as well as research-based policy consultancy
• Dissemination of your research into the outside world

We further expect that you will be an important part of the research environment and that you will contribute positively to the social working environment. We also expect that you will take part in our teaching activities and that you will report research results in high-impact scientific journals.
 

Your profile

You have established yourself as a prominent researcher within plant pathology and epidemiology and/or host resistance of relevance for arable crops and you possess solid research and teaching qualifications at a high international level. You have extensive collaborative skills and a broad academic network, which you can bring into play both nationally and internationally. You have experience of research partnerships with private and public-sector stakeholders.  At the same time, you have documented experience in attracting and managing significant competitive research funding from national and international funding bodies.
As a person, you are a supportive and motivational leader who inspires other researchers and builds trusting relationships with students, colleagues and partners, thereby stimulating an exciting and healthy working environment. You communicate the newest and most relevant knowledge in a committed, clear and comprehensible manner and as a supervisor you are responsible, inspiring and supportive.
You are ready to take co-responsibility for the development of the department's research, education and policy support at the highest international level and for ensuring that we maintain a good work environment. You engage in interdisciplinary collaboration both within the department and across faculty and university levels, extending your efforts nationally and internationally.

To be assessed as qualified for a professor position, you must:

• Hold a PhD in plant pathology, epidemiology or have similar experience
• Document experience in scientific writing with numerous papers in high-quality journals or other high-quality publication channels
• Possess a high H-index (depending on research area)
• Prove a high degree of independent research of high international standards together with a substantiated research plan
• Document that you have extensive international research collaborations and experience, e.g., network leadership, grant development and publications
• Have spent time on long-term research stay(s) abroad at another internationally acknowledged university or research institution
• Demonstrate the ability to perform ground-breaking research
• Have thorough experience in supervision at BSc, MSc and PhD level
• Document experience with policy support
• Show proficiency in working collaboratively and establishing meaningful relationships

Research plan

It is required and very important that you provide a 2-3 page plan for research over the next 3-5 years within focused parts of the research area and have a clear potential to perform high-quality research as well as attract external funding.

Additional qualifications

Further, we prefer candidates with documented experience within some of the following areas:

• Plant pathogen evolutionary biology
• Plant pathogen population genetics/genomics
• Host-pathogen interactions and host resistance specificity
• Experimental plant disease epidemiology/modelling of relevance for arable crop plants

Who we are

At the Department of Agroecology, our main goal is to contribute to sustainable solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems within the areas of soil, plants, animals, humans, and the environment. We want to make a difference by contributing to both fundamental knowledge generation and the attainment of sustainable production systems via innovative research, contracted policy advice, and education. We offer professional laboratories, greenhouses, semi-field, and field-scale research facilities, advanced computing capacities as well as an extensive national and international researcher network.  The department consists of nine research sections with around 350 highly skilled employees, of which approximately 50% are scientific staff. More information can be found here.
We believe in encouraging inclusion, acceptance, and understanding by employing staff who bring unique perspectives to our department.

What we offer

• A collaborative, international research environment that combines high academic standards with an informal and supportive atmosphere. We value accountability, curiosity, flexibility, and teamwork in everything we do.
• An inclusive and respectful workplace culture, where mutual trust, kindness, and professional dialogue are part of daily life. We encourage open communication and develop a cohesive sense of community across teams and disciplines.
• A flexible working environment that supports work-life balance and individual needs.
• An active institutional commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion – in recruitment, career development, and everyday interactions.
• An innovative and meaningful workplace where your work contributes to solving real-world challenges. No two days are alike, and we welcome creative thinking and new ideas.
• Support for international researchers and their families, including Relocation Service and an Expat Partner Programme

Living and working in Denmark

• Subsidised childcare and free education from primary school through university.
• Universal healthcare for you and your family as residents.
• Five weeks of paid holiday per year.
• Generous parental leave – up to 52 weeks shared between parents, with full or partial salary.

Place of Work

The place of work is Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg, Forsøgsvej 1, 4200 Slagelse. The affiliation will be with the Department of Agroecology.

More information can be obtained from Head of Department Jørgen Eivind Olesen at email: jeo@agro.au.dk.

Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the assessment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. The selection is made on the basis of an assessment of who of the candidates are most relevant considering the requirements of the advertisement. All applicants will be notified within 6 weeks whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee and will receive his/her assessment.

Letter of reference

If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.

If you wish to add a referee after you have submitted your application, you must send this person’s details (name, job title, place of work, and email address) as well as the name of the position you have applied for to: HR.Nattech@au.dk

Formalities and salary range

Technical Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

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.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

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.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.

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 37,000 students (FTEs) and 8.700 employees and has an annual revenue of EUR 1.106 billion. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/