Professors in Mechanical Engineering – Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University

The Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering at Aarhus University in Denmark is in search of innovative research leaders who wish to engage with a highly motivated team in a collaborative and supportive international environment.
We are seeking applicants for several Professor positions, available from January 1, 2026.

The positions

We are looking to appoint, at the Professor level, research leaders capable of establishing collaborations at national and international level within one or more of the following three areas:
1. Solid Mechanics and Mechanics of Materials
Including: Mechanics of composite materials, interface design, fracture mechanics, contact and friction, tribology, damage tolerance and reliability of layered materials, machining of metals and composites.
2. Fluid Mechanics and Energy Systems
Including: Turbulence modelling, wind-farm flow modelling and control, data-driven modelling, design optimisation of fluid-based systems.
3. Mechatronics, Robotics and Dynamics
Including: Robotic design and control, robotic braces and design of exoskeletons, robotic inspection and maintenance, human robot interaction, collaborative robots.
For all areas, skills in theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and experimental methods hold equal weight.

Selected candidates will be expected to

Create a research program that is innovative and has global significance.

Build collaborative efforts between your own research and complementary research teams to accomplish objectives in challenge-based mission programs - possibly of interdisciplinary nature.

Build and enhance extensive networks with prominent research teams and industry partners, both nationally and internationally.

Support the development of comprehensive research-based teaching activities and participate in assessments of students at Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD levels.

Be responsible for effective knowledge exchange with society and industry.

Secure external research grants from industry, national and international sources.

Develop and contribute to relevant educational courses at the Bachelor’s and Master’s level.

Participate in MSc, PhD and post-doctoral training and be responsible for the educational guidance of assistant professors /postdocs.

Show leadership by engaging in the administration and strategic development of the department and establish interdisciplinary collaboration within your own and other relevant disciplines at Aarhus University.

Qualifications

PhD degree or equivalent qualifications within mechanical engineering or related research fields.

Documented experience as an international research leader in relation to mechanical engineering research.

Documented original research of a high international standard.

Documented research qualifications at professorship level in one of the above specified areas of expertise.

Experience in communication and dissemination of research in a wide context.

Ability to facilitate national and international cooperation within the research area.

Documented ability to set up consortia and attract research funding from both industrial and public sources.

Documented experience with supervision of postdocs, PhD, and MSc students.

Documented teaching experience and a demonstrated ability to develop relevant educational material.

Documented leadership skills in relation to international collaboration and development of interdisciplinary research teams.

Who we are

The Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering is part of the Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University and includes research in solid and fluid mechanics, mechanics of materials, robotics and automation, dynamics and structural mechanics, additive and subtractive manufacturing processes, production engineering and mechanical design. The Department currently employs ca. 25 full-time scientific staff, plus ca. 40 PhD students and Postdocs. In addition to staff, the Department hosts ca. 900 Bachelor and Master students, who contribute to an international research environment where English is the preferred language in the laboratory, at meetings and at seminars.

The Department works in teams and therefore effective organizational skills, clear and open communication, proficiency in mentoring, supervising, and teaching are important qualities needed to contribute effectively to the development of the Department. In addition, the Department has a culture that is based on openness, inclusion and equality. Contributing to the Department strategy and working environment is viewed as important.

Please refer to https://mpe.au.dk/ for further information about The Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering and to https://tech.au.dk/en/ and https://www.au.dk/en/ for information on Technical Sciences and Aarhus University, respectively.

What we offer

Research infrastructure, laboratories, workshop and access to shared equipment.
An exciting interdisciplinary environment with many national, international, and industrial collaborators.
A workplace characterized by professionalism, equality, and a focus on a healthy work-life balance.

Employment / Conditions of Appointment

The employer is Aarhus University, Denmark. The workplace is Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Katrinebjergvej 89, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.

Positions are open for appointments from January 1, 2026. Individual negotiations will take place based on acknowledgement that senior research leaders may have existing commitments and need to relocate to Denmark. Aarhus University and external private Danish foundations offers competitive start-up packages - for example:

https://veluxfoundations.dk/en/call-next-villum-investigators

https://novonordiskfonden.dk/en/grants/nnf-laureate-research-grant/

For further information contact Head of Department Anders Brandt, phone: +45 2912 5815, e-mail: abra@mpe.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. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.

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 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/