Research Assistant for a Teaching Development Project at the Department of Mathematics, Aarhus University

The Department of Mathematics at Aarhus University is seeking a research assistant starting January 1, 2026 (or as soon as possible thereafter) for a project focused on redesigning group teaching in selected bachelor courses offered by the department.
The position is full-time and temporary, lasting for 2.5 years.
 

The project

The project aims to implement the Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) framework in group teaching for selected courses. In addition to existing studies, the project will draw on internal experiences from the department’s own instructors and other collaborators from Aarhus University.
A pilot study will be initiated in a first-year mathematics course, which will be evaluated to identify successful elements and potential challenges. Based on this, a teaching model will be developed and implemented in Calculus courses for science students, involving over 700 students and 30 teaching assistants per semester.
The project is led by the Deputy Head at the Department of Mathematics. The research assistant will collaborate with selected instructors, the department’s educational consultant, and Aarhus University’s Centre for Educational Development.
 

Your responsibilities

• Prepare, initiate, and conduct a pilot study in the course Mathematical Analysis 1.
• Develop a teaching model based on the BTC framework, specifically targeting exercise-based teaching in mathematics and science subjects.
• Conduct group teaching to test the BTC framework and optimize the teaching model.
• Support relevant course coordinators in designing suitable tasks/exercises, ensuring coherence between lectures and group teaching, and preparing and supporting teaching assistants in using the teaching model.
• Expand the use of the teaching model to other relevant courses, including the Calculus courses.
• Collect both qualitative and quantitative data and evaluate the project.
• Prepare and conduct relevant workshops and dissemination activities.
• Write an article based on the project’s results for a relevant academic journal.
   

Your qualifications

• Relevant academic background, preferably in science.
• Knowledge of and preferably experience with teaching mathematics at university level.
• Interest in working with teaching development.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with both students and academic staff at the Department of Mathematics.

The research assistant will report to the relevant section coordinator at the Department of Mathematics.
 

About the department

The Department of Mathematics has approximately 90 employees. You can read more about the department at https://math.au.dk.
 

Place of work and employment area

The place of work will be the Department of Mathematics, Ny Munkegade 118, 8000 Aarhus C, and the employment area is Aarhus University and affiliated institutions.
 

Contact information

If you have questions about the position, please contact educational consultant Louise Kobek Thorsen, +45 9352 2392.
 

Application procedure

Short-listing 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

Natural 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.

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/