Assistant Professorship in Digital History, Aarhus University
Department of History and Classical Studies, Aarhus University and the ERC project WEB CHILD invites applications for a position as assistant professor in digital history. The position will commence on 1 February 2026 or as soon as possible.
This assistant professorship is a full-time, three-year training position that involves research and teaching at the BA level. It also includes an obligatory course in university teaching for assistant professors.
Place of employment: Aarhus University, Department of History and Classical Studies, Jens Chr. Skovs Vej 5, Aarhus, 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 is offered to attract talented applicants with an excellent and well-documented track record in innovative and internationally recognised research in cultural history after 1945 and have a documented interest in digital history and, preferably, born-digital sources (e.g. as a component of their research, teaching, training, etc.).
The benefits of the position include:
- pursue vision-driven, world-class research as a team that spans across broad linguistic,
technical and historical competencies
- ample professional development opportunities within the area of digital history, especially
in relation to internet history
- working in a team that upholds values such as work-life balance, kindness, values inputs
from team members regardless of their academic rank, putting people over product, aiming
to create an environment in which all of its members can thrive
- as much independence and authority over one’s tasks, timelines and processes as the
comparative aspects of the project allows
- Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the
Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.
Even if the candidate is expected to have some experience with digital history, other team members will be doing the advanced computational analyses in collaboration with the rest of the team’s domain experts.
The applicant’s research credentials and publication record within the field will be assessed based not only on existing publications and other research contributions but also on research potential and fit with the profiles of the rest of the WEB CHILD team.
Past research achievements will be assessed based on the applicant’s active research time. We therefore ask applicants to specify any career breaks they have had (for instance, due to maternity/paternity leave) to gauge their research productivity.
The successful applicant will be required to teach at BA in the department’s degree programme and will be expected to have some teaching experience at university level. The candidate will teach the department’s Digital Archives and Methods course in collaboration with other teachers and teaching assistants.
We emphasize 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.
Candidates are encouraged to state what motivates them about working on the WEB CHILD project and if they have any aspects in particular that they want to pursue as the main person responsible for the US part of the project (e.g., historical aspects of the Web related to questions of age, hardware, political economy, datafication, access, race, gender, etc.). This should be part of the cover letter (the letter can be as long as the candidate wishes, but we recommend a maximum of four pages).
References or recommendations should not be included in the application. Applicants who are selected for a job interview may be asked to provide professional references.
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.
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.
Applications must be uploaded in English.
For further information about the content of the position, please contact Dr. Helle Strandgaard Jensen (hs.jensen@cas.au.dk)
For further information about the application procedure, please contact HR supporter Gerd Bech Thomsen (gebeth@au.dk)
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 about the school, please see School of Culture and Society - Aarhus University (au.dk).
The Faculty of Arts consists of the School of Communication and Culture, the School of Culture and Society, the Danish School of Education, and the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media. 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 arts.au.dk/en
The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.
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This assistant professorship is a full-time, three-year training position that involves research and teaching at the BA level. It also includes an obligatory course in university teaching for assistant professors.
Place of employment: Aarhus University, Department of History and Classical Studies, Jens Chr. Skovs Vej 5, Aarhus, 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
The position will be associated with the ERC project ‘Changing Childhoods in the Era of the WWW’ (https://cas.au.dk/en/erc-webchild)The position is offered to attract talented applicants with an excellent and well-documented track record in innovative and internationally recognised research in cultural history after 1945 and have a documented interest in digital history and, preferably, born-digital sources (e.g. as a component of their research, teaching, training, etc.).
The work environment
This position will be part of the team working on the WEB CHILD project. The core team will comprise five researchers based at the Department of History and Classical Studies at Aarhus University. The team will, in close collaboration, research how the introduction of the Web impacted childhoods in and across South Korea, the United States, and Denmark.The benefits of the position include:
- pursue vision-driven, world-class research as a team that spans across broad linguistic,
technical and historical competencies
- ample professional development opportunities within the area of digital history, especially
in relation to internet history
- working in a team that upholds values such as work-life balance, kindness, values inputs
from team members regardless of their academic rank, putting people over product, aiming
to create an environment in which all of its members can thrive
- as much independence and authority over one’s tasks, timelines and processes as the
comparative aspects of the project allows
- Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the
Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.
Even if the candidate is expected to have some experience with digital history, other team members will be doing the advanced computational analyses in collaboration with the rest of the team’s domain experts.
Research
The successful applicant will be expected to contribute to core activities at the US-focused part of the WEB CHILD project. They will lead all US-related aspects, from gathering sources (archived web, print, oral history, survey) to analyzing and publishing results. The ideal candidate will be acquainted with Web archives, but if that is not the case, the candidate will receive training in this area as part of their employment. The candidate needs to be excited about working in a team where members all have a central aspect of the research for which they are responsible but ultimately contribute to a project whose main research questions cut across South Korea, the United States and Denmark. This means they should be motivated by teamwork in a multi-lingual and interdisciplinary team that meets to work together for 2-3 days on campus every week.The applicant’s research credentials and publication record within the field will be assessed based not only on existing publications and other research contributions but also on research potential and fit with the profiles of the rest of the WEB CHILD team.
Past research achievements will be assessed based on the applicant’s active research time. We therefore ask applicants to specify any career breaks they have had (for instance, due to maternity/paternity leave) to gauge their research productivity.
Education
The successful applicant will be required to teach at BA in the department’s degree programme and will be expected to have some teaching experience at university level. The candidate will teach the department’s Digital Archives and Methods course in collaboration with other teachers and teaching assistants.We emphasize 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.
Knowledge exchange
The successful applicant is expected to engage in knowledge exchange, which will take place within the WEB CHILD project. Applicants should document any prior experience within the field of knowledge exchange.Qualifications
Applicants must hold a PhD or equivalent qualifications in history, information studies, cultural studies or a related discipline. They must also be able to document the following:- An internationally oriented research profile documented through relevant academic publications and possibly other research contributions at the international level
- An interest in relevant aspects of digital history
- Experience in university-level teaching and a commitment to teaching development
- Experience of or interest in active participation in international research collaboration
Candidates are encouraged to state what motivates them about working on the WEB CHILD project and if they have any aspects in particular that they want to pursue as the main person responsible for the US part of the project (e.g., historical aspects of the Web related to questions of age, hardware, political economy, datafication, access, race, gender, etc.). This should be part of the cover letter (the letter can be as long as the candidate wishes, but we recommend a maximum of four pages).
References or recommendations should not be included in the application. Applicants who are selected for a job interview may be asked to provide professional references.
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.
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.
Applications must be uploaded in English.
For further information about the content of the position, please contact Dr. Helle Strandgaard Jensen (hs.jensen@cas.au.dk)
For further information about the application procedure, please contact HR supporter Gerd Bech Thomsen (gebeth@au.dk)
Selection process
- Initial assessment Review: The submitted application packages will be evaluated to assess the candidates' academic qualifications, research experience, and relevant skills Shortlisting: Based on the initial assessment review, a selection of candidates will be shortlisted for complete assessment of the submitted material
- Interview with Appointment Committee: Candidates will then meet with the appointment committee for an evaluation of their expertise and potential contributions to the School.
- Only candidates who pass the final stage will be asked to provide details of up to three referees for a reference check.
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 about the school, please see School of Culture and Society - Aarhus University (au.dk).
International applicants
International applicants are encouraged to check https://international.au.dk/life/lifeindenmark/familyworklife and Attractive working conditions (au.dk) 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 aspects of international researchers’ employment by AU.Qualification requirements
Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent academic qualifications.
Formalities
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 examples of academic production (mandatory, but no more than five examples). 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
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 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, the Danish School of Education, and the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media. 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 arts.au.dk/en
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/
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Deadline: 25 March 2025
Academic contact person:
Helle Strandgaard Jensen
Lektor
hs.jensen@cas.au.dk
+4527201234
+4587162203
Vacant positions: 1
Hours per week: 37
Number of months: 36
Expected date of accession: 01 February 2026