Permanent position as professor of childhood studies (based in Copenhagen or Aarhus)
The Danish School of Education (DPU) at the Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, invites applications for a full professorship in childhood studies. It is a full-time, permanent position, available from 1st of January 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The selected applicant will join the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology. The position will be based at either Emdrup Campus in Copenhagen or Aarhus Campus.
It is vital that the selected applicant takes an active part in the daily life of the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology, including research and teaching activities, as well as in management and/or organisational roles (such as participation in the central study board, degree programme boards and various local management positions).
Since DPU is located in both Aarhus and Copenhagen, the selected applicant should expect some travel activity between the two campuses.
The position
The selected applicant will be expected to continue and further develop research and teaching activities and outputs at the highest level within social and cultural childhood studies at DPU.
Research into children’s everyday lives in and across institutional settings is one of the department’s prioritised research themes. Equally pivotal is research focusing on various groups of children who differ in terms of age, ethnicity, social circumstances or geographical location, as well as research on children and childhood in the context of the welfare state. The department also offers teaching and supervision in these areas at both Master’s and PhD level.
The selected applicant will play a leading role in consolidating the fertile and diverse academic environment surrounding childhood studies at the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology and across DPU as a whole. This will include contributing to core activities in research, education, talent development and knowledge exchange, as well as exercising academic leadership in relation to research, teaching and academic development.
Research
The selected candidate must have a profile which reflects a significant engagement in social and cultural childhood studies including the use of empirical research methodologies. The selected applicant will take a leading role in confirming and further developing the department’s international profile in childhood studies through international collaboration, scholarly publishing and the acquisition of external research funding. This includes strengthening existing partnerships, establishing new ones and initiating research projects with internal and external collaborators.
The selected applicant must document original scientific production at the highest international level, along with significant scholarly contributions to theoretical, methodological and thematic developments within the field of childhood studies.
The selected applicant must also present their vision for future developments in the field and document solid experience in research leadership, research funding and international research collaboration.
Education
The selected applicant will be expected to take part in the department’s teaching and supervision activities, including contributing to the department’s Master’s and PhD degree programmes. The selected applicant will also be expected to take a leading role in the development and reneweal of programmes within the field of educational anthropology.
Talent development
The selected applicant will be expected to recruit and supervise PhD students and to integrate them into the department’s research environment, as well as to participate in the development and implementation of PhD courses on research in childhood studies.
Knowledge exchange
The selected applicant will be expected to engage in knowledge exchange, as outlined in the strategy for the Faculty of Arts and the strategy for the Danish School of Education – for instance, through collaboration with government agencies, municipalities, NGOs or wider civil society actors – and to contribute to public debate. Applicants should document prior experience and creativity in the field of knowledge exchange.
Qualifications
Applicants must submit a research plan and explain how they intend to meet the expectations of the professorship by improving and developing research and teaching within the fields of social and cultural childhood studies and educational anthropology.
Applicants must also be able to document:
Academic publications at the highest international level, including research innovation in the fields of social and cultural childhood studies and educational anthropology
Active participation in international research collaboration
Experience in research organisation, including securing and managing external funding within the fields of childhood studies and educational anthropology
Extensive teaching competences and experience in supervision at all levels
Commitment to teaching development, supervision of student projects, talent development, research management and the development of PhD courses
Experience in leading, supporting and developing fertile academic environments.
If the selected applicant does not speak Danish, they will be expected to acquire sufficient proficiency in the language within approximately two years.
The successful applicant is expected to contribute to the department’s and the school’s academic environment. DPU emphasises the importance of good working conditions – among colleagues and students.
The applicant must be able to teach and publish in English. If the successful applicant cannot speak Danish, she/he will be required to learn Danish within a period of approximately two years.
The successful applicant will be expected to contribute to the department’s academic environment. We emphasise the importance of good working relationships, both among colleagues and with our students.
Further information
For further information about the position, please contact the head of the Department of Educational Anthropology and Educational Psychology, Charlotte Mathiassen, by email: cham@edu.au.dk or tel.: +45 6186 3645.
The application must be submitted in English.
About the Danish School of Education
The Danish School of Education at Aarhus University is Denmark’s largest centre for research and teaching in the fields of education, didactics and learning, with approximately 240 full-time researchers, including 80 PhD students, and 4,500 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students. The school’s activities are characterised by a high degree of interdisciplinarity and close interaction with society, including businesses, organisations, government agencies and institutions, both in Denmark and abroad.
International applicants
International applicants are encouraged to read about family and work-life balance as well as the attractive working conditions and other 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 service and career counselling for expat partners. For information about taxation, see the taxation aspects of international researchers’ employment by AU. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here: http://international.au.dk/research/
Qualification requirements
Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent academic qualifications.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 no more than five examples of academic production (mandatory). Please upload this material electronically along with your application.
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: shortlistingFaculty 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 of Arts consists of the School of Communication and Culture, the School of Culture and Society and the Danish School of Education. 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/
