Full Professor in Border Studies

The Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), invites applications for a permanent professorship in Border Studies starting on August 1, 2027, or as agreed. The successful applicant will be affiliated with the department’s Centre for Border Region Studies (CBRS) in Sønderborg.

We seek an ambitious and internationally recognized scholar who can contribute to shaping the future development of border studies at SDU and take a leading role in strengthening the research environment at CBRS. For a detailed description of the research and activities of the Center, please visit the CBRS website.

Academic profile and research leadership

The successful candidate is expected to have a strong and distinctive research profile within border studies, broadly understood. Relevant areas may include, but are not limited to, European integration, cross-border cooperation and governance, migration and mobility, geopolitics and security, territorial politics, citizenship and identity, and the political dynamics and transformations of borders and border regions.

The professorship carries a particular responsibility for contributing to the continued development of CBRS as an internationally recognized research environment located at the heart of the German/Danish border region. We therefore seek a candidate with the academic ambition and leadership capacity to develop new research agendas, initiate and lead collaborative research projects, attract significant external research funding, strengthen international research networks, and contribute to the development and mentoring of colleagues and early-career researchers. Applicants are expected to have a demonstrated record of attracting external research funding and the capacity to develop ambitious new funding initiatives.

At the same time, the successful candidate is expected to contribute actively to the Department of Political Science and Public Management as a whole. We therefore seek candidates whose research can create new intellectual connections between CBRS and other research environments at the department and who see opportunities for developing collaborative projects across disciplinary and thematic boundaries and across the department’s campuses.

Applicants are expected to present a clear vision for how they would contribute to the future development of CBRS and its international position, while also creating connections and opportunities for collaboration across the wider department.

Teaching and education

We seek a professor who is strongly committed to research-based teaching and who thrives in engaging with students and contributing to the development of stimulating and ambitious learning environments. The successful candidate is expected to have a strong teaching profile and to contribute actively to the continued academic and pedagogical development of the department’s study programmes.

The successful candidate will teach particularly on the bachelor’s programme in European Studies and, where relevant, on other educational programmes at the department. The professor is also expected to play an active role in the continued development of the European Studies programme and to contribute to supervision at bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels.

Societal engagement and collaboration

Given CBRS's strong engagement with actors beyond academia, we particularly welcome applicants with demonstrated experience in translating academic knowledge into societal impact and in developing collaborations with public authorities, civil society, businesses, and other relevant partners at regional, national, or international levels.

Departmental strategy and qualification criteria

In addition to these position-specific expectations, the successful candidate will, as a full professor at the department, be expected to contribute actively to realizing the department’s four strategic objectives:

produce high-quality and original research

build a sustainable portfolio of attractive, research-based study programmes

strengthen the outreach of our research and our focus on high societal relevance

secure a motivating and inspiring work environment for all employees

For more information about the department, see the department website.

The department values a diversity of competences and profiles. The expectations for a full professorship at the department are described in the Scholarly Qualification Matrix – REEAD for the Department of Political Science and Public Management. Assessment will be based on the criteria set out in the Scholarly Qualification Matrix – REEAD. Applicants are expected to demonstrate a strong academic profile across research, education, external funding, academic citizenship, and dissemination.

In addition to the criteria in the Scholarly Qualification Matrix – REEAD, applicants are expected to have strong interpersonal and collaborative skills and to contribute actively to the everyday professional and social environment of the department.

Applicants who do not speak Danish at the time of appointment must, within three years, acquire sufficient proficiency to read Danish examination papers and administrative documents. Danish language courses will be offered.

For further information about the position, please contact Jaume Castan Pinos (jaume@sam.sdu.dk) or Head of Department Lars Tønder (ltoe@sam.sdu.dk).

Application

The application must include the following:

A cover letter, including the applicant’s motivation for applying for the specific position

A detailed CV, including the required documentation of the REEAD criteria and any periods of leave

Certificates/diplomas (Master's and PhD degrees and relevant additional education in research, teaching, and management)

An academic development plan outlining the applicant’s ambitions for the position over the next four to five years (maximum four pages). The plan should describe the applicant’s future research agenda and publication plans; ambitions for external research funding and collaborative projects; contribution to the development of CBRS as an internationally recognized research environment; plans for developing national and international research networks and partnerships; opportunities for creating intellectual and institutional connections between CBRS and other research environments at the department; and ambitions for contributing to the development of research-based teaching and education, particularly within European Studies.

An elaborated teaching portfolio (formal application instructions and a teaching portfolio guide can be found here)

A complete list of publications, indicating which publications are most relevant to the position

Up to five publications relevant to the position for qualitative assessment. Please note that each publication must be uploaded as a PDF file.

If a submitted publication has been co-authored, a co-author statement must be attached to the relevant PDF file describing the candidate’s own contribution. See this example of such a document.

All non-Danish documents must be translated into English, and all documents must be in pdf format. The application and CV must not exceed 10 MB.

Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

Applicants are encouraged to read the information "How to apply" before applying. If you experience technical problems when uploading the application, please contact hcm-support@sdu.dk.

UPLOAD GUIDE: Motivated application should be uploaded as ‘Cover letter’, Curriculum Vitae should be uploaded as ‘Resume’. All other documents should be uploaded as ‘Miscellaneous documents’.

The application deadline is February 1, 2027, at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST)

Assessment and selection process

Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. Shortlisting may be applied, and only shortlisted candidates will receive a written assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material. Incomplete applications may be rejected without any substantial evaluation.

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, applicants will receive the part of the assessment that concerns themselves. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of the Department of Political Science and Public Management, who will form an appointment committee. Interviews and tests may be part of the overall evaluation by the appointment committee.

Based on information from the entire recruitment process, the Head of Department determines which applicant will be offered the position.

Conditions of employment

Appointment as a full professor is permanent. Appointment to the position will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the protocol for the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for the position of professor as described herein.

Employment as full professor requires academic qualifications at PhD level as well as scientific qualifications with a high level of international academic production, experience with teaching on more academic levels, and contribution to development of teaching and teaching materials as well as the documented ability to administer scientific- and educational management tasks.

For a detailed description of the entry criteria and a job description for a professorship, as well as a descriptions of the assessment and hiring processes at the Department of Political Science and Public Management, please consult the department’s Scholarly Qualification Matrix – REEAD.

Salary is determined in accordance with the applicable collective agreement and based on objective and gender-neutral criteria, including the content of the position, responsibilities, and qualification requirements. As an applicant, you are entitled to information about the starting salary and salary range for the position. This information will be provided during the recruitment process. SDU does not collect information on applicants’ previous salary. Further information on salary and taxation.

The person employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a “self-organiser”.

SDU recommends that international applicants take the time to visit Work in Denmark, where there is information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU.

About the Department of Political Science and Public Management

The Department of Political Science and Public Management is part of the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences and currently has approximately 90 permanent employees as well as several part-time employees. Currently, the department attracts around 2,500 students in its various full-time bachelor and master programs as well as part-time professional master programs. The department is located on three of the University of Southern Denmark’s campuses in Odense, Sønderborg and Esbjerg, respectively.

The department is organized around three research sections in Public Administration, Welfare and Politics, International and Regional Politics, and Journalism as well as several cross-disciplinary research centres and research groups.

The department believes in fostering a stimulating and inspiring environment for both staff members and students. Therefore, the department’s ambition is to recruit, develop, and retain talented scholars committed to both academic and educational excellence and departmental development. Furthermore, the department wishes the staff to reflect the diversity of society and, thus, welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

For a detailed description of the Department of Political Science and Public Management’s profile and activities, please visit the department's website.

About SDU

The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.