Tenure Track Assistant Professor/Researcher
Are you interested in a position as Tenure Assistant Professor/Researcher at the Faculty of Technical Sciences? Here you can read about the characteristics of the position at our faculty, and how you can develop your career.
Scientific position: Tenure Track Assistant Professor/Researcher
Technical Sciences Tenure Track at Aarhus University is an attractive career opportunity for promising researchers from all over the world. Highly qualified candidates are employed at Assistant Professor/Researcher level for a six-year period with promotion to Associate Professor/Senior Researcher level depending on a positive assessment at the end of the tenure track programme. The promotion is based solely on the results of Tenure Track Assistant Professor/Researcher and not on comparison with other candidates. Applicants for a tenure track position are typically expected to have two to six years of relevant experience after completing a PhD. An interim evaluation is usually carried out after approximately three years.
By increasing coherence in the scientific career path, Technical Sciences tenure track contributes to:
- Attracting and retaining highly qualified, promising talent from all over the world.
- Promoting the academic development and independence of researchers at an early stage of their career.
- Creating transparency in the academic career process.
Please see this website for more information regarding Tenure Track guidelines and Tenure Track development plans (look under "Principles for appointment")
What is a Tenure Track position?
A Tenure Track is expected to:
- Establish and manage their own independent research group by e.g. obtaining external funding.
All Tenure Track Assistant Professors/Researchers are expected to attract external funding. Tenure Track Assistant Professors/Researchers are expected to be the lead for research and/or consultancy grant applications. At the end of the programme, Tenure Track Assistant Professors/Researchers are expected to contribute substantially to the department's overall finances, including by attracting external funding.
- Achieve clear profiling of their own and their research group's results through significant international publication activity, etc.
All Tenure Track Assistant Professors/Researchers are expected to demonstrate international impact via (1) peer-reviewed publications in highly ranked journals and (2) invitations to contribute to publications, invitations to speak at reputable international conferences or similar. All Tenure Track Assistant Professors/Researchers are expected to perform creative and independent scientific work at the highest international level, and thus to (further) develop their own independent research profile.
- Demonstrate an independent profile within supervision and teaching and/or (where applicable) consultancy.
Tenure Track Assistant Professors/Researchers must deliver high-quality teaching and/or consultancy, and must participate in courses such as Aarhus University's teacher training programme for Assistant Professors, PhD supervisor course, research-based policy advice course etc. An independent profile in supervision can be built up by supervising Bachelor's, Master's, PhD students and postdocs, for example, both with respect to research projects and career development.
- Demonstrate a talent for collaboration.
A talent for collaboration can be demonstrated by, for example, establishing and participating in collaborative projects with other research groups (internal, external, international), and, depending on the area, with consultancy institutions, business partners or similar. At the end of the programme, Tenure Track Assistant Professors/Researchers are expected to have established an independent network so that they can initiate research applications in the departments/sections/groups. If the primary core task is consultancy, there will be focus on the ability to collaborate internally as well as externally on performing consultancy tasks.
Moreover, all the Tenure Track Assistant Professors/Researchers are expected to contribute to the department's academic environment and reputation by interacting constructively with the other staff and students at the department. Tenure Track Assistant Professors/Researchers are expected actively and constructively to support the department's activities, e.g. by participating in committee work, academic seminars, internal academic review engagements, etc., and by contributing to raising the profile of the department for the surrounding world.
What does it take?
Our criteria for evaluating candidates describe the entry criteria that the Faculty of Technical Sciences uses when assessing candidates for different types of scientific positions:
These criteria can be used both for a dialogue between you and your leader and for a dialogue between a (potential) candidate for a position.
Guidelines for teaching portfolios in SDDs at AU Tech
As part of your career development dialogue you must discuss teaching in the broad sense, meaning not only traditional classroom teaching, but many different kinds of dissemination.
The Teaching Portfolio is a tool to support the discussion of teaching in Staff Development Dialogues. It is relevant for all lecturers at Tech but mandatory for permanently employed Assistant Professors, Researchers, Tenure Tracks, Associate Professors, Senior Researchers, Professors and Senior Professor of Engineering.
Read more about the teaching portfolio in SDD:
English version (Click to download the 'Guidelines for Teaching Portfolios in SDDs at AU Tech' in English as a Word file)
Danish version (Click to download the 'Guidelines for Teaching Portfolios in SDDs at AU Tech' in Danish as a Word file)
Teaching in its broadest sense includes: Lectures, classroom teaching, group supervision, individual supervision, laboratory exercises, presentations/workshops at conferences, supervision of Ph.D. students or postdocs, development of teaching materials, dissemination through print and electronic media, guest teaching at other departments, workshops/seminars for authorities or companies, other mentoring roles for new employees, summer university courses, continuing/professional education targeted at public or private companies, Assistant Professor supervision, workshops on quality assurance of research-based advisory services
Career planning video 1
Links to documents:
Exercise 1 - Motivational factors (Click to download the document as a Word file)
Exercise 2 - Career anchors (Click to download the document in Excel format)
Career planning video 2
Link to document:
Exercise 3 - Skill audit (Click to view the document as a pdf)
