POLIMA at The Mads Clausen Institute at the University of Southern Denmark seeks talented candidates to fill an Assistant Professor faculty position in the research and teaching area of theoretical and computational physics. The successful candidate is expected to conduct cutting-edge theoretical research in the areas of theoretical condensed-matter physics, quantum optics, and nano-scale light-matter interactions.
The position is available from 1 January 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Applicants will be preferred who have an international profile, a strong record of research publications, and have demonstrated exceptional potential to excel in scientific research. We encourage applicants to apply who are dedicated to actively engaging in the development of the research unit with high academic integrity. Consideration will be given to how the applicant can contribute to the academic research and educational environment as a whole.
POLIMA is a Center of Excellence funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF) for initially 6 years (2023-28). Professor N. Asger Mortensen is the head of POLIMA, which currently consists of two Associate Professors, a Lab Manager, a center administrator, and around 15-20 Ph D students, postdocs and visiting scientists. Several POLIMA researchers have attracted prestigious personal grants e.g. VILLLUM Investigator, Sapere Aude and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowships. Read more on POLIMAs website .
We offer:

• An Assistant Professor position in an ambitious and supportive, international research environment

• A tenure-track employment

• A strong research team from research students to professors

• Access to state-of-the-art equipment, facilities, and infrastructure

• A competitive salary and social benefits (e.g. health coverage, parental leave, social security etc.) ( https://www.sdu.dk/en/om-sdu/international-staff/getting-settled )

POLIMA is located at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense – 1 hour 15 minutes by train from Copenhagen Airport. University of Southern Denmark offers dedicated assistance and support with various practical, social, and legal aspects (housing, visa, administration, tax etc.), especially for international candidates through our international staff office (ISO) and the administrative staff at POLIMA.
Application deadline: 15 November 2024 at 23:59 hours local Danish time
For further information about the positions and the research center, contact Professor & Center Leader N. Asger Mortensen ( namo@mci.sdu.dk ).
Conditions of employment
Appointment as a tenure track assistant professor is a 4-year temporary position with a guaranteed assessment for a permanent position as an associate professor.
During employment, the assistant professor must complete the Lecturer Training Programme.
The successful applicant will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on salary and taxation.
Employment as Assistant Professor requires scientific qualifications at Ph D level at the time of employment.
The Danish tenure track employment
The Danish tenure-track employment is a focused assistant professorship with a guaranteed assessment for a permanent position as an associate professor within the tenure-track assistant professor’s field of study.
The head of department will host annual performance- and development reviews, to ensure the progress of the assistant professor’s development towards meeting the qualifications of an associate professorship. A formal midterm evaluation will be conducted by a committee, consisting of the head of the department and two external researchers with relevant qualifications, with the purpose of ensuring the focus of the assistant professor’s activities, as well as to create the basis for the planning of the remaining period.

The transition from assistant professor to associate professor
Within the 4th year of employment, the tenure-track assistant professor is expected to transition into a position as an associate professor position, based on a positive assessment conducted by a formally approved assessment committee, consisting of a chairman appointed by the University of Southern Denmark and minimum one external committee member approved by the dean and the academic council.
Successful applicants to tenure-track assistant professor positions must be scholars with an internationally competitive research profile, whose potential is at the forefront of their discipline. The applicants for tenure-track assistant professorships are assessed based on the criteria of the applicant’s potential to reach an international level of scholarly excellence during the tenure-track period. The candidate will only be promoted to associate professor when the assessment committee confirms that the candidate has scholarly merits at a level of international excellence beyond what can normally be expected for associate professors, with reference to the qualification policy of the research group in which the position is announced.
Assessment and selection process
Read about the Assessment and selection process .
Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. Shortlisting may be applied. Only shortlisted candidates will receive a written assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU.
Interviews and tests may be part of the process.
Application procedure
Applicants are advised to read the SDU information on how to apply and specific faculty information for application at the Faculty of Engineering.
The candidate should have a Ph.D. degree within the mentioned research area and will be expected to teach and instruct students who participate in bachelor and master courses. Likewise, the candidate is expected to contribute actively to young-researcher education through supervision of Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers.
The application material should include a detailed motivation letter and an outline of the research activities that are to be pursued. In their applications, applicants should highlight their ten most significant journal publications, detailing also their author contributions. Applicants who wish to be considered should provide a link to a fully updated ORCID profile (www.orcid.org). The application material should also include an account on supervision experience and a teaching portfolio.
The application must include:

• Letter of motivation

• Curriculum Vitae

• Certificates/Diplomas (MSc, Ph D) - Danish or English transcripts

• Documentation about teaching experience

• List of publications indicating the publications attached

• PDF copies of the most relevant 10 publications

• Other relevant qualifications including summary of external funding acquired

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

• According to the University of Southern Denmark’s internal guidelines, there must be at least three qualified applicants to a position before it can be filled.
• Documents must not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.
• The application and CV must not exceed 10 MB.

The University of Southern Denmark wishes to reflect the surrounding community and therefore encourages everyone, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position.
Further information for international applicants about entering and working in Denmark. You may also visit Workin Denmark for additional information.
Further information about The Faculty of Engineering.