Tenure track Assistant or Associate professorship in Environmental Microbiology with an interest in Sensor Technology at Aarhus University

The Department for Biology at Aarhus University is looking for a skilled research leader in the field of environmental microbiology with a great academic track-record in biogeochemistry and/or microbial ecology. The appointee is expected to develop a research program with a focus on the application and potentially also development of Environmental Sensor Technology to complement the Section for Microbiology´s expertise in environmental genomics and microbial physiology. 

Depending on the qualifications of the applicant, the position will be offered as a tenure track assistant or associate professorship.

Expected start date and duration of employment
The position is available from April 1st 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.

You are expected to:

• present plans for relevant research on environmental microbiology. If relevant the potential of developing environmental sensors and/or their application should be discussed. Therefore, a research plan of around 3-5 pages must be included to the application.

• have a strong interest in microbial ecology.

• have interest and ideally experience in biogeochemistry and document within the research plan how your work can fit into the research environment at the Department and WATEC.

• contribute to relevant educational courses at the PhD, master’s and bachelor’s level. A teaching portfolio should be included if available, otherwise an outline of potential teaching activities should be submitted.

• apply for additional funding from Danish and international agencies with the vision to develop a research group.

• participate in supervision of bachelor, master’s, and PhD students, and postdocs.

• maintain a national and international network of contacts with other research groups, as well as pursuing industrial contacts.

Qualifications:

The following professional and personal qualifications are required:

• PhD degree or equivalent qualifications

• Documented research qualifications at a high international level

• Documented teaching and supervision experience is an advantage, and a prerequisite for appointment at associate professor level.

• Good communication skills and capability of working within a team

The position will be integrated into the Department of Biology and here in particular in the Section for Microbiology, where the use and development of sensor technology in microbial ecology has a longstanding and fruitful tradition. The Sensor Laboratory at the Section has for four decades developed sensors, primarily microsensors, for elucidation of chemical and physical gradients and biogeochemical processes in aquatic environments and beyond.

The appointee should ideally strengthen this research by a) applying sensors in natural and/or technical systems to reach deep understanding of biogeochemical transformations and/or b) introducing new sensor-based methodologies enabling detection of an expended range of chemical species or improved detection/monitoring of important analytes, trace contaminants, microbes or viruses. The appointee is expected to collaborate with other researchers within the Section/Department as well as the interdisciplinary centre for water technology (WATEC). The Department is well-equipped so that a broad spectrum of analytical equipment will be available. Furthermore, via WATEC, close ties to other Departments are established enabling access also to additional infrastructure. The appointee will work in the Sensor Laboratory at the Section, where the present staff include 1 professor, 1 associate professor, 1 assistant professor, 2 technicians, 3 postdocs, and 3 PhD students. The daily work-language in the Section is English in a setting of about 10 nationalities and frequent seminars and social activities There is a strong emphasis on group performance and collaboration within both WATEC and the Section/Department, and work will take place in shared laboratories and with shared technical staff.

Aside from research this position also includes research-based teaching and administrative tasks.

The Department of Biology hosts research programs and teaching curricula that cover all major biological sub-disciplines. The Department currently employs approximately 140 academic and technical staff and 40 PhD students. The Department hosts BSc and MSc study programs in Biology with about 400 students enrolled as well as a PhD program. The Department offers a vibrant and informal research environment with a long-standing tradition for collaboration with relevant international university partners.

Aarhus University campus is located in a beautiful park close to the city centre of Aarhus (population 300.000). Life quality and time allocation to family life in Denmark is high, and international investigations usually conclude that no other nationality score higher in terms of life satisfaction.  You can read more about the Department of Biology here.

We offer:

• well-equipped, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities enabling a fast start up.

• a pool of highly qualified laboratory technicians within the Department to assist you.

• an open minded and interactive work environment promoting collaboration.

• the possibility to develop an independent research profile and a tenured position at a research-oriented university.

• possibilities to gain further qualifications as research leader trough courses (e.g. leadership, teacher training) and mentoring. 

• funding for travel and consumables provided from the foundation.

• support in applying for future funding (e.g. internal review, Research Support Office).

Place of work and area of employment
The place of work is Ny Munkegade 116, 8000 Aarhus, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments. 

Contact information
For further information, please contact: associate Professor Klaus Koren, , Klaus.koren@bio.au.dk, tel. +4531500741)  or Head of Section Kasper Urup Kjeldsen (kasperuk@bio.au.dk,  tel +45 5137-7737).

Deadline
Applications must be received no later than January 3rd 2023.

Natural Sciences Tenure Track
Aarhus University offers talented scientists from around the world attractive career perspectives via the Natural Sciences Tenure Track Programme. Highly qualified candidates are appointed as Assistant Professors for a period of six years with the prospect of performance- based advancement to a tenured Associate Professorship position.

The aim of the Natural Sciences Tenure Track Programme is to:

• attract outstanding talented individuals that are competitive at an international level

• to promote the early development of independent research success early in the career of scientists

• to create transparency in the academic career path

As part of the tenure track position, the candidate is offered:

• access to research infrastructure

• capability development, including postgraduate teacher training

• a mentoring programme

• support to develop scientific networks and to secure interdisciplinary research at the highest level

As part of the Aarhus University Tenure Track Programme, the University carries out a mid-way evaluation to review the progress of the tenure track candidate after three years, according to the same criteria used in the final tenure review. The final tenure review is conducted after five and a half years. If the review is positive, the candidate will be offered a tenured position as Associate Professor at Aarhus University.

Please refer to the tenure track guidelines for the tenure review criteria and for the tenure review process.

Application procedure
Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the assessment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. The selection is made on the basis of an assessment of who of the candidates are most relevant considering the requirements of the advertisement. All applicants will be notified within 6 weeks whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee and will receive his/her assessment. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.

Letter of reference
If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline. Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.

Formalities and salary range
Natural Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

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.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

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.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.

Please write in your application that you've seen the job at Jobfinder.