Associate Professor or Professor in organisational communication

Syddansk Universitet (SDU)

Odense, Denmark

The Department of Culture and Language at University of Southern Denmark invites applications for a full-time position as Associate Professor or Professor in organisational communication. We seek an exceptionally prominent and innovative researcher who can advance the field of organisational communication and develop a strong research environment based on externally funded projects.

The starting date of the permanent position is May 15, 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Applicants are asked to state in their letter of application on which level they wish to apply. 

Job description and requirements
The candidate is expected to expand and develop internationally competitive research activities and contribute to strengthening current research activities of organisational communication in accordance with the department’s research strategy. Requirements include:

• Develop externally funded research projects in organisational communication, e.g. strategic communication, management communication, organisational change communication, internal and external communication, crisis communication, CSR, and/or digital communication. Different approaches and perspectives on these fields are welcome.
• Contribute to the department’s research-based teaching in key subjects within the BA and MA programs in International Business Communication and related programs, including the development of new courses. The programs are taught in Danish or English.
• Supervise and mentor students and early career researchers.
• Take an active part in developing and enhancing interdisciplinary research collaboration within the department, and with national and international partners such as businesses, NGOs and civic society.

We welcome additional relevant skills and competencies.

The right candidate holds at least scientific qualifications at the associate professor level. Candidates are expected to support the department’s strategic objectives: excellence in research, high-quality teaching, and social impact. Specifically, the candidate must have:

• documented successful research group leadership, including supervision and mentorship of early career researchers (PhDs and Postdocs).
• demonstrated ability to attract and successfully execute external funding to support their research and research group: A significant track record of successful externally funded research is required.
• an outstanding teaching record that documents that the applicant is an active, experienced and dedicated teacher at all levels. 
• a strong international network in the field of organisational communication. 

Associate Professor
Candidates for the associate professorship must hold a Ph.D. degree. Candidates are assessed according to the following criteria: 

• a well-defined internationally oriented research profile, as documented high-quality peer-reviewed publications in relevant journals and formats
• participation in internationally renowned seminars and conferences, 
• participation in relevant national and international research networks 
• a record of outreach activities 
• experience with applying for external research funding  
• preferably also experience as PI
• a well-defined teaching profile, as well as experience in teaching and supervising BA and MA students, documented through a teaching portfolio 
• completed lecturer training program (or comparable didactic training program) 

Furthermore, it will be considered an advantage if applicants can document experience with research collaboration, research project leadership, and experience with supervision of Ph.D.-students.

Associate Professors in the department have the opportunity to apply for the professor promotion programme. 

In the application, the candidate is expected to present an ambitious and realistic plan for 

• the development of their own research profile as well as the research area, including funding possibilities 
• outreach activities related to their research  
• the ongoing development of their pedagogical and didactic skills 
• academic citizenship tasks and their contribution to the department  

Professor
Candidates for the full professorship are assessed according to the following criteria:

• a research profile at the highest international level with research that has contributed significantly to the development of the field.
• a publication record that shows regular publishing in the most prestigious journals and by the most important publishers in the field of organisational communication
• a recognized profile that leads to other researchers to use the candidate’s research in their own publications.
• extensive experience in obtaining research funding for their own research and for collective projects.
• a valued lecturer and supervisor at all university levels, and an experienced supervisor of PhD students, postdocs and assistant professors.
• is engaged in teaching and education programmes and contributes substantially to the development of both.
• has assumed academic leadership – e.g. as head of studies, head of research and head of projects as well as in councils and boards of national and international professional organisations and networks.
• is in an ongoing dialogue of knowledge exchange with relevant stakeholders from outside the University – the employers of graduates of the degree programmes and partners in the public and private labour markets.
• communicates their research to the surrounding society through lectures and disseminating articles.
• is collaboration oriented: Initiates joint publications, projects, seminars and conferences, enjoys collegial trust and is considered an academic authority.

About the department
The Department of Culture and Language has approximately 200 employees, covering a wide range of subjects and research interests, including American Studies, Audiologopaedia, Classical Studies, Communication, Comparative Literature, Culture, Danish, English, German, History, Middle East Studies, Organisational Communication and the Study of Religion. Our faculty is committed to interdisciplinary research and teaching, encouraging students to explore the intersections of language, culture, and society. They are actively involved in various research centres, groups, and networks, contributing to cutting-edge projects and publications. 

The department's researchers in organisational communication have a strong research profile. This includes externally funded projects in multimodal communication, health communication, organisational resilience, and the ecological crisis. Current research in organisational communication at the department includes multimodal communication, narratology, semiotic technology, distributed and embodied cognitive science, ecological psychology and communicative constitution of organisation (CCO). We seek a candidate who, in their own scholarly efforts, can complement the existing research, and is willing to collaborate with colleagues from one or more of these fields. Experience in developing interdisciplinary courses and research projects will be considered an advantage.

Working at University of Southern Denmark
The International Staff Office (ISO) at SDU provides a variety of services for new employees, guests and people who consider applying for a job at the University of Southern Denmark. International staff in tenured positions will be offered Danish language training in connection with the employment and are expected to achieve Danish language competences at CEFR B2-level within 5 years from being appointed.
The Department of Culture and Language is located on the island of Funen at the university's campus in Odense – the third-largest city in Denmark with 180.000 inhabitants. Odense provides family-friendly living conditions in a historic city with an urban feel where nature and other recreational areas are never far away. The city has excellent connections with public transportation to Aarhus and Copenhagen. 

The University is signatory of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). We wish our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Contact information
For further information about the position, please contact Vice Head of Department Anne Klara Bom at akbom@sdu.dk 

For questions related to CV, diplomas etc., please contact humfak-hr@sdu.dk 

Conditions of employment
Appointment to the position will be in accordance with the salary agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Please check links for more information on salary (only available in Danish) and taxation.

Application
The Faculty expects applicants to read the information " How to apply" before applying. 
Applicants are asked to state in their letter of application on which level they wish to apply. 

The application must include: 

• Application letter/cover letter
• CV
• Documentation of qualifications (diplomas, etc.)
• Teaching portfolio (Please read more here)
• Research plan, including documentation of research management experience and record of external funding 
• Complete list of publications. The enclosed publications must be clearly marked. 
• Up to 6 relevant publications. One pdf-file per publication should be attached. In case of co-authorship, a co-author statement must be submitted as part of the pdf-file
• References letters and other relevant qualifications may also be included 

Application and all appendices must be in Danish, English or one of the Scandinavian languages. Please always include a copy of original diploma/certificates.  We only accept files in pdf-format no more than 10 MB per file. In case you have more than one file per field you need to combine the pdf-files into a single file, as each field handles only one file. We do not accept zip-files, jpg or other image files. All pdf-files must be unlocked and allow binding and may not be password protected.

The assessment process
Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee and the applicant will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns him/her. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of Department who will assemble an appointments committee. An interview may form part of the overall assessment of the applicants' qualifications.   

The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material.

If the application does not meet the requirements mentioned above, the Faculty of Humanities may reject your application without further notice. Applications received after the deadline will neither be considered nor evaluated.

Shortlisting and tests will be used in the assessment process. Please note that only a shortlisted applicant will receive an assessment. Here you can read more about shortlisting at SDU. 

Application deadline
October 1 2025 at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST)

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.
 
About SDU and Odense
SDU was founded in 1966 and now has more than 27,000 students, almost 20% of whom are from abroad. It has more than 3,800 employees, and 115 different study programmes in the fields of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, and engineering. Its main campus is located in Odense, the third largest city in Denmark, but is present also in Kolding, Sønderborg, Esbjerg and Copenhagen. 

The Department of Culture and Language is located at the university's campus in Odense - a vibrant city with 180.000 inhabitants on the island of Funen with a rich cultural life and only 1½ hour away from the Danish capitol, Copenhagen. The city of Odense provides family-friendly living conditions with the perfect combination of a historic city centre with an urban feel and yet close proximity to beaches and recreational areas. Its location on the beautiful island of Funen is ideal with easy access by train or highway to the bigger cities of Aarhus and Copenhagen. As the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark’s famous fairytale author, the city is home to a vibrant and creative population that hosts numerous festivals and markets throughout the year. 

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