Associate professorship in German Literature and Culture

Syddansk Universitet (SDU)

Odense M, Danmark

The Department of Culture and Language invites applications for an associate professorship in contemporary German literature and culture February 1st, 2026, or as agreed. 

The successful candidate will hold a track record particularly in memory studies and comparative research with an interdisciplinary approach.

Candidates are expected to support the department’s strategic objectives: excellence in research, high-quality teaching, and societal impact. The Department of Culture and Language values a diversity of competences and academic profiles, and applicants must present a clear academic profile. For more information about the department and its strategy, please visit our website https://www.sdu.dk/en/om-sdu/institutter-centre/iks 

The main tasks related to the position includes:

• Research: Conduct and publish research at a high international level. This includes publications in various outlets such as books, articles, book chapters as well as other types of outlets. We value a clear, innovative and highly ambitious research profile.
• Teaching: Teach and supervise students within the department's portfolio of study programs. The successful applicant must be able to cover different courses within the German Studies Program and the Comparative Literature Studies Program at the department. The teaching tasks also include supervision of BA, MA, and Ph.D.-students.
• Academic citizenship and outreach: Perform research-related tasks such as supporting the development of collective research projects, seeking external funding, outreach activities, and other forms of knowledge exchange with the surrounding society. Applicants are expected to have good interpersonal skills and be dedicated to taking part in the everyday academic and social environment at the department.
• Arranging seminars and conferences.
• Administrative tasks: Tenured staff is expected to contribute also to various administrative tasks related to teaching and research.

A successful candidate must have:

• An excellent research profile within the field of German literature, memory studies and comparative research with an interdisciplinary approach. This includes an innovative research agenda and a strong research track record documented by published research and ongoing projects. Candidates will be evaluated based on their career stage (years since PhD).
• An innovative and elaborated publication strategy, research strategy and external funding strategy. Evaluation of these plans will be part of the assessment.
• An international orientation and network demonstrated through specific research cooperations.
• Teaching experience and keen interest in teaching innovation: We expect applicants to document experience in university-level teaching as well as to demonstrate interest in further developing a strong teaching profile.
• Keen interest in research cooperation and outreach: We expect applicants to document their ability to engage in professional networks and international research cooperations, and their interest in outreach activities beyond academia.

Furthermore, we consider it an advantage if applicants have: 1) Track record in attracting third-party funding (as a PI or co-PI), 2) Very good methodological skills, and 3) Experience in interdisciplinary research and research cooperation.

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 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 200.000 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. 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. 

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 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, please contact vice-head of department Kristine Kjærsgaard kristinek@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.

Persons employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial evaluation, be exempted from time registration, also known as a “self-organizer".

Application
The Faculty expects applicants to read the information "How to apply" before applying. 

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 the 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 13 November 2025 at 11.59 PM / 23.59 CET
The University wishes our staff to reflect on 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. 

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