Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Molecular Biology of Food Crops

The Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, Denmark, offers an attractive career opportunity for promising and skilled researchers. We invite applications for a position as Tenure Track Assistant Professor focusing on research in the field of molecular plant biology with a focus on crops for food and adaptation to the plant-based future of human diets. The position is a career development position with the possibility of transition to a tenured associate professorship and will be available from 01-02-2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The future of human diets is plant-based and as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor you will be part of a research environment focused on using genetics and biotechnology to study crop plants and prepare them for future challenges. Major technologies in use are heterologous expression in microorganisms and crop plants, genetics, biochemistry, genetic engineering, new breeding technologies like CRISPR/Cas and cis-genesis. You will contribute to the development of the department through research of the highest international quality. Your primary tasks will be to conduct independent research, including publication in high-impact scientific journals; be responsible for teaching, guidance and examination of BSc and MSc degree students and co-supervision of PhD students; as well as attracting external research funding.

You will get the opportunity to collaborate with relevant national and international research environments and in your daily work, you will work closely with both Danish and international colleagues.
We expect that you will be an important part of the research environment and that you will contribute positively to the social working environment.
Your profile
You have independent research-related qualifications at a high international level. You are a clear communicator, and you have some degree of experience of supervision and teaching at BSc and MSc degree level. Completed pedagogical courses in supervision or similar will be considered, as well as experience with external research collaborations. You have completed at least one productive stay in a different research environment.

To be assessed as qualified for a Tenure Track Assistant Professor position, you must:

• Hold a PhD in molecular biology/biotechnology or related fields in crops. Experience within food crops will be seen as an advantage
• Document experience in scientific writing with several papers in high-quality journals or other high-quality publication channels
• Provide a 2-3 page plan for research over the next 3-5 years within focused parts of the research area and have a clear potential to perform ground-breaking research and to attract external funding
• Have proven international research collaborations (e.g. joint papers and applications)
• Be dedicated and possess the ability to collaborate and build relationships

Further, we will prefer candidates with some of the following qualifications:

• Molecular research experience within crop plants
• Knowledge on molecular mechanisms of food crop qualities
• Experience in recombinant technologies
• Insight into breeding of crop plants
• Good analytical skills

Who we are
At the Department of Agroecology, our main goal is to contribute to sustainable solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems within the areas of soil, plants, animals, humans, and the environment. We want to make a difference by contributing to both fundamental knowledge generation and the attainment of sustainable production systems via innovative research, contracted policy advice, and education. We offer professional laboratories, greenhouses, semi-field, and field-scale research facilities, advanced computing capacities as well as an extensive national and international researcher network. The department consists of nine research sections with around 350 highly dedicated employees. More information can be found here.
We believe in encouraging inclusion, acceptance, and understanding by employing staff who bring unique perspectives to our department.
What we offer

• An informal and multicultural research environment with high professionalism, where accountability, commitment, helpfulness, flexibility, and close collaboration are prerequisites for solving our core tasks
• A good social environment with activities and routines that make it possible to talk across and strengthen the inclusive relationship, and where mutual trust, respect, kindness, and professional sparring are emphasized
• A flexible workplace with a good work-life balance
• A workplace where we work actively with diversity, equity and inclusion
• An exciting and varied working environment, where two days rarely resemble each other. We are often busy, and we work creatively for solutions to societal challenges
• Aarhus University offers a wide variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including a Relocation Service and an Expat Partner Programme

Special benefits when working in Denmark

• Subsidized preschool childcare and a free education system from primary school up to university level
• Universal health insurance as a resident of Denmark, including family members officially residing in Denmark
• Five weeks paid holiday per year
• In connection with childbirth: the right to have a total of 52 weeks shared maternal/paternal leave with full or partial salary pay

Please refer to the tenure track guidelines for the tenure review criteria and for the tenure review process.
Place of Work
The place of work is Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg, Forsøgsvej 1, 4200 Slagelse. The affiliation will be with the Department of Agroecology.

More information can be obtained from Section Head, Professor Henrik Brinch-Pedersen, [email protected], +4587158268

Technical Sciences Tenure Track
Aarhus University offers talented scientists from around the world attractive career perspectives via the Technical 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.

The aim of the Technical 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
Technical 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.

Aarhus University
Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/

Department: Afgrødegenetik og Bioteknologi/Crop Genetics and Biotechnology

Deadline: 21 November 2024

Location: Slagelse Forsøgsvej 1