Associate Professor in Information Studies (f/m/d)

Syddansk Universitet (SDU)

Kolding, Denmark

The Department of Design, Media and Educational Science at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), invites applications for a position as Associate Professor in Information Studies.

The Department of Design, Media and Educational Science is part of SDU’s Faculty of Humanities and conducts research within a wide range of areas, including Design Studies, Media Studies, Education Sciences, Philosophy, Information Studies, Library Science, Organizational Communication, and Web Communication. 

About the position

As an associate professor, you are expected to 

• conduct high-quality research within the field of Information Studies and Library Science
• develop research projects and apply for external funding
• participate in national and international collaborations
• conduct research-based teaching and curriculum development
• supervision at BA and MA level
• supervision of Ph.D. students and postdocs.

Furthermore, an associate professor is expected to undertake various administrative tasks related to research and teaching collaboration, such as membership of different boards, councils and committees, course lead or head of study programme. 
The teaching and administrative obligation for academic staff is described in the faculty's norm agreement (Danish version / English version).

Information studies at SDU

Information studies at SDU in Kolding draws on research traditions from library and information science, communication and digital humanities research. Consequently, the candidate is expected to conduct cutting edge research within Information studies at the intersection of these three research fields including but not limited to the following research areas:

• Digital culture
• Information literacy
• Users and use studies
• Libraries, information and society

The candidate will conduct research-based teaching, examination and supervision in the BA study program Library Science, IT and Communication and the MA study program Web Communication Design, in relation to one or more of the following areas: users and use studies, communication, libraries, knowledge organization, digital culture. 

Associate Professors in the department have the opportunity of applying for the professor promotion programme.
 
Candidate profile

A successful applicant 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 by a substantial number of peer-reviewed articles in renowned journals and/or books or book chapters, 
• 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  
• 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 and research project leadership,  
• experience with supervision of Ph.D.-students 
• experience with administrative tasks related to university education, e.g. course and curriculum development 

Applicants who do not speak Danish at the time of employment are expected to acquire this competence within the first five years of employment. 
 
About the Department of Design, Media and Educational Science and the Digital humanities research group
The Department of Design, Media and Educational Sciences is one of two departments at the Faculty of Humanities at SDU. The department has approximately 150 employees and houses research and teaching in a wide range of different areas, including design studies, media studies, educational science, philosophy, information studies, library science, business communication and web communication. The department is located at Campus Odense, Campus Kolding and Campus Sønderborg.  

Researchers in the department are affiliated with a research group which, based on a common academic interest, constitutes an academic working community across job categories. In this collaborative forum, researchers have the opportunity to discuss research issues, develop joint projects and receive feedback from peers. Collaborations between research groups/programs with overlapping interests are encouraged and supported.  

The associate professor is expected to actively participate in the Digital Humanities Research Group. The group has six senior members and is dedicated to exploring the transformative intersections of technology and the humanities. Our multidisciplinary team collaborates on projects that leverage digital tools and methodologies to address complex questions in the humanities. The group focuses on the development and application of computational techniques, data visualization, and digital archives to uncover new insights into human culture and expression. We aim to redefine how technology shapes our understanding of the human experience. The research group holds regular meetings to discuss ongoing research projects, share updates, and collaborate on new initiatives. In addition to regular meetings, the research group organizes special events such as workshops and symposia to foster collaboration, showcase research outcomes, and engage with external stakeholders. Applicants are encouraged to consider how their research expertise might contribute to collaborations with other members of the research group.

The department places great emphasis on strong collegial collaborations within and across research groups, high-quality research, and outreach activities.

Please be advised that continuous physical presence at the Kolding campus is expected of all staff members.

We recommend that as an international applicant, you take the time to visit Work in Denmark where you will find information and facts about moving to, working, and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU.  

Contact information
Professor and Program leader Tove Faber Frandsen (t.faber@sdu.dk) or Head of Department, Alexandra Holsting (aho@sdu.dk), can be contacted for further information.

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
• Curriculum Vitae
• Diplomas/Certificates
• Teaching portfolio (if you are applying for the associate professor - Please read more here)
• Plan for research dissemination and societal impact
• List of publications indicating the publications attached
• If applying for the associate professor position, a maximum of 6 of the most relevant publications. Applicants for the assistant professor position may include a maximum of 4 relevant publications. Please attach one pdf-file for each publication. For any publication with a co-author, 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 English. 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
Application deadline is November 13, 2025 at 11.59 PM/23.59 CET.  

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

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, but SDU is present also in Kolding, Sønderborg, Esbjerg and Copenhagen.

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