Associate Professorships in Supply Chain Risk and Resilience Modelling

Associate Professorship(s) at the European Center for Risk & Resilience Studies

Sønderborg, Denmark

Job Description

The Department of Business and Sustainability, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), invites applications for one or more positions at the level of Associate Professor as of March 1, 2025, or as agreed.

The department is organized around eight research units and centers, and we have activities at three campuses in Kolding, Esbjerg, and Sønderborg [LINK]. For the open position(s) we are interested in applicants for our European Center for Risk & Resilience Studies [LINK] located at Campus Sønderborg. We are expanding the center, and we are proud to announce the opening of a new research pillar within the centre dedicated to advancing the centre mission: “Empowering Actions to Shape Tomorrow's Resilience.”

Your new role

Our new associate professor(s) will play a pivotal role in developing this new initiative focused on Supply Chain Risk and Resilience Modelling. You will work closely with the existing staff and take a leading role in projects at the intersection of supply chain risk, resilience, quantitative modelling and insurance. We expect your research to aim to understand, predict, and manage risks in complex, global, and interconnected supply chains, which are critical to the stability of modern economies and industries. You will have the opportunity to contribute to high-impact solutions that strengthen supply chain resilience and address the key challenges of the 21st century.

We believe that your new role offers the chance to make a meaningful contribution to the future of supply chain risk management, while working in a dynamic and collaborative environment at the forefront of risk and resilience research.

Your new department

The department’s main teaching activities are related to the bachelor’s programme in Economics and Business Administration (HA) and seven profiles in the master’s programme in Economics and Business Administration (cand.merc). We are currently developing a new profile to be taught in Sønderborg from September 2026. You will be involved in this work, and you will be part of the teaching team. We also run a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration and contribute to several other study programmes at SDU. We highly prioritize engagement and quality in the study programmes and the study environment at our three campuses.

The department strongly encourages collaboration between colleagues across the department and the university. The perhaps most obvious possibilities for such collaborations count our own department’s research group on “Supply Chain and Technology Management” [LINK] and a forthcoming “Center for Supply Chain Digitalisation” situated in Sønderborg at the Faculty of Engineering [LINK].

Your new colleagues

Your colleagues at the department are experienced academics with a broad academic skill set in diverse fields and disciplines. We strive for academic excellence and your colleagues are embedded in strong international research networks and projects. The department prioritizes cross-disciplinary work, and most colleagues engage in research projects and/or study programmes that are based on active collaboration with colleagues from other areas of social sciences and beyond. We apply qualitative and quantitative methods and have a long tradition of strong engagement with external partners in the private and public sector. Moreover, we take pride in didactical innovation and the offering of relevant study programs of the highest quality.

The Department of Business and Sustainability offers a dynamic and entrepreneurial work environment in which collaboration and team spirit are fundamental parts of the culture. Our department has activities in Kolding, Esbjerg and Sønderborg, with approximately 55 employees engaged in research and teaching. The department has been in operation since January 1, 2024, and given the department’s young age, you will have a unique possibility to influence its direction within the framework of the overall strategy – Beyond the Obvious [LINK] - of the Faculty of Business and Social Science.

Who are we looking for?

We envision a candidate who thrives in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment and is passionate about advancing research in supply chain risk and resilience. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of high-quality research and experience in developing grant proposals that are competitive in the international competition for research funding.

As an Associate Professor you will be tasked with a range of obligations at the department:

• Develop and maintain a research agenda aligned with the center’s research strategy and embedded in international networks.
• Conduct and continuously publish research at a high international level.
• Being active, and sometimes leading, in application processes for external fundings and include junior researchers in the process
• Develop and deliver high quality teaching, supervision, and extracurricular activities within the department’s portfolio of study programmes.
• Engage in outreach and/or collaboration with external stakeholders when designing research projects reflecting how research may help solve societal problems.
• Perform academic citizenship locally and globally, e.g. engaging in the local campus environment, participation in assessment committees, administrative tasks, and arrange seminars and workshops.

To qualify for the positions, applicants are expected to document:

• Ability to publish original research that was not part of the PhD dissertation. Acceptance of at least three publications in quality outlets.
• Ability to formulate an ambitious and credible research plan for the coming years.
• Formal pedagogical training equivariant to the Danish Lecturer Training Program.
• A teaching portfolio on teaching experience, results, and reflections on teaching methods and philosophy.
• Experience in applying for external funding as a PI og co-PI
• Experience with reviewing papers, organizing scholarly activities and joining networks in the relevant national and international research community.
• Ability to communicate scientific knowledge to non-academic audiences.

For a more detailed description of the qualification criteria, please consult the department’s Scholarly Qualification Guidelines [LINK].

It is important that applicants have good interpersonal skills and are dedicated to take part in the everyday professional and social environment at the department. Such engagement can be documented by, for example, past engagement in social and professional activities. Within a three-year period, applicants with no current Danish skills must master the language at a level which enables them to read Danish exam papers and administrative documents (free language courses will be offered).

The department believes in fostering a stimulating and inspiring environment for both staff members and students. Therefore, the department’s ambition is to recruit, develop, and retain talented scholars committed to both academic excellence and departmental development. Furthermore, the department wishes the staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

For further information, please contact the Head of Department, Christian Elmelund-Præstekær [email protected] or center director, Simon Sølvsten [email protected].

How to apply for this position?

The appointment takes place in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the Danish state with the associated circular on the protocol on job structure for academic staff at universities and the provisions for the position of associate professor as described herein.

An application must include:

• Letter of motivation.
• Detailed CV including the required documentation of experience and possible periods of leave, month and year specific
• An elaborated research, funding, and publication plan (max 4 pages) for the next four to six years that describes the envisioned research agenda, including strategy for publication and external funding
• Certificates/Diplomas (Master and PhD degree).
• Teaching portfolio (see below)
• Complete list of publications, indicating which publications are most relevant for the position.
• Up to 5 of the most relevant publications. Please upload a pdf for each publication. For co-authored publications, briefly describe the extent of the co-authorship or your contribution to the publications (please do this for each co-authored publication). You can do so by using this form or by describing the co-authorship in such a way that the committee can assess the extent of your contribution.

All non-Danish and non-English documents must be translated into English. Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

Applicants are requested to submit a teaching portfolio with the application as documentation for teaching experience as well as supervision qualifications. Formal application instructions and a guide for the teaching portfolio can be found here.

Incomplete applications may be desk-rejected without any substantial evaluation.

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process.

Applicants’ qualifications will be assessed by an assessment committee. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material. Once the assessment committee has submitted its report, applicants will receive the part of the assessment that concerns themselves. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of Department who will form an appointment committee. The appointment committee will manage and complete one or more job interviews with especially promising applicants. Based on information from the entire recruitment process, the Head of Department determines which applicant(s) will be offered a position.

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than December 9, 2024, using the link "Apply online". Uploaded files must be in Adobe PDF (unlocked).

Read the guideline for applicants

Each field can only contain a single file of max. 10 Mb.