Assistant Professorship in Archaeology, Aarhus University
fuldtid
Assistant Professorship in Archaeology, Aarhus University
The Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, School of Culture and Society, invites applications for a position as assistant professor in Archaeology. The position will commence 1 September 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.
An assistant professorship is a full-time, three-year training position that involves research and teaching at the BA, MA and PhD level and includes an obligatory course in university teaching for assistant professors. Following the assistant professorship period and subject to necessary funding, an associate professorship within the same academic field will be announced in open competition.
Place of employment: Aarhus University, Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, School of Culture and Society (Campus Moesgård), Moesgaard Allé 15, 8270 Højbjerg, Denmark.
In its pursuit of academic excellence and a positive collegial and collaborative atmosphere, The Faculty of Arts is committed to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc.
The positionThe position will be associated with the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies and is a combined teaching and research position.
The position is offered with a view to attract talented applicants with a promising research profile and a commitment to university teaching. Furthermore, the position requires an interest in and ideas for societal engagement and impact, notably with respect to cross-institutional collaboration and sector integration (for example university–museums sector collaboration, research addressing sector-specific challenges, or broader societal engagement and impact). Experience with or an interest in computational approaches to archaeological data and fieldwork as well as Scandinavian Archaeology will be an advantage.
Subject to funding, an associate professorship in open competition will be advertised following this three-year period. When assessing candidates for this associate professorship, in addition to the requirements for associate professorships, successful and impactful cross-institutional collaboration and sector integration will be considered an important assessment criterion.
ResearchThe successful applicant will be expected to contribute to core activities at the School of Culture and Society and Aarhus University in general and to strengthen the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies’ research activities and output in particular.
The successful applicant will also be expected to develop new research projects with internal and external partners and to raise external research funding.
The applicant’s research credentials and publication record will be assessed not just on existing publications and other research contributions but also on research potential as specified in the qualifications section below.
Past research achievements will be assessed based on the active research time of the applicant in question. We therefore ask applicants to specify any career breaks they have had (for instance due to maternity/paternity leave) in order to gauge their research productivity.
EducationThe successful applicant will be required to teach and supervise in Archaeology at BA and MA levels of the department’s degree programmes and will be expected to have some teaching experience at university level.
We emphasise the importance of maintaining a dedicated and respectful relationship between staff and students, so applicants should be able to demonstrate and exemplify their commitment to participatory teaching initiatives and student involvement as part of their teaching portfolio (see (LINK) for further information).
Knowledge exchangeIt is expected that the successful applicant will engage in knowledge exchange as described in the strategy for the Faculty of Arts Strategy Arts 2020-2025 (au.dk), for instance research cooperation with private companies, government consultancy, cooperation with civil society partners or the public dissemination of knowledge. Applicants should document any prior experience within the field of knowledge exchange.
QualificationsApplicants must hold a PhD or equivalent qualifications in Archaeology. In addition, we are looking for a candidate with the following set of qualifications:
As part of the application, candidates are required to formulate ideas and potential plans with respect to the qualifications of this position, with special attention to cross-institutional collaboration and sector integration (for example university–museums sector collaboration, research addressing sector-specific challenges, or broader societal engagement and impact).
Only submitted publications will be assessed; a list of publications is not sufficient. As a result, applications without submitted publications will not be assessed.
References or recommendations should not be included with the application. Applicants who are selected for a job interview may be asked to provide professional references.
Language and further informationApplicants must be able to teach and supervise in English at university level.
If the successful applicant is not fluent in Danish, s/he will be expected to acquire the language within a period of approximately two years.
In order to maintain and develop the department’s collegial and collaborative atmosphere, the person appointed is expected to be present at the department on a daily basis.
Applications must be uploaded in English.
For further information about the content of the position, please contact Head of Department, Andres Minos Dobat, Farkado@cas.au.dk.
For further information about the application procedure, please contact iks-hr-sag@au.dk.
The work environmentThe Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies offers a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree programme in archaeology, together with an MA Programme in Sustainable Heritage Management (taught in English). The Department employs approximately 12 Full, Associate, and Assistant Professors in the fields of archaeology and heritage studies, as well as postdoctoral researchers and a cohort of PhD students. Each year, the Department admits around 40–50 students to its BA programme and approximately 20–30 students to its MA Archaeology programme. All our degree programmes are robustly linked to the Danish academic and heritage management sector with respect to education, research, and alumni relations. The Department constitutes an active and internationally oriented research environment focusing on culture, environment, and society from the earliest times to the present, and on exploring how real and imagined pasts can serve as assets in the present and inform the future. Drawing on fieldwork and excavation, laboratory, archival, and ethnographic investigations, as well as applied intervention projects, interdisciplinarity lies at the core of the Department’s research and teaching activities, enabling us to investigate and challenge understandings of past, present, and future societies from a long-term perspective. Creativity is reflected in the Department’s extensive and diverse publication output, its strong ability to attract external funding, and its commitment to educating highly qualified graduates, as well as in its many forms of collaboration with external partners that generate innovation and societal impact in response to contemporary challenges. The Department strives to be an attractive and supportive place to work, characterised by a collegial, inclusive, and collaborative atmosphere founded on mutual respect, open dialogue, and shared academic engagement across career stages.
The School of Culture and SocietyThe School of Culture and Society is a vibrant research community dedicated to understanding the cultural and social conditions that shape human life. Our work examines how people interact with their environments, from prehistory to the present, and across both local contexts and global dynamics. Through cross-sector and cross-disciplinary partnerships, we aim to drive research innovation and contribute to address the major questions facing society. In both research and education, we are committed to bringing the humanities into active dialogue with partners beyond the university.
The School is committed to:
International applicantsInternational applicants are encouraged to checkWorking and living with your family in Denmark for further information about the benefits of working at Aarhus University and in Denmark, including healthcare, paid holidays and, if relevant, maternity/paternity leave, childcare and schooling. Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including aRelocation and onboarding services for international AU staffand career counselling for expat partners. For information about taxation, see Taxation aspects of international researchers' employment by AU.
Qualification requirements
Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent academic qualifications.
Formalities
If nothing else is noted, applications must be submitted in English. Application deadline is at 11.59 pm Danish time (same as Central European Time) on the deadline day.
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.
Shortlists may be prepared with the candidates that have been selected for a detailed academic assessment. A committee set up by the head of school is responsible for selecting the most qualified candidates. See this link for further information about shortlisting at the Faculty of Arts: shortlisting
About Arts
The Faculty of Arts is one of Northern Europe’s most significant faculties for research and higher education in the humanities, theology and education. Within this broad academic scope, the faculty comprises approximately 700 researchers, 200 PhD students, 9,000 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students, and 1,500 further and continuing education students. We believe that the best ideas arise when different perspectives meet – and that research, teaching and innovation are best developed in dialogue with the surrounding society.
You can find more information here: Faculty of Arts | Aarhus University
Deadline
19 March 2026
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/
An assistant professorship is a full-time, three-year training position that involves research and teaching at the BA, MA and PhD level and includes an obligatory course in university teaching for assistant professors. Following the assistant professorship period and subject to necessary funding, an associate professorship within the same academic field will be announced in open competition.
Place of employment: Aarhus University, Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, School of Culture and Society (Campus Moesgård), Moesgaard Allé 15, 8270 Højbjerg, Denmark.
In its pursuit of academic excellence and a positive collegial and collaborative atmosphere, The Faculty of Arts is committed to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc.
The positionThe position will be associated with the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies and is a combined teaching and research position.
The position is offered with a view to attract talented applicants with a promising research profile and a commitment to university teaching. Furthermore, the position requires an interest in and ideas for societal engagement and impact, notably with respect to cross-institutional collaboration and sector integration (for example university–museums sector collaboration, research addressing sector-specific challenges, or broader societal engagement and impact). Experience with or an interest in computational approaches to archaeological data and fieldwork as well as Scandinavian Archaeology will be an advantage.
Subject to funding, an associate professorship in open competition will be advertised following this three-year period. When assessing candidates for this associate professorship, in addition to the requirements for associate professorships, successful and impactful cross-institutional collaboration and sector integration will be considered an important assessment criterion.
ResearchThe successful applicant will be expected to contribute to core activities at the School of Culture and Society and Aarhus University in general and to strengthen the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies’ research activities and output in particular.
The successful applicant will also be expected to develop new research projects with internal and external partners and to raise external research funding.
The applicant’s research credentials and publication record will be assessed not just on existing publications and other research contributions but also on research potential as specified in the qualifications section below.
Past research achievements will be assessed based on the active research time of the applicant in question. We therefore ask applicants to specify any career breaks they have had (for instance due to maternity/paternity leave) in order to gauge their research productivity.
EducationThe successful applicant will be required to teach and supervise in Archaeology at BA and MA levels of the department’s degree programmes and will be expected to have some teaching experience at university level.
We emphasise the importance of maintaining a dedicated and respectful relationship between staff and students, so applicants should be able to demonstrate and exemplify their commitment to participatory teaching initiatives and student involvement as part of their teaching portfolio (see (LINK) for further information).
Knowledge exchangeIt is expected that the successful applicant will engage in knowledge exchange as described in the strategy for the Faculty of Arts Strategy Arts 2020-2025 (au.dk), for instance research cooperation with private companies, government consultancy, cooperation with civil society partners or the public dissemination of knowledge. Applicants should document any prior experience within the field of knowledge exchange.
QualificationsApplicants must hold a PhD or equivalent qualifications in Archaeology. In addition, we are looking for a candidate with the following set of qualifications:
- A promising research production at international level
- Some experience of university-level teaching and a commitment to teaching development and the supervision of student projects
- Experience of or interest in cross-institutional research collaborations
- Interest in and ideas for obtaining external research funding
- An interest in and ideas for societal engagement and impact
- An interest in and ideas for fostering sector collaboration and integration, both in research and education
- Experience or an interest in Scandinavian Archaeology
As part of the application, candidates are required to formulate ideas and potential plans with respect to the qualifications of this position, with special attention to cross-institutional collaboration and sector integration (for example university–museums sector collaboration, research addressing sector-specific challenges, or broader societal engagement and impact).
Only submitted publications will be assessed; a list of publications is not sufficient. As a result, applications without submitted publications will not be assessed.
References or recommendations should not be included with the application. Applicants who are selected for a job interview may be asked to provide professional references.
Language and further informationApplicants must be able to teach and supervise in English at university level.
If the successful applicant is not fluent in Danish, s/he will be expected to acquire the language within a period of approximately two years.
In order to maintain and develop the department’s collegial and collaborative atmosphere, the person appointed is expected to be present at the department on a daily basis.
Applications must be uploaded in English.
For further information about the content of the position, please contact Head of Department, Andres Minos Dobat, Farkado@cas.au.dk.
For further information about the application procedure, please contact iks-hr-sag@au.dk.
The work environmentThe Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies offers a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree programme in archaeology, together with an MA Programme in Sustainable Heritage Management (taught in English). The Department employs approximately 12 Full, Associate, and Assistant Professors in the fields of archaeology and heritage studies, as well as postdoctoral researchers and a cohort of PhD students. Each year, the Department admits around 40–50 students to its BA programme and approximately 20–30 students to its MA Archaeology programme. All our degree programmes are robustly linked to the Danish academic and heritage management sector with respect to education, research, and alumni relations. The Department constitutes an active and internationally oriented research environment focusing on culture, environment, and society from the earliest times to the present, and on exploring how real and imagined pasts can serve as assets in the present and inform the future. Drawing on fieldwork and excavation, laboratory, archival, and ethnographic investigations, as well as applied intervention projects, interdisciplinarity lies at the core of the Department’s research and teaching activities, enabling us to investigate and challenge understandings of past, present, and future societies from a long-term perspective. Creativity is reflected in the Department’s extensive and diverse publication output, its strong ability to attract external funding, and its commitment to educating highly qualified graduates, as well as in its many forms of collaboration with external partners that generate innovation and societal impact in response to contemporary challenges. The Department strives to be an attractive and supportive place to work, characterised by a collegial, inclusive, and collaborative atmosphere founded on mutual respect, open dialogue, and shared academic engagement across career stages.
The School of Culture and SocietyThe School of Culture and Society is a vibrant research community dedicated to understanding the cultural and social conditions that shape human life. Our work examines how people interact with their environments, from prehistory to the present, and across both local contexts and global dynamics. Through cross-sector and cross-disciplinary partnerships, we aim to drive research innovation and contribute to address the major questions facing society. In both research and education, we are committed to bringing the humanities into active dialogue with partners beyond the university.
The School is committed to:
- Fostering an international environment characterized by strong academic and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Embracing an innovative and experimental approach to research, teaching, and communication.
- Cultivating a school that both generates knowledge and educates students for the present and future.
- Advancing a broad engagement with digital humanities.
- Upholding a strong commitment to both local and global societal challenges.
- Creating an inclusive, diverse, and sustainable workplace and organization.
International applicantsInternational applicants are encouraged to checkWorking and living with your family in Denmark for further information about the benefits of working at Aarhus University and in Denmark, including healthcare, paid holidays and, if relevant, maternity/paternity leave, childcare and schooling. Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including aRelocation and onboarding services for international AU staffand career counselling for expat partners. For information about taxation, see Taxation aspects of international researchers' employment by AU.
Qualification requirements
Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent academic qualifications.
Formalities
- Faculty of Arts refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities (the Appointment Order).
- Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance 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 .
- Further information on the application and supplementary materials may be found in Application Guidelines.
- The application must outline the applicant's motivation for applying for the position, attaching a curriculum vitae, a teaching portfolio, a complete list of published works, a research plan, copies of degree certificates and examples of academic production (mandatory, but no more than two examples). Please upload this material electronically along with your application.
If nothing else is noted, applications must be submitted in English. Application deadline is at 11.59 pm Danish time (same as Central European Time) on the deadline day.
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.
Shortlists may be prepared with the candidates that have been selected for a detailed academic assessment. A committee set up by the head of school is responsible for selecting the most qualified candidates. See this link for further information about shortlisting at the Faculty of Arts: shortlisting
About Arts
The Faculty of Arts is one of Northern Europe’s most significant faculties for research and higher education in the humanities, theology and education. Within this broad academic scope, the faculty comprises approximately 700 researchers, 200 PhD students, 9,000 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students, and 1,500 further and continuing education students. We believe that the best ideas arise when different perspectives meet – and that research, teaching and innovation are best developed in dialogue with the surrounding society.
You can find more information here: Faculty of Arts | Aarhus University
Deadline
19 March 2026
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/