Postdoctoral position in Modern Danish Literary history at TRANSITION – Center for Changing Urban and Rural Lives (Center for Excellence), University of Copenhagen
fuldtid
Postdoctoral position in Modern Danish Literary history at TRANSITION – Center for Changing Urban and Rural Lives (Center for Excellence), University of Copenhagen
The Center of Excellence TRANSITION – Changing Urban and Rural Lives at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, invites applications for a postdoctoral position in literature, with a particular focus on the center’s thematic focus Lifespans.
The position is a 30-month full-time appointment starting 1 February 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.
About TRANSITION
TRANSITION – Center for Changing Urban and Rural Lives is funded by the Danish National Research Foundation for up to 10 years. It is hosted by the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics (NorS) at the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with the National Museum of Denmark. The center investigates how the profound rural–urban transitions of the 20th and 21st centuries shaped people’s lived experiences, identities, and cultural imaginaries. It combines sociolinguistic, literary, and historical scholarship, drawing on unique archives such as the Dialect Archive, the LANCHART corpus, the National Museum’s ethnological collections, and Danish literary history.
About the position
The successful candidate will develop and conduct an independent research project aligned with TRANSITION’s research agenda, focusing on Lifespans, tracing individuals’ experiences of transitions across time and space.
The right candidate has documented experiences within the fields of Danish and/or Nordic literature between 1870 and 1945, preferably with a focus on life-story narratives and narratives of urban-rural change.
The postdoc is expected to work with Danish literary texts from the period 1870–1945 as sources for exploring experiences of urban–rural transition, with particular attention to how literary narratives reflect and negotiate cultural memory and collective identities. The proposed project may also consider the use of digital archives of Danish and Nordic literature, such as the MeMo corpus. The project plan should demonstrate how the applicant’s expertise in literary history and theory can contribute to TRANSITION’s interdisciplinary agenda.
Supervisor: Associate Professor Torben Jelsbak (Lead Investigator at TRANSITION).
Duties and Responsibilities
Normally, the post will be heavily weighted in favor of research. In addition, a certain amount of teaching may also be required. Other duties may, furthermore, be performed to a limited extent. The university determines the exact ratio between the various responsibilities. The ratio may vary over time.
Qualification requirements and assessment criteria
Employment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.
More information on careers at UCPH and the requirement for the different academic positions is available on: Career at The University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
For more about postdoc positions and qualification requirements, see the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities: Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (ufm.dk)
Required qualifications
Teaching qualifications are not a requirement, but if the postdoc is expected to teach, then documented teaching experience can be included in the overall assessment.
Application
Applications must be submitted online in PDF or Word format. Click on the “Apply now” button at the bottom of this advertisement to apply.
The application must include the following documents (in English, Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian):
1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page). Outlines the applicant’s motivation to apply for the position, how their project relates to TRANSITION and describes what competencies and qualifications make them the ideal candidate for the position.
2. CV (max. two pages), including research profile, methodological expertise, educational background, language skills, and other relevant skills.
3. Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates and PhD diploma).
6. If applicable: Documentation of university-level teaching experience/teaching portfolio.
7. Short statement (max. 2,400 characters) on expected development as a researcher and future career plans.
Only documentation in the listed languages will be assessed. Applications failing to meet requirements may not be considered.
Applicants are invited to familiarize themselves with the faculty's strategic landmarks here: Strategic landmarks – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
Salary and terms of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 38,700 (EUR 5,100) + a 17,1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.
Place of employment
The place of employment is TRANSITION – Center for Changing Urban and Rural Lives, Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics (NorS), Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen.
The recruitment process
Once the deadline for applications has expired, the Head of Department will consider advice from the appointment committee and select applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. The Head of Department will then set up an expert assessment committee to consider the applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. They will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced.
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk).
As an applicant to the University of Copenhagen, you should be prepared to undergo a security screening related to international research collaboration as part of the recruitment process. The security screening will be conducted in cases where the University deems it appropriate based on an overall assessment.
An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and 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. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see HR Excellence in Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR Centre South, email: Hr-Soendre@adm.ku.dk, please refer to ID number: 211-2328/25-2I #2.
For specific questions about the position and TRANSITION please contact Director of TRANSITION Prof. Pia Quist (pqj@hum.ku.dk) and Lead Investigator at TRANSITION Assoc. Prof. Torben Jelsbak (tjelsbak@hum.ku.dk).
The deadline for applications is 23:59 [CET] on 3 November 2025.
We expect to hold job interviews on 12 December 2025.
Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
The position is a 30-month full-time appointment starting 1 February 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.
About TRANSITION
TRANSITION – Center for Changing Urban and Rural Lives is funded by the Danish National Research Foundation for up to 10 years. It is hosted by the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics (NorS) at the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with the National Museum of Denmark. The center investigates how the profound rural–urban transitions of the 20th and 21st centuries shaped people’s lived experiences, identities, and cultural imaginaries. It combines sociolinguistic, literary, and historical scholarship, drawing on unique archives such as the Dialect Archive, the LANCHART corpus, the National Museum’s ethnological collections, and Danish literary history.
About the position
The successful candidate will develop and conduct an independent research project aligned with TRANSITION’s research agenda, focusing on Lifespans, tracing individuals’ experiences of transitions across time and space.
The right candidate has documented experiences within the fields of Danish and/or Nordic literature between 1870 and 1945, preferably with a focus on life-story narratives and narratives of urban-rural change.
The postdoc is expected to work with Danish literary texts from the period 1870–1945 as sources for exploring experiences of urban–rural transition, with particular attention to how literary narratives reflect and negotiate cultural memory and collective identities. The proposed project may also consider the use of digital archives of Danish and Nordic literature, such as the MeMo corpus. The project plan should demonstrate how the applicant’s expertise in literary history and theory can contribute to TRANSITION’s interdisciplinary agenda.
Supervisor: Associate Professor Torben Jelsbak (Lead Investigator at TRANSITION).
Duties and Responsibilities
Normally, the post will be heavily weighted in favor of research. In addition, a certain amount of teaching may also be required. Other duties may, furthermore, be performed to a limited extent. The university determines the exact ratio between the various responsibilities. The ratio may vary over time.
Qualification requirements and assessment criteria
Employment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.
More information on careers at UCPH and the requirement for the different academic positions is available on: Career at The University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
For more about postdoc positions and qualification requirements, see the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities: Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (ufm.dk)
Required qualifications
- PhD in Danish or Scandinavian literature or related field (e.g. Danish, Nordic or Scandinavian Studies, Comparative Literature).
- Strong research profile in 19th and/or 20th century literary history.
- Interest in interdisciplinary collaboration with sociolinguistics and history.
- Experience with digital humanities methods (e.g., distant reading) is welcome but not required.
Teaching qualifications are not a requirement, but if the postdoc is expected to teach, then documented teaching experience can be included in the overall assessment.
Application
Applications must be submitted online in PDF or Word format. Click on the “Apply now” button at the bottom of this advertisement to apply.
The application must include the following documents (in English, Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian):
1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page). Outlines the applicant’s motivation to apply for the position, how their project relates to TRANSITION and describes what competencies and qualifications make them the ideal candidate for the position.
2. CV (max. two pages), including research profile, methodological expertise, educational background, language skills, and other relevant skills.
3. Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates and PhD diploma).
- Research question(s),
- State of the art,
- Theoretical framework,
- Methods and research design,
- Fit with TRANSITION and how the project will address TRANSITION's four goals,
- Work plan.
6. If applicable: Documentation of university-level teaching experience/teaching portfolio.
7. Short statement (max. 2,400 characters) on expected development as a researcher and future career plans.
Only documentation in the listed languages will be assessed. Applications failing to meet requirements may not be considered.
Applicants are invited to familiarize themselves with the faculty's strategic landmarks here: Strategic landmarks – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
Salary and terms of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 38,700 (EUR 5,100) + a 17,1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.
Place of employment
The place of employment is TRANSITION – Center for Changing Urban and Rural Lives, Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics (NorS), Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen.
The recruitment process
Once the deadline for applications has expired, the Head of Department will consider advice from the appointment committee and select applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. The Head of Department will then set up an expert assessment committee to consider the applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. They will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced.
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk).
As an applicant to the University of Copenhagen, you should be prepared to undergo a security screening related to international research collaboration as part of the recruitment process. The security screening will be conducted in cases where the University deems it appropriate based on an overall assessment.
An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and 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. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see HR Excellence in Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR Centre South, email: Hr-Soendre@adm.ku.dk, please refer to ID number: 211-2328/25-2I #2.
For specific questions about the position and TRANSITION please contact Director of TRANSITION Prof. Pia Quist (pqj@hum.ku.dk) and Lead Investigator at TRANSITION Assoc. Prof. Torben Jelsbak (tjelsbak@hum.ku.dk).
The deadline for applications is 23:59 [CET] on 3 November 2025.
We expect to hold job interviews on 12 December 2025.
Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered.