The Department of Psychology at the University of Southern Denmark invites applications for a full-time position as tenure-track Assistant Professor. The position is a six-year tenure-track appointment with the prospect of promotion to a permanent position as Associate Professor.

Job description

We are seeking candidates who will contribute to the development of research and research-based teaching that bridges cognitive theory and practice in health-related contexts. Experience with clinical populations or translational research will be considered an advantage.

The department also aims to strengthen and further develop a research environment in cognitive psychology with a particular focus on visual perception, including visual attention, working memory, and visual neuroscience. We therefore welcome applicants who are motivated to contribute to and help drive this research agenda in a collaborative research setting.

The successful candidate will have access to the department’s research infrastructure, including facilities for EEG, eye-tracking, and computer-based behavioral testing.

The candidate is expected to contribute to teaching cognitive, biological, and experimental psychology, as well as research methods, and to supervise bachelor’s and master’s theses.

In addition to research and teaching, the position includes responsibilities related to attracting external research funding, engaging in knowledge exchange with society, and contributing to administrative tasks at the department.

The main place of employment and teaching will be at Campus Odense, with occasional teaching or administrative tasks at Campus Esbjerg. As collaboration across courses and campuses is central to our educational programs, applicants should be willing to coordinate teaching activities with both existing and new staff members.

The successful candidate is required to complete the Lecturer Training Programme during the period of employment. International applicants are expected to learn Danish during the first years of their employment. The University of Southern Denmark offers Danish language courses to support this.

The position is expected to commence in late autumn 2026.

Expectations

We are seeking a highly motivated researcher who will contribute actively to the department. 

Ideal candidates should demonstrate:

• A strong international research profile with a proven track record of publishing original experimental cognitive psychology research in high-quality journals

• An ability to secure external competitive funding

• Documented teaching experience at BSc and/or MSc level and a dedication to high quality teaching, especially in cognitive, biological, and experimental psychology and methods

• Research that focuses on visual perception, attention, or working memory 

• A willingness and ability to develop and contribute to collaborative projects

• Experience with working in an international and interdisciplinary environment

We prefer candidates that help form and support the strategies of the Department of Psychology, and that have the ambition to make mutual working relationships thrive.

For more information on the department’s recruitment criteria and career advancement, see:

https://www.sdu.dk/en/om-sdu/institutter-centre/institut_psykologi/om_ip/recruitment 

Qualifications

All applicants should possess the following qualifications:

• Master’s and PhD degrees in a relevant discipline such as psychology, cognitive neuroscience, or similar with a focus in experimental cognitive psychology research

• Documented experience with teaching and/or formalised pedagogical and didactic qualifications and competences in accordance with level of appointment

• Ability to independently design, set up, and run experimental studies, including the relevant programming skills (e.g. Matlab) for doing so

• Proficiency in spoken and written English

Tenure track positions are usually aimed at candidates who have not previously held an assistant professor position

About Us

The Department of Psychology at SDU was founded in 2010 at the Odense Campus where it offers bachelor's and master’s degree programs to 130+ students per cohort in psychology. The psychology education at the Esbjerg Campus is newly established, and the first cohort of about 75 bachelor students will start in the autumn of 2025 and a corresponding master’s degree program will start in 2028. Our degree programs include courses in Danish and English. 

The department is organized into three units that span across both campuses: 1) Health and Cognitive Psychology, 2) Clinical Psychology, and 3) Community Psychology. For more information on the department, units, research, and education programs see https://www.sdu.dk/en/om-sdu/institutter-centre/institut_psykologi

We are situated within the Faculty of Health Sciences. On the Odense campus, all disciplines of the faculty are placed in the new health sciences building, which opened in 2023. The new university hospital, which is still under construction, is directly connected to the health sciences building, providing an ideal environment for collaborative research. 

SDU is a campus university with all disciplines situated in close spatial proximity, providing for a wealth of opportunities to establish multidisciplinary collaborations (relevant disciplines may include e.g. neuroscience (see https://www.sdu.dk/en/forskning/bridge), audiology, engineering (e.g. robotics), ophthalmology, biology, and others). 

Application deadline and interviews

Application deadline: April 26, 2026, at 23.59 hrs. (CEST).

We expect to conduct interviews between week 24-26.

Starting date: 1^st of September or 1^st of October

Terms of employment

The successful applicant will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

For Assistant Professors, the minimum salary is approximately DKK 41.000,00 (equivalent to approximately EUR 5.485 per month before taxes). An additional 18.07% of salary is paid into the pension scheme by the university.

The tenure-track position begins with an appointment as Assistant Professor, with the prospect of permanent employment as Associate Professor. Promotion to Associate Professor is contingent upon a positive assessment of the candidate’s qualifications, which must take place no later than six months before the anticipated transition. Progress will be reviewed through yearly evaluation meetings.

Your place of work will be at the Department of Psychology Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark.

International applicants

Non-Danish-speaking applicants will be expected to have and show an interest in learning the Danish language at a level which enables them to read Danish mails and administrative documents as well as to understand spoken everyday Danish. International applicants will be offered Danish language training as part of the employment. 

The International Staff Office (ISO) at SDU provides a variety of services for new employees, guests and people who consider applying for a job at the University of Southern Denmark. International recruitments are offered a special researcher tax scheme with a lower tax rate.

Contacts:

If you have any questions about the position, please contact:

Rikke Holm Bramsen, Head of Department, email: rholmb@health.sdu.dk , tel. +45 65 50 72 51

Prof. Søren Krogh Andersen, Head of the Unit for Health and Cognitive Psychology, email: skandersen@health.sdu.dk , tel. +45 24 98 41 01 

Application process

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link “Apply now” - see below. 

We strongly recommend that you read How to apply for a position at SDU before you apply. 

Only applications written in English will be accepted for evaluation. 

Your application must include the following as PDF files:

Please note that the application (the motivation letter) and CV must not exceed 10 MB in total).

• a motivation letter stating the interest, motivation and qualifications for the project (max. 2 pages).

• a detailed CV, including personal contact information.

• degree certificates (including a Ph.D.-diploma).

• a complete and numbered list of publications. 

• up to 3 scientific peer-reviewed publications considered by the candidate as most important for this position. Please note that a copy of each publication must be attached as a pdf file. 

• It is permitted to merge copies of the selected publications into a single PDF file.

• a teaching portfolio detailing the candidate’s prior teaching experience, teaching skills, and teaching philosophy. 

• a research plan detailing the candidate’s ideas and plans for her/his future research work

Please note that all the above-mentioned information must be included in the application.

Incomplete applications regarding the above-mentioned requirements will not be assessed.

Assessment

Shortlisting will be used as part of the initial selection process. 

Assessment of shortlisted applications will be done under the existing Appointment Order for Universities in Denmark. Shortlisted applications 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. 

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, the applicants will receive the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant her/himself. 

References will be obtained for the preferred candidate from their current and previous employers. 

Applicants invited for interview should expect to complete a work-related personality assessment.

The University of Southern Denmark wish to reflect the diversity of society and welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender, nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation. Appointment will be based on merit alone.