Tenure-track Assistant and Associate Professorship positions in Algorithms

We seek candidates to join the Algorithms Section. The focus of the call is both to expand at the new Vejle campus and to strengthen the Odense campus. We have several openings, and successful applicants would get either Vejle or Odense as their place of work.

The preferred starting date is August 1, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. The application deadline is January 10, 2026, at 23:59 (CEST).

Hired candidates will join the Algorithms Section that spans the two campuses. We encourage applications from researchers that can complement or strengthen the competences of the section. We are seeking candidates with a strong research record within efficient algorithms, broadly understood as spanning from algorithms design and analysis to complexity theory. Examples of interesting research areas include, but are not limited to, approximation algorithms, combinatorial optimization, cryptology, data structures, fine-grained complexity, and algorithmic research bridging to ML/AI.

Tenure-track Assistant Professorship Position 

Successful candidates for a tenure-track assistant professorship position must display a promising research track record within the area of this call and have had some teaching and supervision experience on BSc and MSc levels. The Danish tenure-track employment is a focused assistant professorship with a guaranteed assessment for a position as tenured associate professor: before the end of the sixth year of employment and contingent on a positive academic assessment, the assistant professor will transit into a permanent (tenured) position as associate professor. A tenure-track assistant professor can request assessment for tenure earlier. If this assessment is negative, the assistant professor can request a second assessment within the final six months of employment. More information about the process can be found in the tenure track procedure at the University of Southern Denmark.

Associate Professorship Position

Successful candidates for an associate professorship position must have an international research profile with a distinguished research record within the area of this call, and a proven ability to attract third-party funding. Demonstrated success in building and leading dynamic research teams and a strong track record of developing and leading research, innovation, or industry-engaged research will be a plus. We expect extensive teaching and supervision experience across BSc and MSc levels.

Please find more information about the

• Algorithms Section: https://algorithms.sdu.dk/
• Department: https://imada.sdu.dk/
• Odense Campus: https://www.sdu.dk/en/om-sdu/sdu-campusser/odense
• Vejle Campus: https://www.sdu.dk/en/om-sdu/sdu-campusser/vejle

If you are interested in learning more about the position, please contact Head of the Algorithms Section Kim Skak Larsen at kslarsen@imada.sdu.dk.

Conditions of employment
Appointment as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor is temporary and for an initial x-year period. (up to 6 years).

During employment, the assistant professor will complete the Lecturer Training Programme. 

Appointment to the position will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the protocol for the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for assistant professor as described herein. Please check links for more information on salary (only available in Danish) and taxation.

The person employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a self-organiser

The Danish tenure track employment
The Danish tenure-track employment is a focused assistant professorship with a guaranteed assessment for a permanent position as an associate professor within the tenure-track assistant professor’s field of study.

The head of department will host annual performance- and development reviews, to ensure the progress of the assistant professor’s development towards meeting the qualifications of an associate professorship. A formal midterm evaluation will be conducted by a committee, consisting of the head of the department and two external researchers with relevant qualifications, with the purpose of ensuring the focus of the assistant professor’s activities, as well as to create the basis for the planning of the remaining period.

The transition from assistant professor to associate professor
Within the last year of employment, the tenure-track assistant professor is expected to transition into a position as an associate professor position, based on a positive assessment conducted by a formally approved assessment committee, consisting of a chairman appointed by SDU and minimum one external committee member approved by the dean and the academic council.

Successful applicants to tenure-track assistant professor positions must be scholars with an internationally competitive research profile, whose potential is at the forefront of their discipline. The applicants for tenure-track assistant professorships are assessed based on the criteria of the applicant’s potential to reach an international level of scholarly excellence during the tenure-track period. The candidate will only be promoted to associate professor when the assessment committee confirms that the candidate has scholarly merits at a level of international excellence beyond what can normally be expected for associate professors, with reference to the qualification policy of the research group in which the position is announced.

Indicators of relevant scholarly merits could be documented through scholarly output independent of the PhD supervisor, ground-breaking publications, achievement of excellence grants, and international research network. 

The assessment and evaluation process
Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will receive an assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU. 

Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee and the shortlisted applicants will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns them. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicants to provide the necessary material.

Interviews and tests may be part of the overall evaluation. 

The application
Applicants are encouraged to read the information "How to apply" before applying. 

To qualify for the position as Tenure Track Assistant Professor you must have obtained a PhD degree by the employment date.

Assessment of the candidates is based on the application material, and the application must include:

• Motivated application
• Curriculum vitae
• Master’s degree and PhD degree or equivalent (copy of original + verfied English translation)
• Documentation of relevant teaching experience
• Research plan, including an account of your own research and preferably a vision for future research 
• A complete list of publications
• Most relevant publications. Please attach one pdf-file for each publication. In case of co-authorship, a co-author statement must be submitted as part of the pdf-file
• Reference letters/references may also be included
• A statement of other qualifications relevant to the position.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now". 

The application and all appendices must be in English.  We request files in pdf-format no more than 5 MB per file. All pdf-files must be unlocked and allow binding and may not be password protected. 

Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

UPLOAD GUIDE: Motivated application shall be uploaded as ‘Cover letter’, Curriculum Vitae shall be uploaded as ‘Resume’. All other documents shall be uploaded as ‘Miscellaneous documents’.

If the application does not meet the requirements mentioned above, the faculty may reject your application without further notice. Applications received after the deadline will neither be considered nor evaluated.

The University of Southern Denmark wishes to reflect the surrounding community and therefore encourages everyone, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position.

About SDU
The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.