Aarhus University, The Interacting Minds Centre, part of the School of Culture and Society
Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Cognitive Science
Institution Type: | College / University |
Location: | Denmark |
Position: | Assistant Professor, Tenure Track Faculty |
The Interacting Minds Centre, part of the School of Culture and Society at Aarhus University, is seeking to consolidate and expand its research and educational activities within the field of Cognitive Science. We invite applications for a tenure-track assistant professorship within this field.
The position will be available from August 1st 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The tenure-track assistant professorship begins with a full-time, fixed-term five-year appointment as assistant professor with a view to permanent employment as associate professor. The position as assistant professor involves research and teaching at Bachelor’s and Master’s level and includes an obligatory course in university teaching for assistant professors.
Tenure as an associate professor is conditional upon the assistant professor being assessed as qualified for the position of associate professor before the end of the fifth year of employment at the latest or, if the tenure-track candidate requests, before the end of the fourth year of employment. The assessment is based on the assistant professor’s fulfilment of the qualification requirements that apply to associate professorships and the criteria stated in this advertisement. If the assessment is positive, the candidate will be offered a tenured position as an associate professor at Aarhus University.
Place of employment: Department of Society and Culture, Aarhus University, Denmark.
In its pursuit of academic excellence 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 position
The position is offered with a view to attracting talented applicants with an excellent and well-documented track record in innovative and internationally recognised research in Cognitive Science. The focus of the position is on Communication, Machine Leaning Methods including prediction models, and Natural Language Processing.
Research
The 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 Interacting Minds Centre’s research activities and output in particular. They will be expected to take an interest in interdisciplinary research collaboration within the Interacting Minds Centre’s research programme, the School of Culture and Society, the Faculty of Arts, and beyond.
To be successful, applicants must have a primary interest in cognition, and must have published in one or more empirical areas within the cognitive sciences. Example empirical areas include cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, or linguistics. Applicants must also demonstrate knowledge of and competence in machine learning methods, as they are applied in the cognitive sciences. Applicants should ideally be able to apply machine learning methods to the study of communication. It is an advantage if applicants can demonstrate knowledge of and competence in prediction models. It is also an advantage if applicants can demonstrate experience with or interest in applying cognitive science beyond academia. The successful applicant will be expected to develop new research projects with internal and external partners and to raise external research funding.
At the time of tenure review for the position of associate professor, the tenure-track candidate is expected to have built a strong research profile at the highest international level and contributed actively to collaborative research and research initiatives with other local, national and/or international researchers in the field. This includes participating in attracting research funding from external funding bodies and publishing the equivalent of at least two peer-reviewed scholarly articles per year.
Teaching and track coordination
The successful applicant will be responsible for planning, developing and teaching at Bachelor’s and Master’s level. We ask applicants to reflect explicitly on their ambitions and visions for their teaching in the field of cognitive science.
Applicants must also be able to teach general courses in cognitive science, with a focus on communication and machine learning methods. Applicants must be able to contribute to teaching and supervision in one or more of the following areas: masters level courses on natural language processing, masters level courses on prediction models, or applications of cognitive science.
At the time of tenure review for the position of associate professor, the tenure-track candidate must document the ability to independently undertake teaching tasks at all levels within their own core subject area and document the breadth of their teaching competences at all levels including supervision. The candidate is expected to have taught two to three courses a year (depending on the nature of the specific courses), to have engaged in supervision activities such as thesis supervision at Bachelor’s and/or Master’s level, and to have conducted exams. The candidate is also expected to have participated in curriculum development and to have contributed actively to the academic and research environment of the department.
We emphasise the importance of maintaining a dedicated and respectful relationship between staff and students, so the ideal candidate should be able to demonstrate and exemplify their commitment to participatory teaching initiatives and student involvement as part of their teaching portfolio.
Talent development
The tenure-track assistant professor may act as co-supervisor to PhD students and assist in PhD seminars and other events aimed at doctoral training.
Knowledge exchange
It is expected that the successful applicant will engage in knowledge exchange as described in the strategy for the Faculty of Arts https://arts.au.dk/om-arts/strategi-arts-2020-2025/, 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.
Qualifications
Applicants for the assistant professorship must hold a PhD or assistant professorship document equivalent qualifications in cognitive science or a related academic area. They must also be able to document the following:
- A promising research profile documented through relevant academic publications, and possibly other research contributions, at international level
- Publication in one or more empirical areas within the cognitive sciences
- Knowledge and competence in machine learning methods, as they are applied in the cognitive sciences
- Research on communication
- Knowledge of prediction models
Furthermore it will considered an advantage if applicants can document the following:
- An orientation towards active participation in international research collaboration
- Experience of university-level teaching and a commitment to teaching development and the supervision of student projects
- Experience or interest in applied cognitive science
The applicant’s research activities will be evaluated in relation to research time. We therefore encourage applicants to specify any periods of research leave they may have taken (for instance maternity/paternity leave) so that we can take these periods into consideration when evaluating research productivity.
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 information
Applicants must be able to teach and supervise in English at university level.
If the successful applicant is not fluent in Danish, the applicant must learn sufficient Danish to participate in the daily administrative and academic business of the department within a period agreed upon between the applicant and the department. The acquisition of sufficient Danish is a condition for employment
In order to maintain and develop the department’s research environment, the person appointed is expected to be present at the department on a daily basis.
Applications must be uploaded in English.
Deadline: 03 May 2022
For further information about the content of the position, please contact Associate Professor Joshua Skewes: filjcs@cas.au.dk
For further information about the application, please contact HR supporter Marianne Birn (mbb@au.dk)
The Interacting Minds Centre for the Study of Cognition, Communication and Choice
Specific abilities for interaction are key to being human. Interactions affect our bodies, our minds, our brains and the world we live in. We are, however, only beginning to understand even the most basic mechanisms. Successful interaction is critical for cooperation, coordination and learning. When this fails, confusion and conflict abound. In many clinical disorders, interactions that otherwise seem automatic may be difficult or outright impossible.
The Interacting Minds Centre (IMC) provides a transdisciplinary platform to study human interaction. It involves researchers from the humanities, social sciences, cognitive sciences, biology and clinical research. This is necessary, because through interactions, humans construct worlds that are at once physical, economic, symbolic and normative. We will therefore study the interplay between three related topics: cognition, communication, and choice. Bringing these fields together to bridge topics related to human interaction makes IMC a unique methodological and theoretical centre of research and inquiry.
IMC was funded by Aarhus University 2012-16 as part of the interdisciplinary research initiative. From 2017-2019 IMC is funded by ARTS, Health and BSS.
The School of Culture and Society
At the School of Culture and Society, the object of research and teaching is the interplay between culture and society in time and space:
- From the traditional disciplines of the humanities and theology to applied social research
- From Antiquity to the issues facing contemporary societies
- From local questions to global challenges
The school’s ambition is to produce compelling research with an international resonance and to offer teaching and talent development of the highest quality. The school has a broad cooperative interface with society as a whole, both in Denmark and abroad, and contributes to social innovation, research communication and further and continuing education.
For further information about the school, please see http://cas.au.dk/en/.
International applicants
International applicants are encouraged to review our policies regarding family and work-life balance and attractive working conditions 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 a relocation service and career counselling for expat partners. For information about taxation, see Taxation aspects of international researchers' employment by AU
Qualification requirements
Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners: http://ias.au.dk/au-relocation-service/. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here: http://international.au.dk/research/.
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.
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
Read more at arts.au.dk/en
Contact: |
For further information about the content of the position, please contact Associate Professor Joshua Skewes: filjcs@cas.au.dk |
Website: | https://arts.au.dk/en |
Primary Category: | Social Sciences |
Secondary Categories: | Cultural History / Studies |
Posting Date: | 04/08/2022 |
Closing Date | 05/03/2022 |