Assistant or Associate Professor of Cities, Planning and Mobilities

The Department of People and Technology at Roskilde Universitet invites applications for a position as Assistant or Associate Professor of Cities, Planning, and Mobilities, starting November 1, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. The Assistant Professor position is limited to three years, while the Associate Professor position is a permanent appointment.

The Department of People and Technology at RUC is the university's largest department, encompassing a wide range of disciplines centered on the interactions between humans, society, and technology. Key areas of focus include sustainable transitions, social interventions and entrepreneurship, urban planning, digital transformation, data science, and work and health studies, among others. This position is associated with the MOSPUS research group, which explores the spatial reorganization of society through theoretically-informed research on space, place, mobility, and urban studies.

Responsibilities and tasks

Roskilde Universitet is looking for a profile with the right skillset to help develop the MOSPUS research group, contributing to research within cities, planning, and/or mobilities. The candidate is expected to teach at the master's programs in By & Plan and/or Nordic Urban Planning Studies, as well as at the Social Science Bachelor Program or the Humanistisk-Teknologisk Bachelor Program. Teaching includes both courses and project supervision. In addition to research and research-based teaching, the position furthermore requires sharing knowledge with the rest of society through networking and participation in public debate.

An Assistant Professor is also expected to complete the educational training program for assistant professors at RUC (up to 220 hours).

An Associate Professor’s tasks may also include research management tasks, educational guidance, and supervision of assistant professors and PhD students, as well as academic assessment work.

Qualifications

Applicants must hold a PhD degree or equivalent within social science, or more specifically, geography, sociology, anthropology, planning, or architecture. Qualifications within one of the following scientific fields are required:

• Cities and planning: sustainability, urban ecology, participation, urban design, digitalisation
• Mobilities and planning: travel, sustainable transport, infrastructure, everyday mobility practices

Ability to teach urban planning in the Nordic context is expected. Experience with and interest in supervising student project work is an advantage. Capacity to teach in Danish as well as English is also an advantage, as there are teaching obligations in programs in both languages.

Exclusively for Associate Professor:

• Documented research and teaching qualifications corresponding to what can be achieved through satisfactory appointment as an Assistant Professor in relation to the above subject area(s)

Both Assistant and Associate Professors shall be enterprising, possess good communication skills, and be visible, involved participants in the department’s daily activities, in addition to being willing to engage in disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration across the department.

Assessment

In the assessment of candidates for a position as Assistant Professor, consideration will be given to:

• research topic
• scientific production and research in relevant fields
• research prospects and the ability to promote and utilize research results
• experience in teaching and education
• other academic experience, e.g., from organizing research conferences or seminars
• ability to contribute to development of the department’s internal and external cooperation

In the assessment of candidates for a position as Associate Professor, consideration will be given to:

• research topic
• scientific production and research at an international level in relevant fields
• research prospects and the ability to promote and utilize research results
• experience with attracting external research funds
• experience with teaching and development of educational programs
• experience with external networking and research dissemination and communication

Please note that to be assessed for the position as Associate Professor, candidates need to have passed the educational teaching program and to have a solid scientific production.

Questions

For further information about the position, please contact Head of Section Thomas Budde Christensen at tel. (+45) 2078-4379 or via email at tbc@ruc.dk.

Terms of employment

The employment is full-time, and the successful candidate will refer to Head of Department Peter Kjær.

The position will be filled according to the Agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC), and the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities.

According to the Pay Transparency Directive, the salary ranges for the various job categories at Roskilde Universitet are listed.

Application procedure

After the deadline for applications, the Head of Department will shortlist applicants for assessment with assistance from the recruitment committee, including the chairperson of the assessment committee.

Shortly after the application deadline, all applicants will be notified whether their application has been selected for assessment.

The shortlisted applicants will be informed about the composition of the assessment committee, and each applicant will be given the opportunity to comment on the committee's composition and — later on — their assessment.

Once the recruitment process is completed, all applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application.

Application

To apply for the position, please visit Roskilde Universitet’s job portal.

Only applications in English are accepted.

Applications must include:

• Cover letter
• CV
• Documentation of education
• Teaching portfolio (read more about teaching portfolios at Roskilde Universitet)
• A complete list of publications
• A maximum of five relevant scientific works that candidates want included in the assessment

If any of the publications that candidates want included in the assessment are the result of a joint effort, the extent and nature of their contribution to each individual work must then be clarified in a co-author statement (a template is available).

Please submit applications no later than September 1, 2026.

Material received after this date will not be taken into consideration.

Roskilde Universitet wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

The hiring process at Roskilde Universitet may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance, and integrity of the workplace.