Postdoctoral position in citizen participation and green transition

The Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, invites applications for a postdoctoral position in citizen participation and green transition. The position is for two years and is to be filled by 15 May 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Project affiliation
The position is part of the newly established “Democratic Engagement in Local Tripartites” (DELTAR)-project, which is a newly established collaboration between University of Copenhagen, Gate21, HOFOR, and the municipalities of Lejre, Roskilde, and Køge.

The aim of the project is to create a model for citizen involvement in the design and implementation of holistic spatial planning (“omlægningsplaner”) needed to meet the goals and objectives set out in the Green Tripartite Agreement (“Grøn Trepart”), June 2024. This includes:
 
1. A prototype for citizen involvement in holistic spatial planning that mitigates regulatory needs, citizen/farmer visions for future land use, based on a fundamental understanding of landowners and their interests. 

2. A strategy for citizen involvement for the implementation of the green tripartite. The strategy will include principles and processes for involvement and dialogue, examples of communication formats, and capacity building at the local and regional levels. 

3. A strengthening of multilevel governance that streamlines citizen involvement in the municipalities, empowers community engagement, and ensures policy impact and capacity building within land use systems and innovative social transformation.

The postdoc will work with members from the other project partners. The UCPH supervisor is Professor with special responsibilities, Lars Tønder.

The postdocs will be affiliated with The Department of Political Science, which is one of Europe’s top political science departments. The Department has some 2,000 students in its BA and MA programmes. For more information on the Department, please consult https://politicalscience.ku.dk/about/  

Within the department, the postdoc will be invited to join one or more relevant research groups, such as the Political Theory group and/or the Research Group on Climate, Environment and Change (REGROUP).

Job content
The postdoc is expected to conduct individual research in close collaboration with the project group’s praxis partners. The research will primarily rely on qualitative fieldwork, quantitative surveys and social scientific analysis. Additionally, the project will involve experimentation with the design of models for engagement and innovative forms of democratic participation. There will also be limited contribution to teaching in relevant courses. 

The postdoc will also engage with related projects in the Faculty of Social Science, the Green Solution Centre, a broader interdisciplinary initiative at the UCPH https://greensolutions.ku.dk, the national partnership “AgriFoodTure” Home - AgriFoodTure, and other relevant networks and partners. 

Qualifications
Applicants will be assessed according to the following qualifications:
•    Specialization: a Ph.D. degree in political science (or related fields), preferably with experience in democratic innovations, green transition, and climate change politics.
•    Qualitative and quantitative methods: Proficiency in conducting qualitative data collection and/or quantitative surveys.
•    Critical analysis and academic writing: The ability to develop critical analysis and produce high-quality academic texts. 
•    Interdisciplinary collaboration: Candidates should be able to actively participate in collaboration with researchers from other disciplines and praxis partners. 
•    Workshop and seminar: Experience in conducting workshops and seminars with partners from public and private sectors. 
•    Excellent Danish and English skills: Strong Danish and English language skills, both written and spoken. 

Application  
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word.  
Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:
•    Application letter/cover letter (max two pages)
•    Project description (max three pages, focusing on how the applicant’s previous experiences can contribute to the goals of DELTAR) 
•    Curriculum vitae (with applicant’s e-mail & telephone number)
•    Documentation of qualifications (examination certificates/PhD diploma, Masters diploma etc.)
•    Complete and numbered list of publications. The enclosed publications must be marked with *
•    Documentation of teaching qualifications and research dissemination if any
•    Publications. Applicants may choose a maximum of two publications for assessment. Publication dates must be clearly marked on the publication list. The publications selected must be uploaded as attachments

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences
The Department of Political Science are part of the Faculty of the Social Sciences. The Faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by: 
•    Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning and social change.
•    Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge and the competences to change society for the better.
•    Energising global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact 
For more on the Faculty strategy, see: https://samf.ku.dk/fakultetet/strategi/

Terms of Employment
•    Further information on qualification requirements as postdoc can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2019 here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit/dokumenter/Ministerial_Order_no._1443_of_11_December_2019_on_Job_Structure_for_Academic_Staff_at_Universities.pdf
•    Salary, pension, and other conditions of employment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations – “Akademikerne”) or other relevant organisation. 
•    The salary range starts at DKK 38,700 per month + a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis. 
•    Average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.  
•    Foreign and Danish applicants may be eligible for tax reductions if they hold a PhD degree and have not been tax liable to Denmark for the last 10 years.

The recruitment process
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here:https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/ 

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 https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/

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: https://ism.ku.dk/ 

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR Sarah Lund, e-mail: salu@hrsc@hrsc.ku.dk , please refer to ID number: 211-2141/25-2I
Additional information about the positions can be obtained from Lars Tønder, lt@ifs.ku.dk  +4535320489

The closing date for applications is 23:59 CET, 26 March 2025.
Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.