164031 Associate Professor in Database Research in Veterinary Medicine

Associate Professor in Database Research in Veterinary Medicine

Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
University of Copenhagen

The University seeks to appoint an associate professor to the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences to commence on 1 November 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Information on the Department can be found at: https://sund.ku.dk/.

Job description

The vacant position is part of the research group Data and Modelling which belongs to the Section for Animal Health and Welfare and includes one full professor, five associate professors, one assistant professor and two PhD students. The scientific environment in the section consists of several research groups in close collaboration, covering various disciplines all relating to understanding and management of animal health and welfare in individual animals and populations. The VetStat group (VetStat being the Danish database for surveillance of Veterinary medicine usage) is an interdisciplinary subgroup in the section including persons from different research groups.

The aim of the position is to strengthen the VetStat group in relation to database-based research in Veterinary medicine use and statistics with particular emphasis on methods for analysing medicine prescription data on pigs from VetStat. These analyses will combine VetStat data with other relevant data sources, including qualitative data collected through questionnaires or interviews with veterinarians and farmers.

Another aim is to maintain and extend the competences for the Veterinary Contingency work and international impact of the VetStat group. The position is expected to contribute to the research strategy of the department in relation to sustainable animal production and it includes teaching of courses and supervision of students. The candidate should be able to contribute to and further develop teaching at all levels in database-based research in Veterinary medicine use and statistics. The candidate should be able to attract external national or international research funding.

The associate professor’s responsibilities will primarily consist of:

• Research, including publication/academic dissemination
• Research-based teaching, including associated examination
• Research leadership, including guidance and supervision of researchers
• Obligation to share knowledge with the rest of society, including participation in public debate
• Academic assessments
• Attracting funding

Required qualifications
To be qualified for an associate professor position, you will be assessed according to these six overall criteria for recognising merit at the University of Copenhagen: Research, teaching, societal impact, organisational contribution, external funding, and leadership. Find information about each criterion.

Furthermore, each applicant must be able to document:

• Relevant research qualifications at the level that can be achieved by satisfactorily completing a period of employment as an assistant professor/postdoc, but may also be obtained in other ways
• Teaching qualifications and pedagogical competencies
• Research-based teaching
• Fluent in English and Danish or obtain sufficient Danish language skills during a 2-3 years period
• Knowledge and competences regarding the Danish VetStat database
• Skills in working with R for data management and analysis of big data
• Experience in collaboration with the livestock industry
• Understanding of the Danish legislation relevant for livestock production and antimicrobial use

The associate professor is also required to possess good interpersonal and communicative skills.

Terms of employment
The position is a permanent position

The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.

Salary and other terms and conditions of appointment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant professional organisations.

The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2020.

Questions
For further information, please contact Head of Department Birgit Nørrung, birgit.noerrung@sund.ku.dk

Foreign applicants may find the university’s International Staff Mobility useful.

Application
The application must be submitted in English and must include the following documents:

• Application (Including motivations for applying for the position (Maximum 2 pages))
• Curriculum vitae (Including information about external funding
• Diplomas (Master’s, PhD, and other relevant certificates)
• A complete list of publications
• Research plan (3‐5 pages)
• Uploads of maximum 5 publications to be considered in the assessment
• Teaching plan
• Teaching portfolio (Guidelines)

Application procedure
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Appointments Committee.  All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment. The Dean then appoints an expert assessment committee in order to make an assessment of the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee and each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself. You can read about the recruitment process at the university's Job Portal.

Please note that the applicant will be contacted if the assessment committee requires further documentation.

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

The University of Copenhagen encourages all interested applicants to apply for this position.

Please submit the application with the required attachments. The closing date for applications is 23.59 p.m. CET, 25 May 2025.

Interviews for this position are likely to be held in the start of October 2025.