Open-Rank Academic Position in Applied Machine Learning for Social Data Science

The Copenhagen Center for Social Data Science (SODAS; https://sodas.ku.dk/), Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen, invites applications for at least one full-time open-rank position (i.e., Tenure-Track Assistant Professor/Associate Professor/Full Professor) in Applied Machine Learning for Social Data Science.

The position is available from 1 January 2025, but an earlier or later starting date is also possible.

The call includes the following types of positions:

• Tenure-Track Assistant Professor:
  The position comes with research, teaching, societal impact, and/or innovation obligations and offers the candidate a contract of six years that can result in a tenured associate professorship (contingent on positive evaluation).
• Associate Professor:
  The position is a permanent position with research, teaching, societal impact, and/or innovation responsibilities. 
• Full Professor:
  The position is a permanent position with research, teaching, societal impact, and/or innovation responsibilities.

Please note that candidates will only be evaluated at the level of position(s) that they apply for, but that candidates can apply for more than one level. Hence, it is important that candidates clearly indicate the level of position(s) they are applying for.

The successful candidate(s) will join our group of SODAS faculty members researching and teaching in the areas of Social Data Science, including Computational Social Science as well as AI and Society. SODAS is an interdisciplinary research, teaching, and impact center, combining traditional social science theories and methods with novel data science methods and paradigms. In collaboration with partners in Denmark and abroad, SODAS is home to research projects funded by, among others, the European Research Council (ERC) as well as both independent and private Danish research foundations. SODAS hosts the English-language Social Data Science (SDS) Master degree program at the Faculty of Social Sciences and has an active doctoral program with about 20 PhD students.

At SODAS, our research spans multiple vibrant areas in social data science. We are interested in a range of topics, anchored in an interest in understanding fundamental aspects of human behavior and life outcomes, such as education, mobility, the science of science, or the impact of AI on society including its implementations. We approach these topics through a range of social data science methods including, e.g., (causal) machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, network science, or various statistical analysis.   

The working language at SODAS is English. Our community maintains strong collaborative relationships with all Departments at the Faculty of the Social Sciences (Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology), the Department of Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen, as well as internationally renowned, computational social science research groups and centers in the Copenhagen area, including the Networks, Data, and Society (NERDS) group at the IT University of Copenhagen, the Social Complexity Lab at the Technical University of Denmark, and the Pioneer Centre for AI which operates across all Danish universities. The hired candidate(s) will have the opportunity and are encouraged to collaborate with these groups and other relevant researchers in- and outside the University of Copenhagen; for instance, with regard to applications to collaborative grants, the co-organization of events, or PhD student co-supervision. Alongside the hiring process, there are opportunities to obtain seed funding to start a research group.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Duties and responsibilities of the posts include contributing to the scholarship and intellectual life of the university by conducting high quality research, delivering excellent teaching and supervision across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and fulfilling additional roles and responsibilities depending on the level of appointment (e.g., concerning innovation or societal impact).

We expect applicants to conduct and develop their own research in synergy with the ongoing work at SODAS, to contribute to implementing the current departmental strategy, and to help our shared goals and aspirations.

Your Competencies and Opportunities:

To apply for the position(s),

• Candidates should hold a PhD degree in a quantitative social science discipline and/or in computer science, mathematics, physics, statistics, or a related field, with a focus on machine learning. If the PhD is in a different field, the candidate should have hold academic positions in in a quantitative social science discipline and/or in computer science, mathematics, physics, statistics, or a related field, with a focus on machine learning.
• Candidates must have a strong record of international research in applied machine learning, evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. This research record should have a focus on social data science aspects, e.g., use of social data, study of societal implications or human outcomes, analysis of social systems.
• Candidates must have an emerging (Tenure-Track Assistant Professor) or established (Associate Professor and Full Professor) track record of successful research and research-based teaching.
• Candidates at a senior level (Associate and Full Professor) should have experience with (co-)supervision of master-level and PhD students, and should demonstrate a history of securing research funding.
• Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience with teaching as well as teaching planning and coordination. If applicants have undergone a formal education in teaching and learning in higher education, they are encouraged to enclose this information.
• Candidates should have a willingness to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration within SODAS, across and beyond the university, and to build connections with private and public partners.
• Candidates should have strong interpersonal skills as well as an aptitude for working collaboratively with colleagues in planning and delivering teaching, in research projects, and in conducting administrative duties.
• Candidates must demonstrate a commitment to student learning, supporting student welfare, and enhancing the student experience.

Merit criteria and career progression:

Six general criteria apply to the employment of assistant professors, associate professors and professors at the University of Copenhagen. The six criteria (research, teaching, societal impact, organizational contribution, external funding and management) are considered as a framework for an overall assessment of the applicant. In addition, each applicant must be assessed according to the specific requirements set out in the advertisement.

Information about the criteria for recognizing merit at Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor levels can be found here:  
https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit/

Employment as an assistant professor requires academic qualifications at PhD level.

The assistant professorship is an educational position where the main tasks are research (including publication / academic dissemination duties) and research-based teaching (with related examination duties). Assistant professors must complete a university pedagogical programme and a written assessment of the teaching qualifications must be provided no later than three months before the termination of employment. The position as assistant professor may be filled as part of a tenure track programme under which the employee after a maximum of six years transfers to employment as an associate professor. Such transfer requires that the employee is assessed and found to be academically qualified for the level of associate professor. The department will continuously follow up on the assistant professor's development in relation to the set criteria.

More information about the tenure-track Assistant Professor programme for promotion to Associate Professor can be found here:
https://employment.ku.dk/tenure-track/tenure-track-at-ucph/

Employment as an associate professor requires research and teaching qualifications at the level that can be achieved through the satisfactory completion of a period of employment as an assistant professor. An associate professor must be able to participate in the department's general administration and examinations as well as in assessment committees.

Employment as a professor requires a documented high degree of original academic production at an international level and experience from teaching at different levels, including tests / exams, course / study programme management as well as contributions to the development of teaching activities and teaching material. A professor is expected to participate in all activities of the department, including examinations and administration as well as manage research projects, guidance and supervision as well as assessment committees.

Further information on qualification requirements as assistant professor, associate professor and professor can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2019 here: https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2019/1443

Who to Contact:

Additional information about the position(s) can be obtained from:

• Morten Axel Pedersen (SODAS Director), map@sodas.ku.dk
• Ingo Zettler (SODAS Deputy Director), ingo.zettler@psy.ku.dk
• Roberta Sinatra (SODAS search committee for this position), robertasinatra@sodas.ku.dk

Terms of appointment

Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the  Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne). In addition to the salary a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme is paid. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis. 

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/

Non-Danish speaking employees are strongly encourage to acquire the proficiency in Danish required to teach and interact with colleagues in that language in 3-6 years.The Department will provide and pay for the necessary language training

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/

How to Apply

Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on “Apply” to apply.

The application material must be in Adobe PDF or Word format. ZIP files and files that exceeds 20 MB cannot be uploaded.

Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:

• Motivated application (max. 3 pages)
• Curriculum vitae
• Certificates and Diplomas
• Publication list. A complete list of all publications with clearly marked publication dates. The uploaded publications must be marked with * on the list to be assessed.
• Publications. Applicants who apply for a position at the assistant or associate professor level can submit a maximum of 6 publications. Applicants who apply for a position at the professor level can submit a maximum of 10 publications. The 6/10 most important publications, of which at least three must have been published within the five years immediately preceding the deadline for application. The publications selected must be uploaded as attachments and named from 1 to 6/1 to 10.
• Research plan that includes a brief description of previous research as well as a plan for the next few years (2-5 pages).
• Teaching portfolio. Documentation of teaching qualifications in accordance with the University guidelines for teaching portfolios when appointing academic staff at the University of Copenhagen
• Documentation of ability to disseminate information. Documentation of the ability to disseminate information to and share knowledge with society (max. 2 pages).

Should any material submitted consist of work with named co-authors, or work that is otherwise the result of collective academic endeavors, the extent of the applicant’s contribution to the work must be clearly specified. The hiring committee may ask for a signed statement from the co-authors specifying the extent and nature of each individual’s contribution.

Again, please note that candidates will only be evaluated at the level of position(s) that they apply for, but that candidates can apply for more than one level.

Hence, it is important that candidates clearly indicate the position(s) they are applying for. If you are applying for several different positions or positions at several levels, please indicate 1st and 2nd priority.

The recruitment process

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

Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: hrsc@hrsc.ku.dk, please refer to ID number: 211-0270/24-2K #1

The closing date for applications is 02 April 2024 at 23:59 [CEST] 

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.