Assistant (tenure track) and/or Associate Professor Positions in AI and Data Governance in Supply Chains

With the establishment of a new Centre for Supply Chain Digitalisation, the Department of Technology and Innovation at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) is excited to announce one or more positions for either an Assistant Professor (Tenure-track) or Associate Professor in AI and Data Governance in Supply Chains. 

The targeted starting time of the position is January 2026.

The candidates will be responsible for collaboratively building up the area of supply chain digitalisation with a primary focus on data governance, artificial intelligence, and applied machine learning. 

Successful candidates for all profiles will drive internationally recognized research, work closely with industry, and are expected to attract external research funding. The candidates will play a key role in providing outstanding education, supervising bachelor's and master’s students, and developing junior research staff.

The application deadline is September 15, 2025, at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST) 

 

We offer

• A professional workplace culture that values equality, mutual respect, and is designed to accommodate and encourage work-life balance
• A vibrant social environment with structured activities and informal routines that promote cross-disciplinary interaction and cultivate an inclusive, supportive atmosphere.
• An engaging, dynamic, and international interdisciplinary environment with extensive collaboration opportunities across national, international, and industrial partners
• Opportunities for continued professional development and education for all staff members.
• Access to a well-developed research infrastructure
• A strong institutional commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the workplace

 

We expect

A motivated, collaborative person who is able to work in an international and interdisciplinary team, with documented research skills in the field of supply chain. The candidate needs to be a team player and, at the same time, be able to work independently.

A background in engineering with an understanding of business principles is essential. A PhD degree related to supply chain management, operations management, or related fields is highly meritable.

We expect to hire one or more candidates within the following profiles described next:

 

Profile #1

The ideal candidate is able to bridge theory and practice in one or more of the following areas:

• Data Science applied to operations and supply chain management
• Machine learning applied to operations and supply chain management
• Data-driven demand forecasting
• Inventory management
• Time-series modelling

Required skills

• Fluency in either Python, R, or the like
• Should be able to teach courses with a hands-on, data-driven approach, such as ‘Machine Learning for O&SCM’, ‘Data Science for O&SCM’, ‘Forecasting and Inventory Management’, or the like. 
• Able to supervise students in projects related to applying advanced analytics and/or machine/deep learning for supply chain optimisation.

Note: candidates focusing primarily on Operations Research area are not an ideal fit for this position. Competencies related to applied DS/AI in supply chain are expected.

 

Profile #2

The ideal candidate is able to bridge theory and practice in one or more of the following areas:

• End-to-end supply chain traceability
• Data value chain
• Data interoperability
• Data governance
• Digital product passports
• Standards and protocols for data exchange in global supply chains

Required skills

• Should be able to teach courses with a hands-on, data-driven approach, such as ‘Data Governance & Interoperability’, ‘Digital Value Chain Strategy’, or the like. 
• Able to supervise students in projects related to end-to-end visibility in supply chains, supplier data integration, digital product passports, or the like.

Further information about the positions are available from Associate Professor Elias Ribeiro da Silva at elias@iti.sdu.dk 

 

Conditions of employment

The appointment as Associate Professor is permanent, while that as Assistant Professor is for an initial period of 4 years, part of a tenure-track programme.

During employment, the assistant professor will complete the Lecturer Training Programme.  

The successful applicant will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on salary and taxation. Persons employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial evaluation, be exempted from time registration, also known as a “self-organizer”. 

Employment as assistant professor requires scientific qualifications at PhD level at the time of employment. Employment as an associate professor requires academic qualifications at PhD level as well as scientific and teaching qualifications at a level achievable based on satisfactory completion of a period of employment as assistant professor/researcher but may be achievable by other means.  

 

About the workplace

All positions are within the Section SDU Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation (TEI) at the Faculty of Engineering on the international campus Sønderborg. The section unites engineering, innovation management, and entrepreneurship scholars in joint research and teaching. The research is on innovative solutions across the entire product lifecycle, but with a focus on sustainable and digitalized production and supply chains.

SDU TEI is situated in a region with a robust network of companies, including some of Denmark’s largest global industrial players, such as Danfoss, Linak, and Siemens, as well as numerous SMEs. The group’s current projects span a range of cutting-edge topics within smart factories, automation, and supply chain digitalisation, viewed through the lenses of technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The group publishes in leading international journals on these topics, such as International Journal of Production Economics, International Journal of Production Research, Journal of Manufacturing Systems, Computers in Industry, Technological Forecasting & Social Change, Journal of Technology Transfer, etc.

The SDU TEI section is a highly international and interdisciplinary group of faculty members, with international students. The campus is in Sønderborg, an attractive coastal town with an open Scandinavian culture, and affordable housing and living costs. For more information on SDU TEI, please visit www.sdu.dk/tei.

 

Application and assessment

Applications will be assessed by an expert committee. When the expert committee issues its assessment, the applicants will be sent the portion of the assessment pertaining to them personally.

Assessment of the candidates is based on the application material, and an application must include: 

• Brief motivation letter, including the intended profile (allowed the application for more than one profile or cross-profile) and seniority (assistant or associate).
• Curriculum vitae.
• Full list of publications.
• Relevant publications (assistant professor: up to 3 publications; associate professor: up to 5 publications;) Please attach one pdf-file for each publication.
• Diplomas/Certificates (Master and PhD degree).
• Teaching portfolio (not applicable for assistant professors).
• Documentation of other qualifications relevant to the position.

SUBMISSION GUIDE: Motivated application shall be uploaded as ‘Cover letter’ (max. 5 MB), Curriculum Vitae shall be uploaded as ‘Resume’ (max 5 MB). All other documents shall be uploaded as ‘Miscellaneous documents’ (max 10 files of max 50 MB per file). 

All documents must be in English and PDF format. CPR number (civil registration no.) must be crossed out. All PDF-files must be unlocked and allow binding and may not be password protected. 

The application deadline is September 15, 2025, at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST) 

 

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process. Read about shortlisting at SDU. 

An interview may be included as part of the overall evaluation of the applicant’s qualifications.

If you experience technical problems, you can contact hcm-support@sdu.dk. 

Documents must not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

Applicants are advised to read the SDU information on how to apply and specific faculty information for application at the Faculty of Engineering.

 

Special benefits when working in Denmark

• The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.
• 30 days of paid holiday per year.
• The annual base gross salary for a full-time assistant professor ranges from DKK 487.061, to DKK 577.810, depending on the years of work experience. For a full-time associate professor, the annual base gross salary ranges from DKK 609.919, to DKK 638.932, also depending on the years of work experience. The base salary includes a position-related supplement and pension (18.07 %). Additional supplement(s) for special qualifications may be negotiated. Your local eligible trade union representative at SDU negotiates your salary on your behalf.
• Subsidized preschool childcare and a free education system from primary school up to university level.
• Universal health insurance as a resident of Denmark, including family members officially residing in Denmark.
• In relation to childbirth, employees are entitled to a combined total of 52 weeks of parental leave, shared between parents, with full or partial salary depending on circumstances.
• Researchers recruited from abroad, and with no previous employment in Denmark, are offered a special researcher tax scheme with a lower tax rate. 

 

Living in Denmark

The International Staff Office (ISO) at SDU provides a variety of services for new employees, guests and people who consider applying for a job at the University of Southern Denmark. Among other things, the staff answers questions concerning salary, taxation, housing and accompanying family.

We recommend that international applicants also take the time to visit Work in Denmark.

The University of Southern Denmark wishes our staff to reflect the surrounding community and therefore encourages everyone, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position. SDU conducts research in critical technologies, which, due to the risk of unwanted knowledge transfer, are subject to a number of security measures. Therefore, based on information from open sources, background checks may be conducted on candidates for the position.

 

Tenure Track at the Faculty of Engineering, SDU

With the tenure track programme at the Faculty of Engineering, SDU, we offer an attractive career opportunity for promising scholars. The tenure track is aimed at the most talented scholars who have established a high level in their current research and other professional work, and those who possess exceptional potential to achieve the highest international level within their research area.

You enter the 4-year programme at assistant professor level and if successful, you are promoted to associate professor by the end of the programme, provided an expert assessment committee confirms that you have acquired the international level of scholarly excellence characteristic of associate professors. Indicators of relevant scholarly merits include documented through independent scholarly output, ground-breaking publications, achievement of excellence grants, and an international research network.

The tenure track at the Faculty of Engineering, SDU, is a 4-year programme which includes annual performance and development reviews and a midterm evaluation with a written review by an expert panel to ensure the assistant professor’s track to tenured associate professorship. Finally, a formal academic assessment for permanent associate professorship is conducted by an internationally recognized expert assessment committee. If the final assessment is positive, the candidate will be offered a permanent position as associate professor. If the assessment is negative, the assistant professor can recommend a second assessment within the last six months of employment. Thus, a maximum of two academic assessments can take place.

When part of the tenure track programme, the 4-year period as assistant professor may be extended by maternity leave, paternity leave and/or adoption leave.

The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.
Read about SDU