ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS FOR DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Jobbeskrivelse
At the Technical Faculty of IT and Design, Department of Sustainability and Planning, Copenhagen a position as Assistant Professor in Ecological Economics for Design for Sustainability is open for appointment from 1 January 2026 or soon hereafter. The position is a full-time position for 2 years.

The Department of Sustainability and Planning (PLAN) was established in 1975. Today, we are located in both Aalborg and Copenhagen, by the waterfront. We are a team of over 250 employees, including both academic and administrative staff. We have approximately 1,200 students.
Our research and educational programmes are rooted in sustainability and the green transition. This means we conduct research in circular economy, technology, urban-, energy-, and environmental planning, as well as sustainable transition and design. At PLAN, sustainability is a core tenet of everything we do, be it in environmental assessment and marine management or in surveying and land use, where we focus on nature restoration and climate adaptation.
As society continuously evolves in the digital sphere, we also emphasise responsible technological development, grounded in real-life challenges. Our problem-oriented approach and close collaboration with businesses and public institutions form the foundation of all our educational programmes. Furthermore, our engineering degrees rank among the best in Europe.

You can read more on TECH as a workplace here.
You can read more on Department of Sustainability and Planning here.

JOB DESCRIPTION
Within the Department of Sustainability and Planning exists the Design for Sustainability (DfS) research group which conducts research and teaching in the field of Design for Sustainability. The research group takes a designerly approach in addressing challenges of sustainable development related to health and well-being, cleaner energy, valuation, and circular economy including responsible consumption and production. It has also the ambition of supporting large scale, long term, radical systemic transformations that can take global society from the current state of unsustainability to one in which human beings can live within planetary resource limits and thrive as a global just society as expressed in the UN Agenda 2030, otherwise known as the Sustainable Development Goals.

The position’s research areas lie within Design for Sustainability with a focus on ecological economics in a science and technology Studies (STS) context. The candidate is expected to develop a research agenda that extends ecological economics into the study of knowledge infrastructures and the epistemic devices of governance, understood as forms of collaborative design.

DfS seeks an Assistant Professor with a scientific background in ecological economics and STS who will work with colleagues to continue to elevate the group’s international profile and secure new research funding that supports the collaborative working culture at DfS. The duties include proposal writing, coordinating national and international research projects, international networking, teaching, as well as contributing to the administration of DfS. In terms of teaching there is a high expectation for the Assistan Professor to be able to teach, improve, innovate and develop courses both at the bachelors and the masters level with the ambition of making our educational programs even stronger in the alignment of all courses with sustainability goals. Teaching will be within engineering design, collaborative design and visual illustration. Teaching will primarily be at Sustainable Design at bachelors and Masters level, but also in other study programs at the University. Those with experience or interest in Problem-Based Learning are encouraged to apply. Due to teaching in Danish, applicants with Scandinavian language competences are encouraged to apply.
In terms of future directions, DfS seeks a scholar who is able to explore ecological economics as a nexus for interrelated design, engineering design, natural sciences, and social sciences and specially the inter and transdisciplinary transformations needed to make all this knowledge directly relevant for sustainability transitions.

Aalborg University (AAU) provides outstanding research and education. We believe that knowledge can and should change the world. This belief drives our high ambitions. We seek knowledge through interaction with the world around us, focusing on real problems and missions that we aim to solve with sustainable solutions. Our research and study programmes are multidisciplinary and built on close collaborations with business and industry. This approach is further strengthened by our renowned teaching model, Problem-Based Learning (PBL), which is centred on real-world problems in all their complexity. Through interdisciplinarity, industry collaboration, and world-class research, we contribute new insights, solutions to societal challenges, and knowledge that transforms the world.
In 2024, AAU advanced from a position in the global Top 10 to a place in the global Top 5 for sustainability. Additionally, in the internationally recognised Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, AAU is ranked fourth among nearly 1,600 universities worldwide. This ranking assesses universities’ contributions to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
More than 18,000 students are enrolled at Aalborg University, with over 7% being international students. To support them, we have 3,500 staff members, divided between Aalborg University’s main campus in Aalborg and our campuses in Copenhagen and Esbjerg.

Qualification requirements
Appointment as assistant professor requires academic qualifications at PhD level. The research potential of each applicant will be emphasized in the overall assessment.

How to apply
Your application must include the following:

• Application, stating reasons for applying, qualifications in relation to the position, and intentions and visions for the position
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Diplomas (master's degree diploma and PhD diploma)
• List of publications, with an indication of the attached publications that you wish to be taken into account in the assessment. You may attach a maximum of five publications. If you are applying for a position at The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), you must submit a co-author statement, see template for co-author statement
• Documentation of teaching qualifications. Depending on which faculty you are applying for employment, please see guidelines for teaching portfolio at The Technical Faculty of IT and Design, The Faculty of Engineering and Science and The Faculty of Medicine or guidelines for teaching portfolio at The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. If this is not enclosed, the applicant must enclose the reasons for this .
• Dissemination qualifications, including participation on committees or boards, participation in organisations etc.
• Additional qualifications in relation to the position
• References/recommendations

You can read more about the requirements for your application here.

The application must be submitted via Aalborg University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aalborg University's website.

Aalborg University wants to reflect the surrounding society and has diversity as a core value. Therefore, everyone, regardless of personal background and orientation, is encouraged to apply for the position.

Do you have any questions?
If you have any questions about the position, you are more than welcome to contact us. You will find contact persons at the bottom of the jobpost.

Further information
Read more about our recruitment process here

The appointment process at Aalborg University involves a shortlisting process. You can read more about the shortlisting and appointment process here.

The hiring process at Aalborg University 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.

Salary and terms of employment
The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities (the Appointment Order) and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (in Danish).

Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement) (only in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (only in Danish).

Aalborg University - Knowledge for the world
Aalborg University is an international workplace with more than 3,700 employees. We offer real-world-oriented education and create world-class research results through collaboration between researchers, students, and public and private companies. This is how we achieve insights, new solutions to societal problems, and knowledge that changes the world. Our main campus is in Aalborg, but we also have campuses in Esbjerg and Copenhagen.

Contacts

• Lektor Andres Felipe Valderrama Pineda:
• HR Support:

Ansøgningsfrist
15-09-2025

Ref. nummer
2025/318

Afdeling
Institut for Bæredygtighed og Planlægning