Associate Professor of Oral Microbiology

Department of Odontology
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
University of Copenhagen

The University seeks to appoint an associate professor to the Department of Odontology to commence on 1 September 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

About the Department
We aim to promote health in the population by optimizing diagnostics, prevention and treatment of diseases in the oral and craniofacial areas. Our purpose includes research-based and -integrating teaching to ensure that basic, translational and clinical research reaches clinical practice.

We focus on interdisciplinary research across three research sections and collaborate with national and international institutions, municipalities, regional hospitals, private practices, and businesses in the medical field to solve complex challenges regarding interactions between oral and medical diseases. The main body of staff at the Department of Odontology is financed by public funding. The position is affiliated to the subject area of Oral Microbiology, which is part of the Section of Clinical Oral Microbiology.

Information about the Department of Odontology: https://odontology.ku.dk/

As associate professor in oral microbiology at the department, you will lead research on the symbiotic interactions between host and oral biofilms, linking bacterial physiology with clinical phenotypes. You are expected to be experienced in bacterial cultivation, clinical isolation, and biofilm modeling. You are expected to develop innovative in vitro models and teach oral microbiology, covering basic microbiology, infectious diseases, infection control, antimicrobial agents, and antibiotics.

Job description
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

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.

The candidate is expected to have a high level of oral and written English. International applicants are expected to learn Danish and to speak/understand the language at a sufficient level within a reasonable period, to be able to teach as well as keeping patient records in Danish, a legislative requirement in Denmark.

The candidate must have scientific qualifications such as the MSc in biotechnology, molecular biology or similar, and a PhD degree in microbiology or similar qualifications.

The hiring committee will also take the following personal competences into consideration:

1. You are a (medical) expert in the field of oral microbiology, who performs original and innovative research at a high international level that has an interdisciplinary impact for the benefit of students, patients, and the society. Your excellence/excellency will contribute to attracting external funding of direct and indirect research costs.
2. You are an excellent communicator who publishes in international peer-reviewed journals, shares your research and knowledge with national and international colleagues and actively contributes to the public debate by sharing your knowledge with the society.
3. You are a valuable collaborator, who has great collaborative skills with an interest in promoting long-lasting partnerships with other national and international researchers, the medical hospitals, medical industry, and private and public stakeholders.
4. You are a leader who possesses the skills to manage your research and teaching area with an emphasis on inclusion, diversity, and trusting relationships between you, colleagues, and students. As a supervisor of PhD students, pre-graduate research scholars, and students, you are committed, supportive, and a role model for upcoming generations to secure the future of the research area. Management tasks include course leadership.
5. You are a health advocate and health promotor in your research and teaching with an insight into what is needed in the society to improve public and global health.
6. As a part of our academic staff, you will contribute to life-long learning in our interdisciplinary environment and to our ongoing development of the Department with your expertise and competencies and thus contribute to a positive working and educational environment.
7. You are professional in your daily work and in your relationships with colleagues, students, and patients.

Furthermore, each applicant must be able to document:

• 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

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 Section Merete Markvart, mema@sund.ku.dk, +45 35 33 77 65

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, 22 March 2026.