Tenure track assistant professor at Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
University of Copenhagen

The University seeks to appoint one or two visionary and team-oriented tenure track assistant professors to the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology to commence September 1st, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology is committed to advancing human health through discovery, design, and evaluation of safe and effective medical treatments. To achieve this, we work in a dynamic and committed academic community, that bridges health science and life science in a translational and innovative approach from molecule to patient. We value interdisciplinary research and education, development of individual competences, and finding solutions to todays and tomorrows challenges in society. The department furthermore prioritizes sustainability in all aspects of research and education.

The department is organized in six research sections and furthermore houses Center for Pharmaceutical Data Science Education and Center for Protein Design. Further information on the Department can be found at: https://drug.ku.dk/

We welcome applications from ambitious and talented early-career researchers seeking to build a strong profile within drug-related research. The section Qualifications of the applicant below outlines six overall assessment criteria for the position. Applicants with expertise spanning all areas of drug research are encouraged to apply; however, preference will be given to candidates with a research plan focused on i) cardiometabolic diseases, ii) antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance, or iii) structural biology.

Job description

The successful applicant should present an ambitious research and teaching plan.

The tenure-track assistant professors’ responsibilities will primarily consist of:

• Research, including publication and academic dissemination of results to the scientific community and the general public, as well as efforts to attract external funding.
• Develop, organize, and conduct research-based teaching, including associated examination.
• Research leadership, including guidance and supervision of students
• Obligation to share knowledge with the rest of society, including participation in public debate
• Academic assessments
• Engage in outreach and/or innovation activities both within the Department and towards academia, the clinic, and industry in general.
• Participation in formal pedagogical training programme for assistant professors

The tenure track assistant professor’s performance will be evaluated through annual evaluations. Furthermore, the tenure track assistant professor will be evaluated in a mid-track appraisal.

After no more than six years of employment and on condition of a positive final appraisal, the tenure track assistant professor will be employed as associate professor. Find more information about tenure track at the University of Copenhagen.

Qualifications of the applicant

When evaluating applicants, primary emphasis will be placed on the applicant's ability to document original scientific work of the highest international standard, an innovative mindset, and strong ambitions for advancing teaching within the fields of biochemistry, pharmacology, microbiology, pharmacotherapy, natural products research, or structural biology, with particular focus on teaching on compulsory courses at the BSc and MSc levels.

Applicants already having sustainability integrated in all aspects of their research and teaching, or a clear plan for doing so, will have preference. Likewise, a clear and structured plan for internal and external collaborations will be given positive consideration. Finally, alignment with the department’s 2030 research vision (https://drug.ku.dk/about/) will be evaluated positively.

Overall criteria for the position:

Six overall criteria (research, teaching, societal impact, organizational contribution, external funding, and leadership) are considered a framework for the overall assessment of candidates at each of the academic levels. Find information about the criteria for assistant professors here:

https://jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabelige-stillinger/kriterier-for-videnskabelige-stillinger/dokumenter-til-meritering/5a_Criteria_for_recognising_merit_-Assistant_professors.pdf

Applicants at are also required to possess good interpersonal and communicative skills.

Desired qualifications:

• A PhD degree or similar qualifications within the subject area
• Research profile within one of the above-mentioned research directions
• Experience in attracting external funding
• Experience in innovation
• Strong commitment for the development of innovative and student-centred research-based teaching
• Interest and experience in applying modern data science methods within research and teaching

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 2025.

Questions
For further information, please contact Head of Department Dan Stærk, ds@sund.ku.dk. For information about the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences (SUND), please see www.drug.ku.dk and https://sund.ku.dk/.

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: https://www.ism.ku.dk/ (International Staff Mobility).

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) outlining the proposed activities for a six-year period
• Uploads of maximum 5 publications to be considered in the assessment
• Teaching plan
• Teaching portfolio (Guidelines: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/job-application-portfolio)

Please note: It is mandatory to upload a teaching plan in the online application form. Should you not be able to produce a teaching plan, please upload a blank document in this box instead.

Please note: It is mandatory and a part of the application process to complete the ‘Executive summary’ form, which you will find when you click on “Apply for position”

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 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 https://jobportal.ku.dk/.

The first round of interviews may be conducted either on-site or on-line. The second round of interviews will be on-site. Candidates selected for the second round interviews may be asked to deliver a research seminar, conduct a teaching session, and participate in one-on-one or small group discussions regarding their research, teaching and innovation plans with selected members of the department’s faculty staff.

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, 20 April 2026.