Postdoc position in border studies / sociology at Campus Sønderborg

The Department of Media, Design and Educational Science invites applications for a 3‑year part time or full-time postdoc position in border studies / sociology at Campus Sønderborg. 

The position is expected to begin on the 1st of November 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. The position will be filled subject to the necessary project funding being secured. 

The position is funded at 65% through a project. Dependent on the candidate's qualifications and interests, the position may be expanded to full-time employment through teaching corresponding to approximately four courses per year. Teaching duties will be drawn from the portfolio of the five courses listed in this advertisement.

Project and research responsibilities 

The position is partly financed through the Interreg project ‘TRUST. Talents and Regions United through Sports and Teaching’. The work package leader is Professor Klarissa Lueg, Center for Organizing Social Sustainability, and the postdoctoral researcher will work in the Center, located at Campus Sønderborg. 

The project TRUST focusses on young people in the German-Danish border region and explores their decision-making and structural barriers regarding higher education and preprofessional sports. The respective work package comprises an empirical mixed-methods analysis of how actors (students, high schoolers, teachers, coaches, university faculty) assess the availability of higher education options and sports engagement in the specific setting in the border region. While the postdoctoral colleague will be fully in charge of conducting this study within the given project conditions, they are free to connect their focus to sociology of education, rural sociology, educational science, human geography, business studies, culture studies, inter alia. Implications of the analysis must be practice relevant and the postdoctoral researcher is expected to collaborate with various stakeholder groups on the highest professional level. 

Teaching 

Candidates appointed on a full-time basis will teach at bachelor’s and master’s level in the BA in International Business Administration, Language and Culture and Cand.merc.int. Teaching duties, corresponding to approximately four courses per year, will be drawn from the following portfolio and assigned according to the successful candidate’s qualifications:

English for specific purposes: Regional development and governance (under development) 

Digital management

Dansk sprog, kultur og samfund

Business English: Negotiation and Communication

Research Methods in the Humanities (under development)

The specific teaching duties during the employment period will be agreed upon at the time of appointment.

Requirements

The successful candidate will:

• Conduct an empirical study on the perceptions of actors in the border region (students, teachers, coaches, university faculty). This includes focus group interviews with university students, a quantitative online survey on athletes, and further data collection and analysis.
• Connect this study to an appropriate conceptual framework and state of the art that corresponds to the colleague’s research focus.
• Write and publish at least three relevant, high-quality scholarly publications in international journals on the study insights. The first publication concept is expected to be accepted for publication by the end of 2027.
• Establish a German-Danish stakeholder group and maintain close collaboration
• Prepare stakeholder and partner workshops and meetings to, e.g. disseminate results and receive feedback
• Develop practice recommendations for project partners (academic institutions; sport associations)
• Disseminate project updates and insights on appropriate media channels 
• Be an active member of the project consortium
• Be an active member of the research center led by Klarissa Lueg: participate in meetings, publish in high-quality outlets, mediate research, collaborate with colleagues. 

Required qualifications

• A PhD in a relevant field. Empirical expertise is required. 
• Convincing, relevant, high-quality publications in recognized scholarly journals 
• Documented experience in designing, analyzing and reporting on quantitative and qualitative inquiry 
• Documented experience in team work inside of academia (committees; editorial work; project or research group engagement; co-authorships; etc). 
• Excellent written and spoken academic English
• Either excellent written and spoken Danish OR excellent written and spoken German. It is desirable that the candidate has an understanding and functional command of both languages. Candidates without high level command of German or Danish will not be considered and excluded without further notice. 

Presence on campus Sønderborg will be required (frequency to be negotiated); trips and meetings in the border region are an essential part of the project.

The “Organizing Social Sustainability” Research Group

The succesful candidate will become a member of the Organizing Social Sustainability research group. The group identifies and analyzes challenges related to social cohesion in organizations and communities. Its work is based on the study of organizations with a particular focus on social groups: how they emerge, maintain cohesion, and manage changes. The group operates as a research collective within organization studies that bring together approaches from cultural studies, business studies, data science, and sociology.

Campus Sønderborg offers an inspiring and international academic environment, situated in a unique waterfront location with strong connections to industry and the surrounding community. You will join a collaborative campus where innovation, professional development, and an international outlook are part of everyday working life.

Other information

Depending on relevance of presentations and the availability of designated funds, the postdoc can, and will be encouraged to, attend relevant scholarly conferences in Denmark and/or abroad. 

The postdoc is welcome to attend a General Course in University Pedagogy which is offered as a professional development opportunity for non-permanent staff who teach at SDU and supports qualification for assistant professor positions. 

For further information

For further information about the position contact professor Klarissa Lueg ([email protected]).
For general questions about employment at the University of Southern Denmark, contact Deputy Head of Department Thomas Enemark Lundtofte ([email protected]). 
For questions related to CV, diplomas etc., please contact humfak-hr. 

Conditions of employment and Salary
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The application must include

• Detailed CV including personal contact information
• Certificates/Diplomas (Master and PhD degree). If the PhD hasn’t been completed, please attach a statement from your supervisors regarding your impending completion. 
• Complete list of publications, indicating which publications are most relevant for the position. 
• Up to 5 of the most relevant publications. Please upload a PDF for each publication. If your publications have been co-authored, please briefly describe the extent of the co-authorship or your contribution to the individual joint publication. You can do so by using this form, or you can describe the co-authorship in such a way that the committee can assess the extent of your contribution. 
• A cover letter (max. 1 page) outlining your fit for the project, motivation, and relevant experience and qualifications. Please also comment on presence on campus Sønderborg. 
• Ideally, include brief notes of recommendation from your previous supervisor/ team lead/ research director or other senior researchers. 

Application deadline is: 10.10.2026.