The Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen and the Institute of Design, Product and Material at the Royal Danish Academy invite applications for two postdoctoral positions in Green Transitions and Democratic Engagement in the project MOOW: Democratic Ownership in the Green Transition to commence by 1 November 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project examines democratic engagement, public participation, legitimacy, and ownership in green transitions.

Each position is a full time fixed-term position for 24 months.

Introduction
The green transition in Denmark is marked by tensions between national climate ambitions and local experiences of exclusion, mistrust, and resistance. Large-scale renewable energy and green land-use projects encounter opposition from residents and landowners who feel that their interests and voices are not represented in planning and implementation processes. These conflicts contribute not only to delays and cancellations of projects, but also to wider democratic challenges, including growing polarization and declining trust in political institutions.

In parallel, a majority of the Danish population supports climate and environmental policies, and many citizens actively participate in local sustainability initiatives, where they collectively form eco-villages, energy communities, regenerative land-use projects, local sharing initiatives, and sustainable textile fibre processing.

The MOOW project explores these seemingly contrasting yet interconnected dynamics of the green transition. The project investigates how citizens and communities perform a democratic ownership in concrete change processes, and how these forms of engagement relate to national climate policies and democratic citizenship.

The research builds on two fields of scholarship:

• Just transition research, which emphasizes distributive, procedural, and recognition justice in green transitions.
• Democratic engagement theory, including deliberative and agonistic approaches to participation, contestation, and public legitimacy.

Duties and Responsibilities
The postdoctoral position will primarily focus on research and outreach, although it may also include a limited amount of teaching. The distribution of responsibilities will be agreed upon before the position commences.

Each postdoc is expected to conduct individual research in close collaboration with the project group, consisting of early career and senior scholars, as well as external partners from both public and private sectors. The research will primarily rely on qualitative fieldwork, quantitative surveys and social scientific analysis. Additionally, the project will involve experimentation with the design of different form of engagement and democratic participation. The postdocs will be affiliated with world-leading research departments and contribute to researcher groups such as Nature, Environment and Climate (NEC) and Organization and Economy (OREO) at the Department of Anthropology, UCPH.

Qualification Requirements
Appointment as a postdoctoral researcher requires research qualifications at a level at least equivalent to those obtained through the satisfactory completion of a PhD programme within a relevant disciplinary field.

The candidates will be assessed according to the following qualifications:

• Specialization: The candidates must have obtained a Ph.D. degree in relevant social scientific and/or design fields.
• Qualitative and quantitative methods: Proficiency in conducting qualitative data collection and/or quantitative surveys.
• Critical analysis and academic writing: The ability to develop critical analysis and produce high-quality academic texts.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration: Candidates should be able to actively participate in collaboration with researchers from other disciplines.
• Workshop and seminar: Experience in conducting workshops and seminars with partners from public and private sectors.
• Excellent english skills: Strong English language skills, both written and spoken.

You can find further information about the qualification requirements for postdoctoral positions here: Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (In Danish only)

You can also find further information about the postdoctoral position on our English webpage on career paths for early‑career researchers at the University of Copenhagen: Career at The University of Copenhagen.

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences
The Department of Anthropology is part of the Faculty of the Social Sciences. The faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:

• Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning and social change.
• Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge and the competences to change society for the better.
• Energising global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact.

For more on the faculty’s strategy, please see: Strategy for the Faculty of Social Science. You can read the Department’s strategy here https://anthropology.ku.dk/dep/department-strategy-anthropology-2023-2028.pdf

Assessment Criteria
Applicants will primarily be assessed in relation to their research qualifications, including their publications, ability to conduct independent research and participate in research collaborations, and their experience of research management. In addition, the applicant’s research plan and research potential will be assessed in relation to the job content described above.

Teaching qualifications are not a requirement, but if the Postdoc is expected to teach, then documented teaching experience can be included in the overall assessment.

Application
Please submit your application online. To apply, please click on the "Apply now" icon at the bottum of this page.
The application must be written in English, and include the following attachments in PDF or Word format:

• CV (max. 2 pages)
• Cover letter (max. 1 page)
• Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates and PhD diploma)
• Complete publication list (attached publications must be marked with an asterisk). The list must be structured systematically and divided into the following categories:

• Peer-reviewed publications:
  • Monographs and anthologies
  • Articles in journals
  • Book chapters/anthology contributions, etc.
• Non-peer-reviewed publications:
  • Publications disseminating research findings, etc.

You can attach a maximum of two publications. The publication dates must be clearly marked on the list. The selected publications must be uploaded as attachments and numbered 1 and 2.

• Research plan (max. 2 pages)
  The plan should include a brief account of previous research, current research projects, and a forward-looking outline of the planned research contribution over the coming years. The plan should also describe your involvement in research organisation, research collaborations, and active participation in research environments at both local and international levels.
• Teaching portfolio (statement: maximum 5 pages; documented appendices: maximum 10 pages) Please refer to the UCPH guidelines for teaching portfolios available at: Job application portfolio.

Salary and Terms of Employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC)The salary range for postdoctoral positions starts at DKK 36,700/approximately EUR 4,910 + an 18.07 % pension contribution. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

Recruitment Process
After the application deadline, the Head of Department will consider advice from the appointment committee and select applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. The Head of Department will set up an expert assessment committee to assess the shortlisted applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. Each shortlisted applicant will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment before the appointment is announced.

You can find further information on our recruitment process at: Recruitment process

International Applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about our services at: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen

An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. To learn more about our diverse workplace and our participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, please visit HR Excellence in Research

Contact Information
For additional information about the position, please contact Simon Lex, email: [email protected] or phone +45 31432839.

For more Information about the recruitment process, please contact HR South at [email protected]. Please refer to ID number: 211-2614/26-2I.
The application deadline is 30 August 2026 at 23:59 CEST.
Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered. However, changes may be made to the submitted application right up until the deadline.

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 30-08-2026

Ansættelsesdato: 01-11-2026

Afdeling/Sted: Department of Anthropology