A postdoc is a short-term position. The position is heavily weighted in favour of research, which may give you time for publishing and developing new research ideas, but it may also include teaching and to some extent other assignments. A postdoc can be held for a period of up to four years at Aarhus University.
A postdoc is not an educational position and does not alone qualify you for an assistant professorship. If you wish to qualify for a permanent research position, you must participate in the teacher training programme.
Despite their temporary and somewhat uncertain nature, postdoctoral positions can be used to acquire the necessary skills for your future academic career.
The assistant professorship is an educational position. It is designed to prepare you to apply for a position at senior researcher level (associate professorship and above).
The position includes teaching, research, and some administration related to teaching, examination and research projects.
The teacher training programme is mandatory for anyone wishing to qualify for an associate professorship at Aarhus University. After an assistant professorship (normally three years), you can apply for an associate professor position.
The tenure track programme relates to positions at junior researcher level and offers the option of transitioning, without prior advertisement, to tenure as associate professor/senior researcher, provided that the employee receives a positive academic assessment before the end of the fifth year of employment.
The positions involve teaching, research, and some administration related to teaching, examination, and research projects.
Applicants for the post of postdoc must hold academic qualifications at PhD level. The post of postdoc is a fixed-term academic position. The post may be filled for a period of up to four years at the same university. The post of postdoc is basically a full-time position, but employment on a part-time basis is also possible. Normally, the post will be heavily weighted in favour of research. In addition, a certain amount of teaching may also be required. Other duties may, furthermore, have to be performed to a limited extent. The university determines the exact ratio between the various responsibilities. The ratio may vary over time.
The position contains no enhancement of pedagogical competencies. The post of postdoc, therefore, may not alone qualify for appointment as associate professor/senior researcher. The position may qualify for a career in the private sector or other sectors outside the university.
(Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities, Section 1.2)
Applicants to the position of assistant professor must hold academic qualifications at PhD level.
The post of assistant professor may take the form of a fixed-term post held for a maximum of four years – in the clinical area, however, up to five years – or a permanent post as part of which the employee after a maximum of six years transfers to a position of associate professor/senior researcher provided that the employee is recommended for assessment and is deemed qualified. If the position is permanent, the assessment will normally take place within the last six months of the appointment. (....)
An assistant professorship is a further-education position. The main responsibilities are research (including publication/academic dissemination duties) and research-based teaching (with associated examination duties). In addition to research and research-based teaching, the post may also include a duty to share knowledge with the rest of society. In addition, assistant professors may be asked to perform other duties.
The university determines the exact ratio between the various responsibilities. The ratio may vary over time, but a balance has to be struck for the assistant professor to be able to improve his or her qualifications in areas relevant to the position (typically research and teaching). Supervision is provided, as well as the opportunity to enhance pedagogical competencies with a view to a written assessment of the assistant professor’s teaching qualifications.
(Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities, Section 2.2, 2.2A)
You can find information about recruitment and employment at the AU HR staff service website.
