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Professor

A professor at the Faculty of Natural Sciences is a senior scientific position. Here you will find information on how you can continually develop your career and skill set with respect to research, supervision, education, and leadership.


Scientific position: Professor

A professor position is a senior and by default a time-unlimited position. The main responsibilities of a professor are research and research-based education, combined with a strong focus on research leadership and management. This implies leadership for their own research group, and beyond.

  • Professors contribute to their department’s general development and management.
  • Professors often manage larger research consortia.
  • Professors take the lead in developing teaching, and educational programmes.

What is a professor position?

A professor at the Faculty of Natural Sciences has tasks involving representing and profiling the department and university, and they communicate science to the public and external stakeholders, e.g., by involving themselves in public debates. They often have formal roles that serve the local, national or international scientific communities. Many professors collaborate with private companies or engage in entrepreneurial activities. A professor position demands the highest entry qualifications of all types of scientific positions. Read the ABC-criteria in "What does it take?" below.

At the Faculty of Natural Sciences we support professors in developing their skills, particularly with respect to advancing the career of more junior researchers in their group, and in their own professional development, e.g., with respect to entrepreneurship.

What does it take?

Our ABC-criteria describe the entry criteria that the Faculty of Natural Sciences uses when assessing candidates for different types of scientific positions. First and foremost, it is an invitation to dialogue between a (potential) candidate for a position, and the department in question.


Programmes for senior researchers

As a senior researcher at the Faculty of Natural Sciences you have acces to specialised programmes dedicated to developing your skills as a leader, research manager, and teacher.


Access the Vitae career tools

Vitae is a career platform containing advice and knowledge on developing as a researcer and how to support or supervise others in their career.  Aarhus University is a member of the Vitae Community, so all AU researchers have access to the full suite of online resources. 

Sign in and register to Vitae with your AU institutional email domain, and you will have unlimited use of professional development and training materials.