Associate Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics

Associate Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics

Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
University of Copenhagen

The University seeks to appoint an associate professor to the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences to commence as soon as possible.

Information on the Department can be found at: .

Job description

The position which is centrally situated on the Copenhagen Vet School focuses on the ways in which animals, and particularly companion animals, are kept, trained, cared for and bred. The animals concerned are dogs, cats, horses and other animals kept as companion- or hobby animals. Special focus is on the role of the veterinary profession on how to deal with ethical challenges and dilemmas when it comes to animal breeding, veterinary treatments and end of life decisions regarding companion animals.

The open position is tied to teaching veterinary ethics and philosophy of science as part of the veterinary curriculum and is in terms of research linked to the Centre for Companion Animal Welfare which is an externally funded research centre with a diverse set of research initiatives into the welfare of companion animals. It is a key priority of the Centre that published research results are communicated to the public and applied nationally as well as internationally. Further information about the Centre can be found at:

We are looking for applicants with a master’s or equivalent degree and a Ph.D. in Veterinary Medicine, Animal Science, Biology or the like and with documented:

• Research of international standards within the field of animal welfare, preferably with a focus on companion animal welfare
• Experience with interdisciplinary research regarding animal welfare or veterinary ethics, preferably involving natural as well as social sciences/humanities
• Experience with teaching preferably within the field of veterinary ethics and philosophy of science
• Strong organizational skills and a will to support veterinary teaching and the ongoing work within the Centre for Companion Animal Welfare 
• A track record for attracting external funding
• Documented contribution to outreach and communication of research results to a broader audience including participation in the public debate
• Experience with developing, organizing, and conducting research-based teaching and supervision regarding companion animal welfare, veterinary ethics or philosophy of science, including associated examination
• Good collaborative skills

The associate professor’s responsibilities will primarily consist of:

• Research, including publication/academic dissemination
• Research-based teaching, including associated examination
• Research leadership, including guidance and supervision of researchers
• Obligation to share knowledge with the rest of society, including participation in public debate
• Academic assessments

Required qualifications
To be qualified for an associate professor position, you will be assessed according to these five overall criteria for recognising merit at the University of Copenhagen: Research, teaching, innovation & societal impact, organisational contribution and leadership.

Find information about each criterion .

Applicants are encouraged to read the University of Copenhagen's Guidance on the merit criterion Innovation and Societal Impact here

Furthermore, each applicant must be able to document:

• Research qualifications at the level that can be achieved by satisfactorily completing a period of employment as an assistant professor/postdoc, but may also be obtained in other ways
• Teaching qualifications and pedagogical competencies
• Research-based teaching

The associate professor is also required to possess good interpersonal and communicative skills.

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.

Questions
For further information, please contact Professor and Centre Director, Peter Sandøe, Se e-mailadresse på jobportal.ku.dk

Foreign applicants may find the university’s International Staff Mobility useful.

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 (Inc luding information about external funding
• Diplomas (Master’s, PhD, and other relevant certificates)
• A complete list of publications
• Research plan (3‐5 pages)
• Uploads of maximum 5 publications to be considered in the assessment
• Teaching plan
• Teaching portfolio ( Guidelines )

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 then 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 the university's Job Portal .

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, 26 July 2026.

Interviews for this position are likely to be held on 2 December 2026 .