Technical Sciences Tenure Track at Aarhus University is an attractive career opportunity for promising researchers from all over the world. Highly qualified candidates are employed at assistant professor/researcher level for a six-year period with promotion to associate professor/senior researcher level depending on a positive assessment at the end of the tenure track programme. The promotion is based solely on the results of tenure track assistant professor/researcher and not on comparison with other candidates.

On October 1, 2023, the faculty management adopted a new model for Tenure Track appointments at TECH. If you are employed before October 1 2023, you should discuss with your Head of Section whether it makes sense for you to transition to the new process. If you are employed after October 1 2023, you are automatically included in this process.

At the beginning of the employment, the head of section together with the head of department arranges a meeting with the newly hired tenure track assistant professor so that they are familiar with the requirements, guidelines and expectations associated with the tenure track process. The head of section and the tenure track assistant professor fill out a development plan together. This is then discussed with the head of department. The development plan sent to the Secretariat and is placed on the employment file. The development plan is given considerable weight in both the mid-term and final evaluation.

During the Tenure Track programme, an annual follow-up is conducted between the Head of Section and the Tenure Track assistant professor/researcher. The first time is one year after the employment. The development plan is updated (adjusted) annually at the annual follow-ups and is returned to the employment file (send it to the Secretariet). 

After two years of employment, the Head of Department and Head of Section assess how far the Tenure Track assistant professor/researcher is from associate professor/senior researcher level, and whether there is still to be two-four years of employment before a final assessment is initiated, or whether an assessment should be initiated within the next two years of employment.

Normal process: If it is expected that there will be between two and four years of employment, an interim evaluation will be implemented, generally after three years of employment.

Accelerated process: If the updated plan clearly shows that the employee will be at associate professor/senior researcher level within two years of employment, no interim evaluation will be made. Instead, the annual follow-ups will continue until the final evaluation two years later.