AU seeks new pro-rector
The newly created position of Pro-Rector for Research and Innovation at AU has now been advertised.
Earlier this year, at the request of Rector Brian Bech Nielsen, the Aarhus University Board decided to expand the senior management team with a Pro-Rector for Research and Innovation. At the time, Brian Bech Nielsen told Omnibus that he had urged the board to create the position because, in recent years, he had seen increasing demands in the areas of research and innovation.
"A few years ago, no one was talking about GDPR, research security or data management. But in recent years, the rules and requirements in these areas have become more stringent, and that requires a great deal of underlying work and cross-organisational collaboration, not to mention work in international bodies.”
The position is now open for applications.
Seeking internationally recognised research profile
According to the job advertisement (In Danish only, ed.), the aim of the newly created position is “to ensure a more coherent development of research and innovation across the university and to strengthen the links between research, innovation and societal impact”.
The brief for the new Pro-Rector is as follows:
"You will be responsible for ensuring a solid framework for research quality, freedom of research and talent development."
The university is seeking an internationally recognised research profile with leadership experience from a complex knowledge-based organisation and an understanding of international research and innovation environments. The candidate must also have strong communication skills.
The new Pro-Rector will be part of the senior management team and will work alongside the Director of Enterprise and Innovation. In addition, they will also have to collaborate with the Deputy Director of Research. The new Pro-Rector will also have overall responsibility for PhD programmes and will chair the university’s research committee.
The application deadline is 16 September, and the position is expected to be filled from 1 February 2027. The position is a limited-tenure post running until 31 January 2033, with the possibility of a further three-year extension.
This text is machine translated and post-edited by Mie Skov Jeppesen.