Professor and/or Associate Professor in Dynamics and Advanced Mechanical Systems

Aalborg Universitet (AAU)

Aalborg

On-site

DKK 1,100,000 - 1,400,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Aalborg University in Aalborg invites applications for a Professor/Associate Professor in Dynamics and Advanced Mechanical Systems. The role involves research, teaching, and supervision across BSc, MSc, and PhD programs within mechanical engineering, focusing on dynamics, control, and mechatronics.

You will build and lead a research group, collaborate with external partners, and contribute to curriculum development and problem‑based learning in a supportive, international environment.

Qualifications

Proven record of high‑level research and publications.
Experience in teaching at university level and supervising students.
Ability to develop and lead a research program in dynamics and mechanical systems.

Responsibilities

Conduct research, teach, and supervise BSc, MSc, and PhD level students.
Publish in international venues and lead research groups.
Collaborate with industry and external partners to secure funding.

Skills

Dynamics

Control engineering

Robotics

Mechatronics

Mentoring

Education

PhD in mechanical engineering

Tools

Lab equipment

Job description

Professor and/or Associate Professor in Dynamics and Advanced Mechanical Systems

Jobbeskrivelse

One or more full‑time positions in Mechanical Engineering at the Department of Materials and Production, Aalborg University, Aalborg East Campus, are available. The professorships and associate professorships are permanent positions, while assistant professorships are fixed‑term positions of three years. The expected starting date is by the end of 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Your work tasks

You will join the Department of Materials and Production at Aalborg University, where you will contribute to strengthening and expanding the department’s activities within dynamics and advanced mechanical systems. The department covers a wide range of disciplines, from theoretical physics to production management, and the collaborative environment is influenced by this breadth as well as by the long‑standing tradition for problem‑based project work. You will be part of a setting where students, academic staff, and management cooperate in an informal working environment, and where cooperation between research groups and with external partners is a natural part of daily life.

Your primary responsibilities will be research, teaching, and supervision at Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and PhD level within mechanical engineering, with a particular focus on the design and realisation of mechanical systems. You will carry out research in areas such as mechanical engineering, dynamics, control engineering, system integration, electrical engineering, machine elements, robotics, sensors, mechatronics, and advanced actuator design.

As associate or full professor, you are expected to contribute to the development of the scientific field, including publishing in recognised venues and engaging with the international research community. As full professor, a central part of the position is to establish and lead the dynamics branch of mechanical engineering in the department. This includes taking responsibility for shaping and consolidating the research area, establishing a coherent research agenda, and creating a strong link between fundamental research, modelling and experimental validation in the laboratory. At professor level, you will be expected to manage and develop a research group within this topic and mentor early‑career researchers. At associate professor and assistant professor level, you will contribute actively to the research environment and gradually assume more responsibility for shaping the field.

Teaching will primarily be in the Bachelor and Master programmes in Mechanical Engineering, especially within the study line Design of Mechanical Systems. You will teach and supervise students, and you will take part in project supervision in accordance with Aalborg University’s problem‑based learning model. This includes guiding student project groups, integrating theory and practice in concrete engineering projects, and contributing to course and curriculum development within your area of expertise.

You will be expected to engage actively in collaboration with industry and other external partners, including establishing and maintaining partnerships that support both research and education. You will work with national and international collaborators and apply for external funding, for example from research councils, innovation programmes, and industrial partners. At professor and associate professor level, you are expected to lead and coordinate applications as main applicant or work package head, while assistant professors will typically contribute as partners and gradually build their own portfolio.

Across all levels, you will contribute to academic service and collegial tasks such as participation in study boards, assessment committees, and other departmental or faculty bodies, as appropriate to your role and seniority.

Your Competencies

You have a strong background in mechanical engineering with a focus on dynamics or a closely related field and are motivated by developing and demonstrating electro‑mechanical systems in practice. You are not only interested in theory, but also in designing, building, and proving that systems work in real life. You combine modelling and programming abilities with hands‑on engineering skills, and you are comfortable working in laboratory environments where hardware, software, and control engineering come together.

For the appointment as Professor, you are an established and experienced research leader with a substantial publication record in relevant areas such as dynamics, control engineering, robotics, or advanced mechanical systems. You have a strong international profile in your scientific field with demonstrated experience in setting research directions, leading larger projects, and supervising PhD students and postdocs. You have a strong track record as Principal Investigator on externally funded projects and experience with managing research teams, building networks, and shaping long‑term research strategies. Furthermore, you must meet the department's standards for full professorship, demonstrating significant institutional leadership and a sustained, high‑impact funding portfolio.

For the appointment as Associate Professor, you are an established scientist within the field with a solid and coherent publication record and clear contributions to the development of your research area. You have experience with external funding and are building an emerging portfolio as main applicant or key partner. You have documented teaching experience at university level, including course responsibility and supervision of projects and theses, and you are ready to take on a central role in developing courses and project activities within mechanical engineering and dynamics.

For the appointment as Assistant Professor, you have completed a PhD and typically also a postdoctoral period within a relevant field, during which you have produced peer‑reviewed scientific results. You show clear potential for independent research and for building your own research profile in mechanical system dynamics. You have some experience with funding applications, for instance as a partner or contributor, and you are ready to develop your skills further in proposal writing and project participation. You have teaching experience, for example from teaching assistant duties, lecturing, or supervision, and you are prepared to contribute broadly to teaching and project supervision.

Across all levels, you have technical skills and experience in working with real life systems. This can include the design and integration of mechanical structures, actuators, sensors, and control hardware, development of control algorithms, and programming for embedded or robotic platforms. You are familiar with modelling and analysis of dynamic systems and can translate models into implementations that can be tested and validated experimentally. Experience with robotics platforms, kinematics, mechatronic design, or similar applied domains will be considered an advantage.

You are interested in teaching and supervision in a problem‑based learning environment, where students work in groups on authentic engineering problems. You are ready to support project work, facilitate student learning processes, and contribute to course development within topics such as dynamics, control, mechanical system design, and system integration. Prior experience with problem‑based learning is an advantage, but not a requirement.

You have strong English language skills and can communicate clearly and professionally in both written and spoken English. Since Danish is the working language in many parts of the organisation and in interactions with external partners, you are either already able to communicate in Danish, or you are willing to learn Danish within a reasonable time frame.

As a colleague, you are open, collaborative, and curious about connecting your work with related research groups in the department, such as Biomechanics, Exoskeletons, Solid and Computational Mechanics, and Robotics. You look for opportunities to create synergies across disciplines and to link your research to ongoing activities in the department. You are ready to contribute to a positive research and teaching environment, where feedback, dialogue, and mutual support are part of everyday work. You take initiative, follow through on your responsibilities, and are structured in your approach to research, teaching, and collaboration.

Qualification requirements

Applicants must be able to document a high degree of original academic production at an international level and experience from teaching at different levels. Including tests/exams, course/study programme management as well as contributions to the development of teaching activities and teaching material.

Emphasis is placed on the extent, to which the applicant, has developed the academic discipline from a research and teaching perspective.

Emphasis may moreover be placed on the applicant’s ability to carry out and develop research‑based public‑sector consultancy. Also, emphasis will be placed on an assessment of the applicant’s ability to perform research and teaching management tasks and possibly fulfil other functions, for example in relation to the university’s external cooperation.

Emphasis will also be placed on the applicant's ability to undertake pedagogical supervision, supervision and academic assessment work.

Who we are

The Department of Materials and Production at Aalborg University is a broad engineering department that spans from fundamental physics to applied production management. This breadth shapes a rich scientific environment and a culture where collaboration across research areas is both natural and encouraged. The department is located at Aalborg East Campus and is organised in sections and research groups that work closely together and with external partners in industry and other research institutions.

You will be affiliated with the Section of Physics, Mechanics and Materials, which contributes to both research and teaching in mechanical engineering, materials engineering, and related areas. The environment is characterised by a relatively flat hierarchy and a strong tradition for interaction between students, academic staff, technical staff, and management. It is normal for people at different career stages and with different roles to work together on projects, teaching activities, and development initiatives.

The department has extensive laboratory facilities for mechanical engineering, including advanced equipment and workshops that make it possible to design, build, and test complex mechanical and electro‑mechanical systems. This means that you can work with the full chain from concept and modelling over design and integration to experimental verification and validation in realistic conditions. The facilities support both research projects and student activities, and they provide a natural framework for collaboration with industry.

Working hours are flexible, and staff are trusted to organise their own work in a way that balances research, teaching and collaboration. At the same time, the department has high ambitions in line with Aalborg University’s position as a leading engineering university, and you will join colleagues who are committed to high quality in both research and education. You will have the opportunity to build up a new research area in dynamics within mechanical engineering, develop your own research group over time, and contribute to the continued development of the department’s study programmes and research profile.

You will also become part of an international environment where problem‑based learning is central to the educational model, and where close collaboration with public and private partners plays an important role in both research and teaching. The department and the university support international collaboration, for example through joint projects, visiting researcher schemes, and opportunities for research stays abroad.

International Relocation Support

Assistance with residence and work permits
Registration with Danish authorities
Guidance on housing, banking, and insurance
Support for accompanying family members through the AAU +1 spouse and partner network
Danish language courses

Working and living in Aalborg and Denmark

The city of Aalborg is lively with a wide variety of music and cultural events, top‑notch restaurants, fresh air and easy access to natural parks, forests and great beaches. Denmark offers a high quality‑of‑life and consistently ranks among the happiest countries in the world.

Information about life in Denmark in general, health care, tax etc. can be found at the International Staff Unit page https://www.isu.aau.dk/ and https://lifeindenmark.borger.dk/.

How to apply

Application, stating reasons for applying, qualifications in relation to the position, and intentions and visions for the position
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Diplomas (master's degree diploma and PhD diploma)
List of publications, with an indication of the attached publications that you wish to be taken into account in the assessment. You may attach a maximum of ten publications.
Documentation of teaching qualifications. Please see guidelines for teaching portfolio at The Faculty of Engineering and Science. If this is not enclosed, the applicant must enclose the reasons for this.
Dissemination qualifications, including participation on committees or boards, participation in organisations etc.
Additional qualifications in relation to the position
References/recommendations

You can read more about the requirements for your application here.

The application must be submitted via Aalborg University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aalborg University’s website.

Aalborg University wants to reflect the surrounding society and has diversity as a core value. Therefore, everyone, regardless of personal background and orientation, is encouraged to apply for the position.

Salary and terms of employment

The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities (the Appointment Order) and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (in Danish).

Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement) (only in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (only in Danish).

There is a mutual probationary period of 3 months for the position.

Aalborg University - Knowledge for the world

Aalborg University is an international workplace with more than 3,700 employees. We offer real‑world‑oriented education and create world‑class research results through collaboration between researchers, students, and public and private companies. This is how we achieve insights, new solutions to societal problems, and knowledge that changes the world. Our main campus is in Aalborg, but we also have campuses in Esbjerg and Copenhagen.

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