Associate Professor in Body and Movement in Educational Contexts

Are you focused on developing research in close collaboration with professional education, practice and the professions we educate for? Do you want to help further develop a national research environment on body, movement and participation in pedagogical contexts? Then the position as docent in Body and Movement in Pedagogical Contexts might be for you.

We are looking for a highly qualified researcher who will play a central role in developing our research environment around body, movement and participation. You will be employed at the Research Center for Pedagogy and Participation under the Research Area for Pedagogy and Formation. Here you will develop, lead and conduct research, contribute to building research environments and create coherence between research, education and practice. You will also contribute to teaching in the professional master's programs, teacher education and pedagogy, as well as continuing and further education.

Research field

In the university colleges, research is developed in close collaboration with practice and education. For us, the foundation is primarily the teacher education, the teacher education, the professional master's programs and continuing and further education. The collaboration sharpens our view of the questions that concern the professions and strengthens the possibility of bringing new knowledge into play across research, education and practice.

In the Research Center for Pedagogy and Participation, participation is the focal point. Participation is about being involved and is a central ideal in pedagogical practice. We investigate what happens when this ideal meets everyday life in early childhood centers, schools, social pedagogy, clubs, psychiatry and other pedagogical contexts.

In our research, body and movement are closely linked to participation. We investigate how movement, play, sport and sensory experiences shape people's possibilities to participate in communities and create meaning in everyday life. We are particularly concerned with the tensions that arise between people's different prerequisites and the institutional frameworks within which pedagogical practice unfolds.

When the focus is on body and movement in pedagogical contexts, we research, among other things:

• movement, play and sport as forms of participation and development
• the body’s and the senses’ significance for learning, well-being and relationships
• joy of movement, communities and inclusion in pedagogical practices and their organization
• development and critical exploration of pedagogical knowledge about body, movement and participation

As a docent in the field

As a docent you will play a central role in further developing the research field and strengthening the research environment around body, movement and participation.

We are seeking a researcher with strong experience in ethnographic and participatory research methods and with a clear research commitment to body, movement and participation in pedagogical contexts.

You have developed research close to practice and have documented experience in creating knowledge together with children, young people, professionals and organizations, knowledge that has created change and development in practice. At the same time you have a strong theoretical profile in areas such as movement education, body phenomenology, enactive perspectives (4E), formation, sports didactics or related research fields.

You are focused on how play, movement and bodily experiences contribute to learning, well-being, community and participation opportunities. You are also focused on how research can strengthen professionals' understanding and contribute to developing courses of action in relation to the challenges professions experience in practice.

As a docent with us you will be responsible for

• developing, conducting and bringing external funding to research and development projects within the field
• developing and maintaining strong national and international research collaborations
• contributing to the development of the center's overall research environment through sparring, supervision and research leadership
• strengthening the interplay between research, education and practice
• having an eye for new research, societal and political agendas relevant to the field
• publishing and communicating high-quality research nationally and internationally
• contributing to building research capacity by supervising PhD students, adjuncts and less experienced researchers
• supporting a strong research culture characterized by quality, collaboration and responsibility

Besides your key role in the research center, you will contribute to the development of research-based teaching and the flow of knowledge between research, undergraduate programs, professional master's programs and continuing and further education.

Who are you?

We expect that you

• have a PhD or equivalent research qualifications
• have substantial experience independently developing, leading and conducting research and development projects
• have documented experience with securing external funding
• have extensive experience with practice-oriented research in collaboration with children, young people, adults and professional actors
• have a strong publication and dissemination profile aimed at both research communities and the practice field
• participate actively in national and international research networks
• have experience with supervision and building research capacity
• can develop new knowledge in close collaboration with the professions and translate it into value for practice and education
• have strong competencies in research-based teaching and experience in linking research, theory and professional practice

Workplace

The main workplace will be at one of VIA’s campuses in Central Jutland.

Application and attachments

If you wish to apply for the position, please attach the following materials to your application:

• CV including documentation of education/continuing education, research, professional and teaching experience, as well as academic merits and positions.
• Publication list including three selected publications you want included in the assessment. These three publications should clearly appear on page 1 of the publication list in prioritized order. The appointments committee and the assessment committee will take these three publications and their relative priority into account in the assessment, so the choice may be motivated in the application
• The publications should be attached as far as possible in the electronic application. If the files are too large, they can be emailed to [email protected] or sent in 5 paper copies to VIA, Hedeager 2, 8200 Aarhus N, Att HR.
• A research plan. The research plan may be a maximum of three A4 pages and may address the following topics:
• Visions and ambitions
• Plan and objectives for the short and long term
• National/international networks and what they add
• Reflection on the applicant's career development after completing the PhD
• Funding strategy

Salary and terms of employment

Depending on your educational background, the appointment will be in accordance with either the applicable agreement for academics in the state or the LC/CO10 framework agreement and the organizational agreement for educators at vocational academies and university colleges.

The appointment is covered by Order no. 414 of 27 April 2025 on the position structure for educators at in higher education institutions at vocational academies, university colleges, Denmark’s School of Media and Journalism and maritime educational institutions, as well as Order no. 413 of 27 April 2025 on lecturer qualification, lecturer evaluation and docent evaluation.

Link to the position structure

https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2025/414

Link to the lecturer qualification order

https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2025/413

The position is fixed-term for 6 years with the possibility of extension and the possibility of downward accommodation as a lecturer.

Employment is conditional on a positive docent evaluation.

Are you interested?

If you want to know more about the position or the employment procedure, you are welcome to contact the center director Lotte Junker Harbo [email protected] or on telephone 87551933.

Apply through our online recruitment system. We must have your application no later than 25 October 2026.

It is expected that the recruitment and evaluation process will take 4-5 months after the application deadline.

After the professional evaluation, interviews with selected and qualified candidates will be held. We expect to hold interviews at the end of February/beginning of March 2027.

WE are VIA

VIA is one of Denmark’s largest educational institutions with locations across the Central Denmark Region. We educate and further educate, among others, teachers, nurses, engineers, designers and many more. We develop education in close collaboration with practice. We are a workplace with flexibility, freedom and good development opportunities. If you are curious about what it is like to work at VIA, you can read some of our stories here.

At VIA we value competence and talent in all forms. We believe in the strength of diversity and welcome everyone, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or background. We therefore encourage everyone to apply for the position and become part of an inclusive community.

Department: Research Center for Pedagogy and Participation

Application deadline: 25 October 2026

Location: Ceresbyen, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark