Two postdoc positions for the research project “TIMED – How children and youth learn time sense in educational transitions”

Two postdoctoral positions for the research project “TIMED – How children and youth learn time sense in educational transitions”

At the Department of Culture and Communication, Aalborg University – Copenhagen campus, two positions as postdocs are available for occupancy on 1 March 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter. The positions are full-time and time-limited to 22.5 months.

The two postdocs will become part of the TIMED project – How children and youth learn time sense in educational transitions, which is funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (DFF) through a Sapere Aude: DFF Research Leader grant. Read more about the project here: https://dff.dk/en/our-funded-projects/meet-the-researchers/research-leaders/eksterne-personer-en/research-leaders-2026/jin-hui-li/

Specific teaching duties within the learning-disciplinary area may occur by agreement. If teaching is assigned, this may extend the appointment accordingly.

TIMED investigates how children and youth learn to navigate time in connection with educational transitions. Transitions – from kindergarten to school or from primary school to a youth education – entail not only new academic and social demands but also new temporal demands. Children and youth must learn to navigate new schedules, rhythms and routines and relate to, among other things, pace, order, waiting time, punctuality, deadlines and coordination with others.

TIMED investigates these processes as socially, sensorily and physically anchored learning processes and pays particular attention to how children's and youths' social backgrounds interact with institutional temporal norms.

The project combines perspectives from educational sociology, time sociology, the sociology of senses, and theories about lived social class. A central premise is that time sense is not solely an individual or cognitive competence, but something learned socially, corporeally and sensorially through participation in institutional everyday life. TIMED thus investigates how children and youths learn to sense, practice and negotiate institutional temporality, and how this affects their participation, belonging and academic opportunities.

Methodically, TIMED is a multi-sited ethnographic study that follows children and youths across institutional contexts and over time. The project employs, among other things, participant observation, interviews and sensory ethnography to examine experiences that are not necessarily verbalized but expressed through rhythms, sounds, atmospheres, bodies, tempo, waiting time and everyday practices.

The two postdoc projects

The two postdocs will each be responsible for their own independent sub-project but must also work closely with the project leader and the rest of the TIMED team to develop the project’s common methodological, theoretical and analytical framework.

Postdoc 1: The transition from kindergarten to school

Postdoc 1 will investigate how children learn time sense in the transition from kindergarten to school. Through a long-term ethnographic fieldwork, a group of children is followed from spring in kindergarten and onward through school visits, school start in first grade and afterschool care (SFO).

The sub-project investigates how new temporal expectations are introduced, sensed, embodied and negotiated by the children. It also examines how the children’s different social backgrounds interact with the institutions' temporal norms, and what significance this has for their participation and belonging.

Postdoc 2: The transition from compulsory school to vocational education

Postdoc 2 will investigate how young people learn and negotiate time sense in the transition from compulsory school to vocational education. Through a long-term ethnographic fieldwork, youths from late compulsory school are followed through, among other things, bridging activities and onward into vocational educations.

The sub-project investigates how the youths meet and learn new institutional and vocationally oriented time norms and rhythms. The sub-project investigates how the youths corporeally sense, handle and negotiate these temporal expectations, and how this relates to belonging and academic opportunities.

Job content

The two postdocs shall develop and carry out their respective field studies as independent sub-projects under the leadership of the project leader Jin Hui Li. Empirical materials, methodological reflections and analyses are shared continuously in the project team with a view to developing analyses both within and across the different educational transitions.

As outputs from the sub-projects, the postdocs are expected to independently and in collaboration with the project team to prepare publications for international peer-reviewed journals, participate in relevant international conferences and research activities, and contribute to communicating research results to a broader public. As part of the project, international research stays are also included.

The two postdocs will be part of TIMED’s research environment and will work closely with the project leader Jin Hui Li and be part of the research group CfU (Center for Educational Research).

In addition, postdocs are expected to actively participate in the project’s seminars, joint analysis work, publications and dissemination activities.

Qualifications

Applicants must

• have obtained a PhD prior to the start of employment in a relevant humanities or social sciences discipline, for example pedagogy, educational science, sociology, anthropology or related fields
• have a PhD age by 7 October 2025 of at most four years.

Read guidance for PhD age calculation here: https://dff.dk/vil-du-ansoege/hjaelp-til-din-ansoegning/saadan-ansoeger-du-via-e-grant/beregning-af-phd-alder/

• have experience with qualitative and ethnographic research
• can speak and understand Danish at a level that enables ethnographic fieldwork among Danish-speaking children/youth and professionals
• have documented experience publishing in international peer-reviewed journals and be able to write academic English
• have good collaboration and communication skills
• be able to work independently and in a structured way and take responsibility for the progress of one’s own research tasks.

Moreover, it is advantageous if the applicant has experience with or knowledge of sensory, creative and/or multimodal ethnography; longitudinal ethnographic fieldwork; educational transitions; theories of time, temporality and rhythms; educational sociology and social inequality; as well as ethical issues in ethnographic research with children and youths.

For Postdoc 1 , experience with research with children, daycare, school/SFO, child research and/or the transition from daycare to school would be a particular advantage.

For Postdoc 2 , experience with research with youths, vocational educations, late schooling, educational choice, vocational pedagogy and/or the transition from compulsory school to youth education would be a particular advantage.

TIMED emphasizes a situated research-ethical approach, where children and youths are understood as social actors, and where questions of participation and the opportunity to speak are continuously included in the research process.

Application

Your application must include the following

• An application describing the reasons for applying, qualifications for the position, and intentions and visions for the position
• A project description of about 3 pages excluding references. Two project descriptions must be attached if you apply for both positions
• CV
• Academic certificates (master’s and PhD certificate)
• Publication list indicating the publications you want considered in the assessment. You may attach a maximum of five publications. You must submit a co-authorship declaration, see template for co-authorship declaration
• Documentation of teaching qualifications, if relevant.
• Dissemination qualifications, including participation in committees, boards, associations, etc.
• Other qualifications relevant to the position
• References/letters of recommendation

The project description must contain a proposal for the research that should be conducted within the framework of the above-described research project. The proposal should outline the methodological and conceptual approach to the sub-project for which the postdoc will be responsible, as well as a timeline for completing the sub-project within the employment period.

Applicants should clearly indicate in the motivated application whether applying for Postdoc 1, Postdoc 2 or both positions.

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

Applications are sent via Aalborg University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job posting on Aalborg University’s website.

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

Have questions?

If you have questions, you are very welcome to contact us. See the contact persons at the bottom of the posting.

Other information

You can read more about our recruitment process here .

The hiring process at Aalborg University involves a shortlisting process. You can read more about it here .

The employment process at Aalborg University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance and integrity of the workplace.

Salary and terms of employment

You are employed in accordance with the regulations for employment of scientific personnel at universities and the regulations for the pay structure for scientific personnel at universities. You are employed and paid according to the state-sector collective agreement for academics and the protocol on certain terms of employment for scientific personnel at universities.

You can read about the salary and salary composition for the position in Salary overview in connection with recruitment - Scientific positions (VIP) . See the introductory paragraph on the page as well as the section “Postdoc”.

There is a 3-month mutual probation period in the position.

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